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Tasmania's Third Family and Sexual Violence Action Plan 2022-2027: Survivors at the Centre

Survivors at the Centre is the Tasmanian Government’s, coordinated, whole-of-government action plan to respond to family and sexual violence.

Our vision is that all Tasmanians are safe, equal and respected, and that our homes, families and communities are free from all forms of family and sexual violence.

Survivors at the Centre represents the next stage of the Government’s long-term commitment to preventing and responding to family and sexual violence.

Survivors at the Centre commits $100 million over five years for 38 actions to prevent and respond to family and sexual violence in Tasmania. These include new actions, and continuing or enhanced actions from the Tasmanian Government’s previous two Action Plans.

Actions are guided by four key principles:

  • Partnership and Transformation
  • Capacity Building
  • Prevention and early intervention
  • Voice and Diversity

Survivors at the Centre has been informed, and will continue to be informed, by a sustained and deep community conversation about family and sexual violence. At the heart of the consultation are the voices of victim-survivors and we want to continue to hear from victim-survivors, as we implement this living Action Plan.

The four key pillars of consultation are:

  • The Hearing Lived Experience Survey: The survey opened in February 2022 to February 2023, to allow victim-survivors the time to come forward and share their stories from all areas of Tasmania and from within Tasmania’s diverse communities.
  • Public submissions: Public submission will remain open until February 2023.Stakeholder Workshops: Six workshops on diverse lived experience of family and sexual violence were held with over 100 stakeholders from the family and sexual violence service system, allied services and advocates.
  • The establishment of Tasmania’s first Victim-Survivor Advisory Council: to provide an ongoing voice to Government
  • Partnership with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community: Deep Aboriginal-led collaboration will be undertaken in partnership with Tasmanian Aboriginal organisations, and the establishment of Tasmania’s first Victim-Survivor Advisory Council.

The actions in Survivors at the Centre will evolve, and be added to, over the life of this living Action Plan, as we continue to listen, learn and respond.

Survivors at the Centre is implemented through a coordinated and collaborative effort between Tasmanian Government agencies, non-government and community partners.

Together, we can create a Tasmania free from family and sexual violence.

Survivors at the Centre: Tasmania's Third Family and Sexual Violence Action Plan 2022-2027

Previous Plans and Reports
Lead Minister

Hon Jo Palmer MLC

Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence

The Minister is the spokesperson for Safe Homes, Families, Communities and leads Tasmania’s response to preventing and responding to family and sexual violence.

The Minister represents Tasmania on the National Federation Reform Council Women’s Safety Taskforce which provides a forum for member governments to drive national progress in reducing violence against women and their children.

The Council oversees implementation of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022 - 2032.

The Minister convenes the Family and Sexual Violence Community Consultative Committee.

Survivors at the Centre Governance Structure

The Survivors at the Centre governance structure supports the Tasmanian Government’s response to family and sexual violence and implementation of actions.

Under Survivors at the Centre, we continue to deliver actions through a coordinated and collaborative effort between government agencies, with our non-government partners.

Family and Sexual Violence Cabinet Committee

All Ministers with responsibility for actions under Survivors at the Centre are members of the Children, Young People and Families Safety and Wellbeing Cabinet Committee which oversees the development and implementation of Survivors at the Centre.

The relevant portfolios are:

  • Premier
  • Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence
  • Minister for Health
  • Minister for Community Services and Development
  • Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
  • Attorney General
  • Minister for Justice
  • Minister for Corrections and Rehabilitation
  • Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management
  • Minister for Education, Children and Youth
  • Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing

A list of the current Tasmanian Cabinet is available here.

Family and Sexual Violence Consultative Group

The Family and Sexual Violence Consultative Group (FSVCG) is comprised of representatives from key government and non-government family and sexual violence services, as well as services representing diverse communities. These include: Aboriginal Tasmanians; women; people with disability; culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people; people in rural and remote communities; children and young people; older people; people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTIQ+); and men.

The role of FSVCG is to:

Safe At Home

Safe at Home is Tasmania’s whole-of-government, integrated criminal justice response to family violence administered by the Department of Justice. It involves a range of services working together to protect and support adult victim-survivors and their children, while holding perpetrators accountable for their behaviour.

Safe at Home services include:

  • Police Emergency Services
  • Court and Legal Services
  • Victim Support Services
  • Offender Support Services
  • Financial Support for Victims

For more information visit www.safeathome.tas.gov.au

National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032

The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 (the National Plan) was endorsed by all States and Territories, including Tasmania, in October 2022. The National Plan is the overarching national policy framework that guides actions towards ending violence against women and children over the next 10 years.

The National Plan outlines what needs to happen to achieve the shared vision of ending gender-based violence in one generation. This includes building the workforce and strengthening data collection systems. It also includes increasing accountability for people who choose to use violence, and providing person-centred and holistic responses to support victim-survivors through their recovery and healing.

The National Plan sets out actions across four domains:

  1. Prevention – working to change the underlying social drivers of violence by addressing the attitudes and systems that drive violence against women and children to stop it before it starts.
  2. Early intervention – identifying and supporting individuals who are at high risk of experiencing or perpetrating violence and prevent it from reoccurring.
  3. Response – providing services and supports to address existing violence and support victim-survivors experiencing violence, such as crisis support and police intervention, and a trauma-informed justice system that will hold people who use violence to account.
  4. Recovery and healing – helping to reduce the risk of re-traumatisation, and supporting victim-survivors to be safe and healthy to be able to recover from trauma and the physical, mental, emotional, and economic impacts of violence.