Fair Agenda

We encourage Fair Agenda members to write their own personal message about the importance of funding domestic, family and sexual violence services if they feel comfortable and safe doing so. 

We understand that many of Fair Agenda members have lived experience of gendered violence. We encourage you to only share what you feel comfortable with and when sharing your story or experience, you prioritise your own wellbeing. It’s okay to set boundaries and limits on what you want to share and prioritise your own needs and self-care.

Please know there is support available if you need it. If you or someone you know is affected by sexual or domestic abuse, help can be found via: 1800RESPECT or 1800 737 732 or via https://www.1800respect.org.au/ which offers a national counselling helpline, information and support. The Men’s Referral Service is available on 1300 766 491 for men, or friends and family of men using violence.

We have provided four template messages you might want to draw from, to make the process of drafting your message easier. If you do choose to use the templates, please feel free to make changes to reflect your own experiences and views. 

• I am calling on the government to prioritise funding to address gender-based violence in the upcoming budget. I believe women’s safety should be a non-negotiable at the core of our federal budget. That means a budget that ensures women can access the services they need to be safe and heal from violence. A budget that ensures that a woman or girl who has been raped doesn’t wait months for trauma counselling support. A budget that ensures services have the capacity to respond to a man at risk of using violence. And importantly a budget that ensures any person subject to violence is supported to be safe and escape their abuser.
• As a member of Fair Agenda, I'm writing to urge you to support a major increase to investment in women’s safety this budget, including funding for trauma counselling and specialist case management services for victim-survivors of sexual, family and domestic violence. These services are crucial for helping women rebuild their lives and to heal after experiencing violence. I want every survivor to be able to rely on services when they reach out for support. 
• I'm writing to urge the government to prioritise funding to address gender-based violence in the upcoming budget. Including increased investment in services that intervene with men using violence. As well as making sure victim-survivors can access the safety support they need. By investing in these programs, we can help prevent further harm. 
• I am writing to ask you to prioritise funding to address gender-based violence in the upcoming budget. In particular, I urge you to support increased funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations leading critical work to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. These organisations are often best placed to provide culturally safe and appropriate services for First Nations women and their families. Please ensure that this important work is supported with adequate funding.

The Fair Agenda movement is calling on the Federal Government to design a budget for a world where women can live, work and learn free from violence. 

Experts have indicated that a federal budget that puts us on track for a safer future will require $1 billion annually of federal resourcing. Current funding gets us just over halfway to this figure.

Previous governments’ have delivered gaping holes in the safety net survivors should be able to rely on. Funding is urgently needed across every part of the system. 

Ahead of this budget, Fair Agenda has highlighted six examples of areas where an immediate funding boost could make a big difference:

1. Improved and increased intervention with men at risk of using or continuing to use violence
2. Greater investment in earlier intervention with those using and affected by violence
3. Properly resourcing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations leading critical work to prevent gender-based violence and support safety outcomes of First Nations women affected by men’s violence. 
4. Investing in sexual violence trauma counselling - to supporting trauma-response and healing for rape survivors
5. Boosting specialist case management services, to ensure women trying to build futures are provided the specialist support they need to be safe from a partner’s harmful behaviour. 
6. Scaling successfully piloted safety services in places like our courts, hospitals and service systems.

These are some of the areas that the Fair Agenda movement is advocating for further funding in this year’s budget. You may like to reference why you support investment in these services in your personal message.