The Cook Government has released Western Australia’s first Perpetrator Response Framework, setting out a state-wide approach for how government agencies, community services, and specialist providers work with people who use family and domestic violence.
It arrives alongside updated Practice Standards for Perpetrator Intervention and the launch of WorkforceFDV, a $6 million entity funded over three years to train and develop the state’s family and domestic violence workforce.
The Practice Standards have been reviewed to reflect changes in legislation, policy, evidence, and practice, with a stronger emphasis on victim-survivor safety, perpetrator accountability, cultural responsiveness, and interagency co-ordination. The Framework is built on the position that ending family and domestic violence takes more than supporting victim-survivors, and requires a co-ordinated response that identifies, challenges, and addresses the behaviour of the person using violence.
“The new perpetrator resources will help provide strong, consistent responses to strengthen accountability and protect victim-survivors,” said Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Jessica Stojkovski.
The Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing will deliver WorkforceFDV in partnership with Stopping Family Violence, the Council of Aboriginal Services WA, the Aboriginal Health Council WA, Community Skills WA, Professor Donna Chung, and WorkUP. It will build on the training already available to frontline workers, focusing on identifying risk and supporting victim-survivors.
“WorkforceFDV will boost the capability across the sector, providing a dedicated focus on consistent, quality service provision to victim-survivors and perpetrators,” Stojkovski said.
“Strengthening the capacity and capability of the people who work to prevent and respond to family and domestic violence is critical to the reform’s success,” added Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing CEO Alison Evans.
“We know that to deliver sustainable long-term reform we must develop the specialist family and domestic violence and prevention workforces and grow the family and domestic violence capabilities of the broader workforces that intersect with family and domestic violence.”
Stopping Family Violence CEO Damian Green said the launch of WorkforceFDV alongside the Framework and the updated Practice Standards were important steps forward.
“We hope to connect these important pieces of work in implementation, ensuring we have the right foundations to embed high-quality, evidence-based responses for all workforces supporting families impacted by family and domestic violence in Western Australia,” he said.
Implementation is where the State’s last major perpetrator accountability measure came unstuck. Laws passed in 2024 made electronic monitoring effectively mandatory for serious and repeat family violence offenders granted bail, but within months the Department of Justice had conceded that monitoring was not feasible in parts of regional Western Australia, and at least three offenders were released on bail without a tracker. The State Government later committed around $23 million over four years for 38 extra full-time equivalent staff across the Justice Department and WA Police to manage the scheme.
Where to get help
The Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline is on 1800 007 339 and the Men’s Domestic Violence Helpline is on 1800 000 599, both 24 hours a day. 1800RESPECT is on 1800 737 732. In an emergency, call 000.
