Consider how local council performance measures can encourage family violence prevention

• In 2020-21, the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) is developing a whole of setting model to scale-up primary prevention activities in all 79 local councils. The model aims to create a more consistent approach to delivering primary prevention activities in local government settings and will consider performance measures for evaluation.
• The model will build on Phase one of the Free from Violence Local Government Project (FFVLGP) (2018-2020) which was a partnership between the Victorian Government and local councils to promote gender equality and prevent family violence and all forms of violence against women. As part of the FFVLGP, grants were provided to 35 councils to build capability across their workplaces and to develop innovative primary prevention programs, tailored to the needs of their respective communities. This work aligns with Royal Commission Recommendation 94 that requires councils to prepare a municipal public health and wellbeing plan to report on measures to reduce family violence and respond to the needs of victim survivors.
• DPC will use the design process for Phase two of the FFVLGP (2020-2022) to conduct further research on how a comparable performance measure (internal to local government and/or community focused) for family violence prevention could be integrated into existing performance reporting processes and systems for local government. The design process for Phase two will occur from July 2020 – 31 December 2021. DPC will undertake this design work in consultation with the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR)), the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), local councils, Respect Victoria and other relevant agencies.
• As part of this design process, DPC will consider best practice from other government plans or programs and the roll out of the Gender Equality Act (the GE Act) 2020.
• Under the GE Act, councils will be required to develop and implement Gender Equality Action Plans every four years and report publicly every two years on their progress against workplace gender equality indicators that relate to the gendered drivers of violence. This includes indicators such as gender pay equity, recruitment and promotion practices and gender composition of the workforce. Councils will also be required to analyse the different impacts their policies, programs and services have on people of different genders.
• DPC will work with DJPR to consider how to integrate a new indicator focused on internal family violence prevention policies and procedures demonstrating each council’s commitment to preventing family violence within its workforce.
• As part of the work underway to further develop the Family Violence Outcomes Framework (FVOF), which was released as part of Ending Family Violence: Victoria’s Plan for Change (10 Year Plan) and the first Rolling Action Plan  2017–2020, DPC will also ensure that any local council performance measures align with the FVOF. This will allow local government activities to work alongside other government initiatives with a shared focus on achieving outcomes for all Victorians affected by family violence.

Recommendation 202 has been implemented through the inclusion of council reporting requirements under the Gender Equality Act (GE Act) 2020 and the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. The GE Act was enacted in 2020 and requires local councils to (1) develop and implement a Gender Equality Action Plan (2) publicly report on their progress towards workplace gender equality a (3) promote gender equality in policies, programs and services that impact the public and (4) complete gender impact assessments on all new policies, programs and services.

Gender equality and family violence prevention are inherently linked as gender inequality is a key driver of violence against women. The GE Act reporting requirements encourage councils to consider and address gender inequalities and therefore, prevent family violence.

Following the Royal Commission into Family Violence, the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (in accordance with Recommendation 94 of the Royal Commission) was amended to require councils to specify measures to prevent family violence and respond to the needs of victims of family violence in the community in preparing public health and wellbeing plans and to provide the Secretary to the Department of Health with information regarding these measures at key intervals during the four year lifetime of their plans. Together, these measures act to encourage family violence prevention through improved gender equality in council workplaces and the wider community.

The implementation of the recommendation through legislative reform supports Domain 1 (Family violence and gender inequality are not tolerated) and Domain 4 (Preventing and responding to family violence is systemic and enduring) from the Family Violence Outcomes Framework.

In addition, an evidence-based best-practice model for the prevention of family violence and violence against women in local government settings is currently being developed. The model will provide a framework to effectively embed long term prevention activity in local government. Consultations with local government and other key prevention stakeholders are currently occurring to consider, identify and evaluate appropriate data sources and potential indicators to demonstrate the local government sector’s commitment to preventing family violence through the model. It is expected that the model will be developed by the end of 2021.

Implemented.