GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Inquiries and submissions
A list of active, or recently closed, inquiries and submissions relevant to domestic and family violence, sexual assault and women’s safety.
Various governments and independent organisations undertake inquiries into topical issues, and seek submissions from interested parties in relevant sectors. The results of these inquiries lead to recommendations put to governments to seek change to policies and procedures. The submission process enables organisations and individuals to have their say and contribute to law reform.
Below is a list of active, or recently closed, inquires and submissions relevant to domestic and family violence and women’s safety. See this outline of the Australian policy context for women’s safety and ANROWS’s resources page for our previous submissions.
| Inquiry or submission | Website | Status | Further reading / See also |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | |||
| Family Law Amendment Bill 2024 | Visit website | Submissions closed 4 October 2024. Report due 31 October 2024. | |
| Exposure Draft: Family Law Regulations 2024 | Visit website | Submissions closed Thursday 5 September. | |
| Enhancing Civil Protections and Remedies for Forced Marriage | Visit website | Submissions closed Monday 23 September | |
| Criminal Code Amendment (Deepfake Sexual Material) Bill 2024 [Provisions] | Visit website | Submissions closed 19 July 2024. Report released August 2024. | Report |
| Inquiry into family violence orders | Visit website | Submissions closed 19 July 2024. | Terms of reference |
| Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society | Visit website | Submissions closed 28 June 2024. Interim report released 15 August 2024. Final report due 18 November 2024. | |
| Financial Services Regulatory Framework in Relation to Financial Abuse | Visit website | Submissions closed 14 June 2024. Report due December 2024. | Terms of reference |
| Current and emerging threats to trans and gender diverse human rights | Visit website | Submissions closed 5 May 2024. | |
| Crimes Amendment (Strengthening the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Violence) Bill 2024 | Visit website | Submissions closed 22 March 2024. Report published 24 April 2024. | Report |
| Justice Responses to Sexual Violence | Visit website | Submissions closed 24 May 2024. Final report due 22 January 2025. | Issues paper |
| Consultation to establish a national point of referral to help victims and survivors of child sexual abuse | Visit website | Consultations summaries have been released. The National Office is working with states and territories to finalise the service model in early / mid 2024. | Discussion paper |
| Exposure Draft: Family Law Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2023 | Visit website | Submissions closed 10 November 2023. High-level consultation summary has been released in early 2024. Feedback will inform advice to government on improvements to the exposure draft. | Exposure draft |
| Scoping the development of specialised and trauma-informed legal services for victims and survivors of sexual assault | Visit website | Submissions closed 7 May 2023. | Discussion paper |
| Access to offenders’ superannuation for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse | Visit website | Submissions closed 16 February 2023. | Discussion paper |
| Missing and murdered First Nations women and children | Visit website | Final Report published 15 August 2024. | Final Report |
| New South Wales | |||
| Impacts of harmful pornography on mental, emotional, and physical health | Visit website | Submissions close 1 November 2024. | Terms of reference |
| Review of domestic violence rental laws | Visit website | Submissions closed 2 December 2022. | |
| Australian Capital Territory | |||
| Inquiry into Sexual, Family and Personal Violence Amendment Bill 2023 | Visit website | Submissions closed 29 November 2023. Report published 13 March 2024. Government response tabled 6 June 2024. | Final Report |
| Victoria | |||
| Inquiry into capturing data on family violence perpetrators in Victoria | Visit website | Submissions closed 31 May 2024. Final report date extended to 31 March 2025. | |
| Tasmania | |||
| Consultation on the Community Protection (Offender Reporting) Amendment Bill 2023 | Visit website | The Tasmanian Government is seeking input on proposed amendments to the Community Protection Offender Reporting Act 2004. These amendments are intended to ensure that appropriate and adequate information is recorded on the register and able to be disclosed for the purpose of monitoring offenders, protecting children, and mitigating risk of serious harm from sexual offending. Consultation closed 16 February 2024. | Draft Bill |
| South Australia | |||
| Excessive self-defence and self-induced intoxication | Visit website | Submissions closed 7 October 2024. | |
| Social Media Safety | Visit website | Submissions closed 4 October 2024. | |
| Draft Children and Young People (Safety and Support) Bill 2024 | Visit website | Submissions closed Sunday 15 September 2024. | |
| Deepfakes | Visit website | Submissions closed 11 September 2024. | Discussion paper |
| Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence | Visit website | Submissions in response to the Issues Paper closed 16 August 2024. All other written submissions closed 27 September 2024. | Issues paper |
| Workforce Strategy for the Child Protection and Family Support Sector | Visit website | Submissions closed 19 April 2024. Final workforce strategy released in mid-2024. | Workforce Strategy |
| Inquiry into home care for children and young people | Visit website | Submissions closed Friday 19 April 2024. | |
| Review of consent laws in South Australia | Visit website | Submissions closed 12 February 2024. | Discussion paper |
| Criminalising coercive control | Visit website | Submissions closed 10 October 2023. | Consultation guide |
| Western Australia | |||
| Review of criminal justice responses to sexual offending | Visit website | Consultation closed 8 October 2023. | Fact sheet |
| Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Strategy | Visit website | Consultation closed 15 September 2023. The findings from the consultation process are being used to develop the final Strategy. | Draft Strategy |
| Project 113 - Sexual Offences | Visit website | Final Report tabled in Parliament. | Final Report |
| Legislative Responses to Coercive Control in Western Australia | Submissions closed 30 July 2022. | Consultations outcomes report | |
| Northern Territory | |||
| Exposure Draft Justice Legislation Amendment (Domestic and Family Violence) Bill 2023 | Visit website | Submissions closed 22 August 2023. The Bill was passed on 28 November 2023 and commenced in March 2024. | |
| Inquiry into Consent for Sexual Offences | Visit website | Submissions closed 30 June 2023. | Discussion paper |
| Queensland | |||
| Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Bill 2024 | Visit website | Submissions closed 2 July 2024. Report released 2 August 2024. | Report |
| Criminal Justice Legislation (Sexual Violence and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2024 | Visit website | Submissions closed 5 July 2024. Report released 2 August 2024. | Report |
| Victims' Commissioner and Sexual Violence Review Board Bill 2024 | Visit website | Submissions closed. Report published 19 April 2024. | Report |
| Criminal Code (Decriminalising Sex Work) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 | Visit website | Submissions closed 8 March 2024. Report published 12 April 2024. Bill passed with amendment 2 May 2024. | Report |
| Criminal Law (Coercive Control and Affirmative Consent) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 | Visit website | Submissions closed Friday 27 October. Final report released 19 January 2024. Bill passed with amendment 6 March 2024. | Final report |
| Domestic and family violence perpetrator strategy consultation | Visit website | Consultation closed on 22 September 2023. | Consultation paper |
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