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Research

Our research

Violence against women and children affects everybody. It impacts on the health, wellbeing and safety of a significant proportion of Australians throughout all states and territories and places an enormous burden on the nation’s economy across family and community services, health and hospitals, income-support and criminal justice systems.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

News and events

ANROWS hosts events as part of its knowledge transfer and exchange work, including public lectures, workshops and research launches. Details of upcoming ANROWS activities and news are available from the list on the right.

ANROWS

About ANROWS

ANROWS was established by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments of Australia to produce, disseminate and assist in applying evidence for policy and practice addressing violence against women and children.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Resources

To support the take-up of evidence, ANROWS offers a range of resources developed from research to support practitioners and policy-makers in delivering evidence-based interventions.


INSIGHTS

Paid domestic and family violence (DFV) leave

This resource sets out the evidence for paid domestic and family violence (DFV) leave.

In Australia, all employees are now entitled to 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave each year, including full-time, part-time and casual employees. The Fair Work Amendment (Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2022 came into effect in 2023 and increased the leave entitlement to 10 days within a 12-month period and extended the definition of family and domestic violence to include conduct of a current or former intimate partner of an employee, or a member of an employee’s household.

For more information, see Family and domestic violence leave (Fair Work Ombudsman).

Drawing upon ANROWS research as well as wider sources, this summary of the evidence highlights the importance of employment as a crucial pathway for women escaping violent relationships. Paid DFV leave can help to minimise disruption to incomes while women end violent relationships, as well as reduce the adverse financial impacts of violence against women.

This resource will answer the following questions:

  • How does domestic and family violence impact workplaces?
  • What are employers’ legal obligations?
  • Are other leave provisions suitable in domestic and family violence situations?
  • What are the benefits of paid domestic and family violence leave?
  • Is paid domestic and family violence leave suitable for perpetrators?
  • What else can workplaces do?

This resource supports employers and workplaces to understand the how policies relating to domestic and family violence leave could assist their employees, and translates the findings of the “Building effective policies and services to promote women’s economic security following domestic and family violence” (Cortis & Bullen, 2016) project.

 

 

Suggested citation

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2019). Paid domestic and family violence (DFV) leave: Summary of the evidence. Sydney: ANROWS.

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