REPORTS of domestic and family violence are soaring yet support services are grossly underfunded and struggle to meet demand.
New data from Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW) shows that two out of three victim-survivors cannot be assigned a case worker, leaving them vulnerable to escalating danger.
Commissioned through Equity Economics the “Unmet Demand” report shows the frontline sector is collapsing.
Port Macquarie MP Robert Dwyer said the figures paint a deeply concerning picture of a system under extreme strain.
“Refuges [are] full, frontline services overwhelmed and vulnerable women and children [are] being turned away at their most critical moment of need,” he said.
Liberty Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Services, which supports the Port Macquarie-Hastings community, is among the many organisations pushed to their limits.
“Through their hard work and dedication, Liberty delivers almost double on what they are funded for by the NSW
Government,” Mr Dwyer said.
DVNSW’s pre-budget submission calls for a 50 percent increase to core funding – an investment of $177.4m.
“Goodwill is not a funding model,” CEO Delia Donovan said, “it is exploitation.”
“Staff are paying for basic needs out of their own pockets, working unpaid overtime, and fundraising in their own time – just to keep women and children safe.
“Somewhere along the line, goodwill became a business model.”
In 2025, NSW recorded more women killed in DVF situations than any other state.
Additionally, there are 300 DVF-related assaults reported in NSW every day.
Mr Dwyer said urgent funding is needed for frontline DFV services and refuges, more case workers, and tougher monitoring of high-risk offenders.
“The NSW Government must prioritise the funding and reform necessary to ensure that every victim who reaches out for help receives it immediately,” Mr Dwyer said.
Ms Donovan said that the data is clear and the solutions are known.
“And in the context of the State Budget, we’re asking for crumbs.”
By Sue STEPHENSON
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