The targeted implementation plan published today contains 95 actions across the strategy’s four pillars of “protection, prevention, prosecution and policy co-ordination”, with a strong focus on delivery and collective action to 2026.

Cuan, the DSGBV agency, worked in collaboration with officials from the Department of Justice and in consultation with other government departments, state agencies and external stakeholders to develop the plan for 2025-26.

Justice, migration and home affairs minister Jim O’Callaghan said: “This final implementation plan for the third national strategy draws directly from insights gained through ongoing monitoring and progress reporting by Cuan.

“It provides a focused roadmap to deliver on the whole-of-government commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to DSGBV.

“This is a plan focused on delivery, accountability and ensuring that we continue the momentum and focus on this issue.

“I am committed to building on what has already been achieved, and to strengthening implementation and identifying the actions we need to take now and where we need to go next to prepare a clear pathway toward the fourth national strategy.”

Priority areas include continuing national leadership and cross government alignment, expanding refuge accommodation, delivering a comprehensive national emergency domestic violence accommodation plan, and advancing legislative reform.

Legislative reform includes removing the guardianship rights of a person who has been convicted of killing their intimate partner; developing a mechanism to ensure any person in an intimate relationship can be informed if their partner has a history of domestic violence; and advancing provisions to ensure counselling records are only released where the Court decides that they contain material relevant to legal proceedings.

The plan also includes actions to continue to deliver impactful awareness campaigns on sexual consent and pathways to safety, and a comprehensive set of training actions to upskill frontline professionals across the health and social care sector, DSGBV services, the judiciary, courts and other justice agencies.

Mr O’Callaghan added: “The government is delivering on the commitments in the ‘Zero Tolerance’ strategy to achieve a society where sexual violence, and the toxic attitudes that fuel it, are not accepted.

“Under the strategy we’ve already introduced a range of legal reforms to help achieve this and other legislative measures that I am progressing will deliver a clear message that sexual abuse and sexual violence will not be tolerated, that survivors will be supported and perpetrators will be held accountable.”

Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe, CEO of Cuan, said: “This final phase shows how seriously we take implementation. The new framework gives us a clearer line of sight on what’s being delivered, what impact it’s having, and where greater focus is needed.

“However, this is not just about measuring activity - it’s also about assessing real impact, understanding the challenges in implementing a strategy with over 20 partner organisations and continuously improving our collective response. The inclusion of survivor perspectives is a key strength of this approach.”

Alongside the implementation plan, a second 2024 progress report, covering the period from July to December 2024, has also been published.