Victoria, NSW frustrated by federal funding cuts to domestic violence partnership
Sources in the NSW and Victorian governments have expressed frustration over the diversion of federal cash from a national partnership on domestic violence that will cut funding to the states by millions after a spate of femicides.
The $365.9 million National Partnership Agreement on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses was part of a bigger package announced in September in response to what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called a national crisis of gendered violence. It provides operational funding for the states and territories to direct to local services.
Analysis by this masthead found that although the Commonwealth has increased funding to other domestic violence initiatives, it will put on average $5.4 million less per year into the next five-year partnership – equivalent to a 7 per cent drop, despite indexation – when it takes effect on July 1.
Despite federal funding increasing with indexation over the coming five years, the annual average investment over the life of the partnership is still $1.7 million lower for NSW and $1.25 million lower for Victoria compared to the former two-year deal.
For the first year of the new deal, this amounts to a $3 million drop for NSW and a $2 million drop for Victoria compared to the annual average under the previous two-year deal that wraps up on June 30.
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Federal commitments are matched by each state and territory.
Negotiations for the new partnership began back in September. But NSW and Victoria only signed up in late March, days before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the federal election and the Commonwealth entered caretaker mode. All other jurisdictions had signed up weeks earlier, in February and early March.
NSW Premier Chris Minns' office declined to comment. But sources with knowledge of the negotiations said that although the NSW government was frustrated by the decision, there would be no cuts to services as a result of the shortfall.
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