The cost-of-living crisis is making it even more difficult for women fleeing domestic, family and sexual violence in Australia.
In 2024 – a year when calls to homelessness and financial debt help services surged – more than 100 women were killed by violence.
The peak body for women’s legal services says demand is outgrowing capacity, with centres forced to turn away an estimated 1000 people needing help every week.
Women’s Legal Services Australia (WLSA) says this amounts to around 52,000 women a year.
“This is a national crisis and the demand for our services is only growing,” WLSA’s chair Elena Rosenman says.
“Without urgent investment, we will be forced to turn away thousands of women from legal services that could help them find safety and rebuild their lives.”
Ahead of the federal government handing down its Budget, WLSA is calling for an additional $52 million over five years to ensure survivors of violence can access the special legal help they need.
It says a further $16.4 million would also help expand a successful pilot program providing trauma-informed legal support to survivors of sexual assault, and support WLSA continue to its work in advocating for women harmed by violence.
In the last Budget, the federal government made a commitment of nearly $1 billion over five years to keep the Escaping Violence Payment program, which many in the sector say is a start but not enough to meet the growing demand on frontline services.
The National Access to Justice Partnership 2025-30 comes into effect in July and will help deliver much-needed funding for women’s legal services but Rosenman says more is needed.
“Financial stress is a well-documented factor in domestic violence, and rising living costs are making it even harder for victim-survivors to leave abusive relationships,” she says.
“Women’s Legal Services across the country are reporting increasing numbers of women seeking urgent legal support.
“For the first time, we have a dedicated funding stream for specialist legal assistance for women, which is a major step forward [but] the reality is that without additional funding in the 2025-26 Budget, at least a thousand women a week will be turned away from our services.”
WLSA has filed a Budget submission for 2025-26 outlining the factors driving this demand including the financial stress on families resulting from climate disasters like bushfires and floods, which can escalate violence.
It also notes that digital abuse is becoming a growing problem for women seeking help with cyberstalking, unauthorised account access and online harassment on the rise.
Additionally, misogynistic online movements have fuelled a rise in abuse, especially against young women.
“The work our staff do every day is incredibly difficult — supporting women in crisis, handling complex legal matters and ensuring victim-survivors receive justice,” she says.
“Without dedicated and fairly compensated staff, women simply won’t get the support they need.”
Featured image: WLSA’s chair Elena Rosenman.