Knowing and Doing: 50 Years of Change in the DFV Sector

Fifty years after the first women's refuge opened in Sydney, the Australian domestic and family violence sector looks very different – but the gap between what we know works to prevent violence and what is actually funded, implemented and reaching the people who need it most remains stubbornly wide.

In this episode of CEVAW Conversations, host Siân Human speaks with Delia Donovan (CEO, Domestic Violence NSW) and Dr Vincent Hurley (Macquarie University; former NSW Police officer). Between them, they trace the evolution of the DFV sector from two very different vantage points – the service system and the institution of policing – exploring the milestones and the people who drove them, the plans that haven't been enacted, and what it actually takes to turn evidence into action.

This episode covers the women's refuge movement and the birth of DV NSW; how policing culture and practice has changed since the 1980s; new legislation like coercive control and what it means in practice; the gap between national plans and frontline funding; prevention versus crisis response and why it's a false choice; and what it looks like to take evidence directly to young people.

CEVAW Conversations is a podcast by the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Episodes explore how research and evidence translate into real-world practice and policy change.

Delia Donovan - CEO, Domestic Violence NSW

Dr Vincent Hurley - Macquarie University and CEVAW Associate Investigator

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Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline call 1800 497 212

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