Submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs Inquiry into the relationship between domestic, family and sexual violence and suicide

The authors and the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW) welcome the opportunity to contribute to this critical inquiry examining the relationship between domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) victimisation and suicide in Australia.

This submission reflects findings from an Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) and CEVAW hosted interdisciplinary workshop, 'Deaths by Suicide in the Context of Domestic and Family Violence: Examining Context, Prevention and Responses' (10–11 July 2025), which brought together 26 scholars, policymakers, practitioners and victim-survivors from Australia, the United Kingdom and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Over the past decade, policy and practice efforts to address domestic and family violence (DFV) have accelerated in Australia. However, the critical issue of deaths by suicide and the contributory role of DFSV has received insufficient attention in research, policy and practice, despite growing international recognition of DFSV as a significant risk factor for suicide.

International evidence, including from the United Kingdom, demonstrates a strong and consistent association between DFV victimisation and self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. Research from England indicates that approximately half of people who attempted suicide in the past year had experienced intimate partner violence at some point in their lives, with young women aged 16–24 years old facing particularly heightened risk. Importantly, the impact of DFV victimisation on mental health often persists long after any period of separation, reflecting the enduring impacts of trauma and coercive control. Evidence-based understandings of the nature, dynamics and extent of these deaths are vital to inform prevention, early intervention, response, recovery and healing efforts.

This submission draws on emerging Australian and international research, coronial investigations, death review data and the expertise of leading scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of DFSV and suicide prevention.