27 January 2026

• We don’t need another Royal Commission. We need political courage to act, reports Women's Agenda. 

• Lake Cargelligo shootings were over in minutes but the effects will echo through generations in a small NSW town, reports The Guardian.

• Police charge 80-year-old man with murdering 77-year-old woman at Wollert, reports ABC.

• Young victim-survivors say 'shameful' Victorian family violence response causes harm, reports ABC.

• Cairns Courthouse has received $19.3 million for major upgrades including a new domestic violence courtroom and secure safe room to better protect victim-survivors, reports Cairns Post.

• 'You can’t educate your way out of violence if there's nowhere safe to go' - Advocate warns campaigns are failing Aboriginal women, reports National Indigenous Times.

• Australia has not banned children from social media. It has begun restricting platforms from offering unsafe services to children, reports Kirra Pendergast.

• National domestic violence commissioner, legal services say Katherine court unsafe for women, reports ABC News.

• Paid family and domestic violence leave uptake 'very low', reports ABC.

• National Indigenous Times reports, Few Marshall Islands women pursuing justice in court despite high domestic violence rates, 

• ABC reports, Repeated brain injuries linked to memory changes in intimate partner violence survivors.

• Australia records equal highest rate of parricide deaths in three decades, reports News.com. 

• Domestic violence services launches 'safe space' initiative to help improve support in public areas, reports ABC.

• SBS reports, A new online learning module is aiming to provide education and support around intimacy rights for people with disability.

• High demand for DFV support services leads survivor to help house DV victims, reports ABC.
• Women's Agenda reports, Australia’s progress isn’t translating into equality for all women.

• Domestic violence survivor calls for national register to stop perpetrators 'exploiting' loopholes, reports ABC.

State Based

• NSW Government signs new Community Services Funding Framework, and a complementary Community Service Jobs Compact. stating 7,800 organisations will benefit from a whole-of-government approach to funding community services, including default 5-year funding contracts. 
• Embolden’s Lived Experience Advisory Network (LEAN) will work with the South Australian Government, the DFSV sector and community to share lived experience perspectives that will play a central role in shaping system design, development and evaluation as Royal Commission reforms begin.
• Western Australia Government contracts new Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) Workforce Entity to strengthen frontline responses to FDV, $6 million over three years.
• Victorian Government First Home Buyer Relief After Family Violence program allows victim survivors to requalify for first home buyer benefits.
• ANZ Bank announces support for customers impacted by Victorian Bushfires.
• NSW Government announces updated Respectful Relationships Education program will be rolled out to an additional 150 public schools across NSW in Term 1, 2026.

National

• The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) provides one-off financial assistance to eligible Australians adversely affected by the Victorian Bushfires (January 2026).

International

• Femicide laws newly introduced in Italy but prevention measures lacking, reports LSJ Online

• The father of a UK teenager who took her own life after viewing suicide and self-harm content online has said banning under-16s from social media would be wrong, reports BCC.

• Musk’s X to block Grok AI tool from creating sexualised images of real people, reports Guardian.

Research

• A new report by Women's Health Matters titled 'Too Urgent to Rush: Victim Survivor Voice consultation report for improving ACT justice system responses and community awareness of coercive control.  
• Final report of the 'Evaluation of the 1800RESPECT service'. 

Events

• Ending Men’s Family Violence: From Local Practice to National Strategy – 2026 National Conference event will be held from  11-12 March 2026  in Hobart.
• PreventX2026:STORIES FOR CHANGE conference will be held in Melbourne from 24 - 25 March 2026.
• Women Deliver 2026 Conference will be held in Narrm (Melbourne), 27-30 April 2026. 
• National Recovery and Healing Conference:Striving Together" will take place in Brisbane from 30 April-1 May 2026.

• Neurodivergence Wellbeing Conference will be held from 28-29 September in the Gold Coast.

Consultation & Research

• 2026 National Family and Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Workforce Survey is open from 2 February to 28 February 2026.
• Engender have partnered with UTAS School of Psychological Sciences titled 'Understanding Client Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence Counselling Services'.
• National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse want to find out what information and programs exist in towns and communities across Australia to help keep children safe. Click here to learn more.
• ACOSS launch annual Heat in Homes Survey to support calls for governments to act faster on energy upgrades for low-income and rental housing. Please help us spread the word by sharing the survey with your networks, especially communities most impacted – including renters, people on low incomes, First Nations people, people with disability, and anyone living in homes that don't protect them from the heat. Many people are now dealing with hot homes, high energy bills and health risks, and every response strengthens our case for change.

Training 

• Wesnet Webinar: Location, Location, Location- how victim-survivors may be located, monitored, and surveilled through technology by abusers. 29 Jan 12:30-1:45 PM.

• Artificial Intelligence in the Context of DFV- common myths, benefits, privacy concerns, environmental impact, and safe usage practices for survivors and frontline workers. 4 March 12:30 - 1:30 PM.

• CCTV and the Internet of Things (IoT) - features and access points that can be exploited, raising significant privacy and safety concerns. 6 May 12:30 - 1:30 PM

• Connected Cars- the levels of connectivity in newer cars, the data collected and shared, privacy concerns, and ways survivors in Australia are vulnerable to being tracked through their cars. 11 June 12:30 - 1:30 PM 

• Applications are now open to study RMIT’s Graduate Certificate in Domestic & Family Violence in 2026.  This degree is taught by a teaching team of specialists and practitioners and will provide you with the mandatory qualifications to work in the specialist family violence sector. Come and get up-skilled in responding to, and preventing, family violence! Apply here.

Jobs/Opportunities 

• The Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute for First Nations Gender Justice is offering a limited number of sponsored positions for First Nations women, girls, Sistergirls and gender-diverse peoples across Australia to attend the Women Deliver 2026 Conference in Narrm (Melbourne). 

• ANROWS is hiring 2x Project Manager roles and 1 x Project Coordinator, Research and Administration Officer and a Senior Research Officer.

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