Ending Sexual Violence Hub
SASVic Submissions
Below, you’ll find SASVic’s most recent submissions to inquiries.
2024 - 2025 SUBMISSIONS
- 2026-2027 Victorian Budget Submission
- Submission to the Draft National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2024-2034
- Review of the Victims’ Charter Act (Vic)
- Commonwealth Government’s consultation on enhancing civil protections and remedies for forced marriage
- Victorian Government’s inquiry on Restricting NDAs in workplace sexual harassment cases
- ALRC’s Inquiry into justice responses to sexual violence in Australia
- Inquiry into the mechanisms for capturing data on the profile and volume of family violence perpetrators
- Final Family Violence Reform Rolling Action Plan 2024-2026
- Proposed reforms to the health practitioner regulation national law
- Draft Action Plan addressing gender-based violence in higher education
- Commonwealth Government’s COVID-19 response inquiry
2026-2027 Victorian Budget Submission
November 2025
Submission to the review of the Victims’ Charter Act 2006 (Vic)
February 2025
The Victorian Victims of Crime Commissioner undertook a review of the Victims’ Charter Act 2006 (Vic). SASVic made a submission to the inquiry highlighting a number of key improvements necessary for making the Victims’ Charter a more useful framework for victim survivors of sexual violence, including (among many others):
- improved and sexual violence specialised conciliatory mechanisms
- the introduction of appropriately staged enforcement and accountability mechanisms, to encourage and improve compliance
- the introduction of the right to have certain police and prosecution decisions not to prosecute reviewed
- the introduction of other enforceable legal rights of specific relevance to victim survivors of sexual violence, modelled off existing international human rights.
- the need for victim centered resources in various formats regarding the Victims’ Charter.
Submission to the Draft National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2024-2034
February 2025
SASVic welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the Australian Government’s Draft National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2024-2034. We said in our submission that, though the draft plan’s structure was strong, there was too much attention given to describing well-established problems and dynamics rather than to specific strategies needed to address them. We then provided opportunities for strengthening the plan with specific actions related to gender equity and preventing and addressing sexual violence, such as funding the specialist sexual assault sector to include roles dedicated to responding to sexual violence experienced by older people.
This submission highlighted the pioneering work of SASVic member South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault (SECASA) in this area.
Submission on enhancing civil protections and remedies for forced marriage
October 2024
SASVic welcomed the opportunity to provide a submission to the consultation on Enhancing Civil Protections and Remedies for Forced Marriage. Sexual violence, including reproductive coercion, can be a precursor to and/or consequence of forced marriage. Among our recommendations is that specialist sexual assault services must be included when considering ways to improve recognition of and responses to forced marriage, including in frontline worker training and community education. We also refer to the submissions from Women’s Legal Service Victoria and InTouch regarding civil protections and remedies, and particularly their calls to prioritise investing in practical supports for victim survivors of forced marriage.
SASVic submission to the ALRC Inquiry into justice responses to sexual violence in Australia
June 2024
Sexual Assault Services Victoria (SASVic) submitted to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) Inquiry into justice responses to sexual violence in Australia. In this submission we reinforced recommendations that the Victorian Law Reform Commissio (VLRC) had previously made and have not been picked up in Victoria, including:
- Reforming tendency and coincidence laws to improve prosecution against individuals who have abused multiple children.
- Creating a stand-alone right for victim survivors of sexual assault to pre-record evidence.
- Developing and implementing sexual violence education and training across police, the judiciary and legal profession, in partnership with our sector.
Although the inquiry is focused on the justice system, we stressed that the inquiry must also consider ways to ensure proper support survivors, including therapeutic support.
SASVic submission to the Inquiry into the mechanisms for capturing data on the profile and volume of family violence perpetrators
May 2024
Sexual Assault Services Victoria (SASVic) submitted to the Inquiry into the mechanisms for capturing data on the profile and volume of family violence (FV) perpetrators in Victoria and barriers to achieving a full understanding of this cohort. We identify key opportunities to capture data on FV perpetrators who also use sexual violence, and issues related to sexual violence perpetration outside the FV context. Recommendations include collecting attitudinal data from key workforces that interact with perpetrators, funding the modernisation of data systems for services within our sector and beyond and resourcing SASVic members to collect quantitative and qualitative data with a purpose-built client management system.
SASVic was subsequently invited to be a witness at the public hearing.
SASVic submission to inform development of the final Family Violence Reform Rolling Action Plan 2024-2026 (Rolling Action Plan)
February 2024
SASVic made a submission to inform development of the final Family Violence (Rolling Action Plan). We identified key opportunities to strengthen the Rolling Action Plan, particularly regarding sexual violence within and outside of family violence. We reiterated the imperative for a dedicated sexual violence strategy. Additional recommendations include that the Rolling Action Plan should invest in specialist sexual assault and harmful sexual behaviour services (SSAS), in partnership with other relevant experts, to deliver primary prevention activities that address the impact of pornography, consent (on and offline) and image-based sexual abuse, and increased resourcing to enable all victim survivors who are incarcerated in Victoria to access counselling and advocacy from a SSAS.
SASVic submission to proposed reforms to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law
February 2024
SASVic provided feedback on proposed reforms focussed on processes for health practitioners who engage in “sexual misconduct.” The consultation came about following an ABC Four Corners report, “Do No Harm“, about doctors who break their oath but who are still allowed to practise.
SASVic and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare joint submission on the Draft Action Plan addressing gender-based violence in higher education
January 2024
SASVic and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (the Centre or CFECFW) welcome the opportunity to provide a joint submission to the Australian Government Department of Education on the draft action plan addressing gender-based violence (GBV) in higher education. Recommendations include resourcing specialist sexual assault services for counsellor advocates in higher education providers, co-designing perpetrator accountability measures with victim survivors, students, and staff, and co-designing reporting pathways and resources with relevant peak bodies and victim survivors to ensure accessibility.
SASVic submission to the National Inquiry into COVID-19 Response
January 2024
SASVic welcomes the opportunity to provide a brief submission to the independent panel on the Commonwealth Government COVID-19 Response Inquiry (the Inquiry). Our recommendations include that the Inquiry recommendations are also applied to improve response measures in future crises, and to implement recommendations from the Future proofing safety report in future crises.
2020 - 2023 submissions archive
SASVic submission to the National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality (April, 2023) >
National Inquiry into current and proposed sexual consent laws (March, 2023) Exposure Draft of the Family law Amendment Bill 2023 (Exposure Draft, 2023) 2022 State Election Tour ‘Vote Against Violence’ Report >
Submission to the Draft National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032 >
Submission to the Inquiry into Victoria’s criminal justice system >
Submission to the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Children >
