COTA Australia has made a submission to the Department of Social Services’ consultation on the Second Action Plan under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032.
Drawing on a survey of nearly 900 older women about what would help them feel safe, our submission argues that family and domestic violence does not stop once women turn 50, and that framing it as ‘elder abuse’ can hide the gendered, lifelong nature of the violence older women live with. Older women told us that safe housing and financial support to leave, matter more than information and awareness. Existing services and leaving payments are largely designed around younger women with children, leaving older women to fall through the gaps.
Our submission calls for investment in outreach navigators, tailored specialist services, and early intervention to identify who is at risk of committing violence, and prevention beyond education to address the reality of violence across the whole of a woman’s life.