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Full Stop Australia develops submissions to government inquiries in every Australian jurisdiction to inform policy, practice and law reform impacting upon our clients' safety, justice and wellbeing.
More information.
In our consultation processes, we seek feedback from both our frontline trauma specialist counsellors and our clients who have expressed an interest in having their say on the systems and processes impacting upon their own safety.
We do this in partnership with our sector partners, such as the National Association of Services Against Sexual Assault and key state and territory based sexual, domestic and family violence peaks and services who are leading reform efforts in their respective jurisdictions.
Emily Dale is Head of Advocacy and leads the work on all our submissions. If you would like to discuss an issue of policy, practice or law reform, please do not hesitate to contact Emily by email at advocacy@fullstop.org.au
Some of our submissions are subject to cabinet in confidence, but you can access copies of our public submissions below.
2024 - 2025 Submissions
Consultation on draft NSW Homelessness Strategy 2025- 2035Full Stop Australia supports the Strategy’s vision of building service capacity and aspiring for homelessness to be rare, brief and not repeated in NSW. While the Strategy acknowledges that domestic and family violence are key drivers of homelessness, the Strategy fails to adequately address the experiences of individuals navigating homelessness and their increased risk of sexual violence victimisation. |
NSW Sentencing Council Review of Character in SentencingThe development of this submission was guided by the lived expertise and tireless advocacy of survivor-advocates Harri James and Jarad Grice—whose Your Reference Aint Relevant campaign provided the impetus for the NSW Sentencing Council’s work. As set out above, Full Stop Australia is committed to centring the experiences of victim-survivors, and firmly believes it is only possible to end sexual, domestic and family violence by listening to the people impacted by it. We thank Harri and Jarad for their advocacy and vision. |
2025-26 Federal Pre-Budget Submission: Support 1800 FULL STOPSexual, domestic and family violence in Australia is a national emergency. In recent years, we have seen a spike in domestic and family violence-related homicides and an alarming rise in reported sexual assaults, now at a 31-year high. This situation highlights the urgent need for immediate and effective action. When other support systems cannot meet demand, 1800 FULL STOP helps bridge the gap. |
Inquiry into the impacts of harmful pornography on mental, emotional, and physical health.Full Stop Australia welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the inquiry on the impacts of harmful pornography on mental, emotional, and physical health (Inquiry). Pornography captures a wide and diverse array of content. Full Stop Australia agrees with the statement in ANROWS’s submission to this inquiry that, ‘pornography is not inherently harmful; nor is it all the same. Research suggests that questions of “harm” need to consider both what pornography depicts and the nature of an individual’s interaction with it.' |
Executive Summary: Australian Law Reform Commission Inquiry into Justice Responses to Sexual Violence.Full Stop Australia’s submission to the Australian Law Reform Commission made 40 evidence-based recommendations for improving the treatment of victim-survivors of sexual violence engaging with the justice system. Informed by more than 50 members of Full Stop’s National Survivor Advocate Program (NSAP), our frontline specialist trauma counsellors and clinical leadership team and a review of systems and evidence from around the world, the submission proposed that Australia's justice system was not designed with victim-survivors in mind and largely fails to deliver safety or justice to victims of sexual crimes. |
2025-26 NSW Pre-Budget Submission: Investing in SafetyThis pre-budget submission recommends two evidence-based, high impact investments in safety from sexual violence. The need for urgent, transformative change to combat sexual violence is |
National Suicide Prevention Strategy.Our submission does not address every aspect of the Strategy. Instead, it recommends improvements to the Strategy to better reflect the established link between sexual, domestic and family violence and suicide, thereby strengthening the Strategy’s approach to the national crisis of gender-based violence. |
Preliminary submission to the South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.Noting that the Royal Commission is inviting submissions until September, Full Stop Australia intends to make a more substantive and detailed submission next month. |
Inquiry into Family Violence Orders.Full Stop Australia welcomes the goal of the Inquiry, which is to provide better access to Family Violence Orders (‘FVOs’) for victim-survivors in the family law system and ensure FVOs are effective at keeping victim-survivors safe. |
NSW Sentencing Council Review of Character in Sentencing.The development of this submission was guided by the lived expertise and tireless advocacy of survivor-advocates Harri James and Jarad Grice—whose Your Reference Aint Relevant campaign provided the impetus for the Review. |
Consultation: National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence.Sexual violence at Australian universities is currently at crisis point. The 2021 National Student Safety Survey found that 1 in 6 university students had experienced sexual harassment, and that 1 in 20 had experienced sexual assault, in a university context. We hope that a National Code will help improve this situation, by creating uniform safety standards all higher education providers must comply with. |
Independent Review of the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019, July 2024Full Stop Australia is grateful for the opportunity to provide input to the independent review of the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019. |
Australian Law Reform Commission Inquiry into Justice Responses to Sexual Violence, June 2024The recommendations in this submission aim to make the justice system safer and fairer for everyone. This means a justice system that treats victim-survivors of sexual violence with respect, provides them with choice and agency, recognises the harm caused to them, and holds all people who use sexual violence to account. |
Crimes Amendment (Strengthening the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Violence), March 2024
(PDF 591kb) Full Stop Australia thanks the Attorney-General’s Department for the opportunity to provide input on the Crimes Amendment (Strengthening the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Violence) Bill 2024 (the Bill). |
Criminal Code (Decriminalising Sex Work) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill, March 2024Full Stop Australia thanks the Housing, Big Build and Manufacturing Committee (the Committee) for inviting us to provide input to its inquiry on the Criminal Code (Decriminalising Sex Work) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 (the Bill)(Inquiry). |
Review of Part 4, Division 4 (Sacrilege and housebreaking), March 2024Full Stop Australia thanks the Department of Communities and Justice (the Department) for inviting us to provide input on the review of Part 4, Division 4 (Sacrilege and housebreaking) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) (the Crimes Act) (Review). |
Inquiry into the potential for a Human Rights Act for South Australia, February 2024Full Stop Australia thanks the Social Development Committee of South Australian Parliament for the opportunity to provide input on its inquiry into the potential for a Human Rights Act for South Australia (Inquiry). |
Review of Sexual Consent Laws in South Australia, February 2024Full Stop Australia thanks the South Australian Government for inviting us to comment on the Government’s discussion paper, Review of Sexual Consent Laws in South Australia (Discussion Paper). |
Submission to the Department of Education regarding the Draft Action Plan, January 2024Full Stop Australia thanks the Australian Government for providing the opportunity to comment on the Draft Action Plan for Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education and the design of a National Student Ombudsman. Full Stop Australia supports the Draft Action Plan. We congratulate the Government on the development of a Plan with the potential to create transformative change for student safety. |
