AN innovative program that has been piloted by the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network to tackle family and domestic violence has been extended by the Federal Government.
Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, joined Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Rebecca White, and Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, Ged Kearney, for the announcement of $22.7 million funding to extend family violence training for general practices called the Supporting Primary Care Response to Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Pilot.
Ms Templeman said the program provides GPs, nurses and practice staff with training sessions and supports to increase awareness, knowledge, and confidence to recognise and respond to family, domestic and sexual violence.
“This program is life-changing and potentially life-saving,” Ms Templeman said
“After meeting with some of the local practitioners involved in the program, including a GP and practice staff who have participated so far, I strongly advocated for its continuation,” she said.
“Their feedback was overwhelmingly positive, emphasising how this training and support is helping them recognise signs of abuse, respond safely, and provides referral pathways so they can connect victim-survivors to specialist services.”
Funding for the Supporting Primary Care Response to Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Program is provided through Primary Health Networks. Local organisation, Wentworth Healthcare, is the provider of the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network, and their CEO, Lizz Reay said she was delighted the program (called Care and Connect locally) had been extended.
“A whole of system approach is needed to address domestic, family and sexual violence and an important part of that is increasing awareness around what it actually is, the signs and symptoms, and upskilling those who are in a position to help. We believe that general practice plays a crucial role in this as not all victim-survivors can, or will, access specialist domestic, family and sexual violence services,” she said.
“That’s why this is such a fantastic Program. It gives GPs, other healthcare professionals and their staff the training and tools to identify and respond to patients impacted as in many cases, these services may be the first point of contact for victim-survivors. The Program also funds ‘linkers’ across the region who are specially trained domestic, family and sexual violence support workers that both health professionals and patients can access, to help victim-survivors navigate the support they need to be safe,” said Ms Reay.
“Since the launch of the Pilot we have trained over 600 health professionals in our region and helped over 250 victim-survivors get the support they need. Now that this funding has been extended, we look forward to training many more health professionals so that victim-survivors have increased options of safe places to seek help,” she added.
If you or someone you know needs help, 24/7 support is available through the following services:
1800RESPECT, which offers counselling, information and support via phone, online chat or discreet text messaging
Link2Home on 1800 152 152 provides emergency accommodation and housing referrals
If you are in immediate danger, always call the police on 000.
Full MR containing more details about the program and quotes attributable to A/Min White and A/Min Kearney:
https://ministers.pmc.gov.au/white/2026/227-million-extend-family-violence-training-general-practice
