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Empowering evidence: ANROWS’ role in leading national research to end violence

Estimated read time: 8 minutes

Australia is at a critical moment in the effort to end violence against women and children. The evidence base has never been stronger, yet the gap between what we know works and what is implemented at scale remains wide.

In its latest annual report to Parliament, the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission has called for ANROWS to be empowered to lead the national research agenda, recognising that strong, coordinated systems leadership is essential to bridge the divide between research, policy and practice.

 

“ANROWS has developed a strong reputation for trusted, rigorous research. As we continue to develop new research, we are also sharpening our focus on how we support the use of evidence across government, services and in shaping the community attitudes that are key to ending violence against women and children.”

– ANROWS CEO, Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine

 

Why this matters

For over a decade, ANROWS has amassed a body of rigorous, independent research designed to inform policy, services and practice across Australia’s DFSV sector.

Alongside the contributions of countless researchers, practitioners, advocates and people with lived experience, this collective evidence base has shaped the hundreds of recommendations made across royal commissions, inquiries and taskforces since 2010.

Yet despite these efforts, the translation of evidence into systemic change has often lagged.

 

“The gap between what we know needs to be done and what – and most critically how – we are implementing at scale has never been more apparent.”

– Micaela Cronin, Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner (Foreword to the 2025 Yearly Report to Parliament, p. 5)

 

The Commission’s report points to that gap as one of the biggest obstacles. It urges a more deliberate, coordinated approach to ensure that research, lived experience and evaluation truly guide reform.

 

What this means for the National Plan

With just seven years left in the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032, the report calls for a shift from siloed efforts to concerted, systemic reform.

 

“We now need a razor-sharp focus on coordinated, accountable and agile delivery – to move beyond fragmented responses to embrace comprehensive, community-led systems change.”

– Micaela Cronin (Foreword to the 2025 Yearly Report to Parliament, p.6 )

 

The report sets out several urgent actions to strengthen national coordination and accountability:

• Commence the next Action Plan immediately

Embed shared decision-making from the outset. The Action Plan should be a living mechanism that actively engages all governments, is regularly updated to reflect new evidence and emerging needs, and includes measurable targets with transparent public reporting.

• Establish a Commonwealth implementation and oversight mechanism

This mechanism should provide quarterly reporting dashboards to Cabinet, ensure DFSV remains a standing priority for departmental Secretaries, and drive cross-government alignment across all national plans.

• Create a DFSV Youth Council

The Council would ensure accountability to children and young people, providing input throughout the Action Planning process and during implementation.

• Embed lived experience

The Commission’s Lived Experience Advisory Council will lead the development of a national engagement framework, toolkit and evaluation framework, while the Commission undertakes an audit of lived experience engagement mechanisms to assess their effectiveness.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

Strengthen shared decision-making within governance structures and the Priority Reforms of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, backed by sustained investment in Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and improved data to track progress on Target 13.

• Advance national work on engaging men and boys

Implement the Rapid Review’s recommendations by developing a coordinated national approach to healthy masculinities, violence prevention, and responses to online misogyny and radicalisation.

• Strengthen the Commission as a statutory authority

Expand its powers to gather information, monitor implementation, and consolidate ANROWS’ role as the national evidence convenor.

 

The report also calls for stronger national coordination across funding, workforce and system reforms. It recommends developing a consistent funding-mapping framework to improve transparency and accountability, expanding crisis, recovery and healing services through an urgent needs analysis, and investing in workforce capacity across specialist and adjacent sectors.

Additional priorities include addressing economic and systems abuse through national reforms, implementing the Australian Law Reform Commission’s recommendations on sexual violence, and strengthening prevention and education efforts to protect children and young people from sexual exploitation.

 

Building a coordinated, evidence-led approach

A key thread in the report is the call to strengthen and consolidate ANROWS’ mandate. The recommendations propose ANROWS should:

• Lead the national DFSV research agenda, setting priorities, identifying gaps, and encouraging alignment across all states and territories
• Serve as a convenor of evidence, gathering, synthesising, and disseminating learnings and good practice models nationally
• Ensure research speaks to practice and lived experience, building evidence that responds directly to the needs of communities and those working on the ground
• Work closely with other national agencies, such as the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, ABS, AIFS and AIC, to coordinate data, research and analysis across the sector

The Commission identifies ANROWS as a pivotal organisation in transforming Australia’s approach to an integrated, evidence-led system.

 

Deepening evaluation and accountability

As an example of this systems leadership, ANROWS is working with the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission to develop a set of best-practice evaluation principles. The principles will guide the evaluation of DFSV programs, reflecting an important aspect of the research organisation’s role supporting impact across the service system.

 

“Evaluation is vital to the goal of ending gender-based violence. It provides an evidence base of what works, for whom and in which contexts. This in turn can support programs and policies to be more effective, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of people impacted by violence, and those who use violence.”

– Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission, 2025 Yearly Report to Parliament, p. 52

 

To develop the principles, ANROWS is exploring existing evaluation frameworks and principles that inform practice and consult with experts and stakeholders – including DFSV service providers, people with lived-experience of DFSV, and researchers and evaluators – to test the principles and develop guidance on their implementation.

 

“We are also bringing a focus on how we support the measurement of impact across the system. For example, supporting services to evaluate what difference they are making and enabling funders and policy-makers to learn where programs are making a difference and what might need to change to better meet community needs.”

– Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine

 

These principles are expected to be published in 2026.

 

ANROWS’ role going forward

For ANROWS, the Commission’s backing is both an endorsement and a responsibility. As Australia’s independent, trusted voice for reliable and informed evidence on domestic, family and sexual violence, ANROWS is positioned to:

• Accelerate uptake of research in real world service systems
• Forge stronger national alignment across jurisdictions
• Amplify the voice and expertise of victim-survivors in setting research direction
• Elevate evaluation as central to accountability and continuous improvement

 

“We are at a turning point. The evidence is there, we know more than ever about what works to prevent violence, but as the Commissioner rightly states, the gap between what we know and how we implement it at scale has never been more apparent. ANROWS is committed to bridging that gap by producing the research that systems, services and communities need to respond effectively. We welcome the Commission’s recommendations and look forward to working across all jurisdictions to strengthen women’s and children’s safety.”

– Dr Tessa Boyd Caine, CEO, ANROWS

 

The challenge ahead is not simply to generate more research, it’s to ensure that research drives change in communities.

The Commission’s report is clear: Australia has the tools and knowledge to end gender-based violence. Now we must act with alignment, accountability and courage.

 

“The pathway for ending gender-based violence exists. While we still have work to do, in many instances the evidence is clear. Our communities want to see real change. The question is whether we have the will to act differently.”

– Micaela Cronin, Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner (Foreword to the Yearly Report to Parliament, p. 4)

 

Read the 2025 Yearly Report to Parliament

 

 

Media contact:

Emmagness Ruzvidzo,
Media and Communications Manager, ANROWS
E: [email protected]
M: 0468 322 800

About ANROWS

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) was established by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments under Australia’s first National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (2010–2022). As an ongoing partner to the National Plan, ANROWS continues to build, strengthen and translate the evidence base that informs the current National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children (2022–2032).

With more than 150 research projects led, commissioned or contributed to, ANROWS delivers targeted evidence to inform practice, policy, and systems reform. We engage closely with victim-survivors, communities, service providers, governments and researchers to ensure our work reflects lived experience and supports collective action.

ANROWS is a not-for-profit company jointly funded by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments. We are a registered harm prevention charity and deductible gift recipient, governed by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).