Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Advisory Council

Purpose and role

The Council will work with the Australian Government on the development, implementation and monitoring of action plans under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 (National Plan). They will play an important role in supporting implementation of the Second Action Plan under the National Plan. This will include providing advice on emerging priorities, implementation challenges and opportunities to strengthen outcomes for women, children and communities.

The Council brings together expertise from across the domestic, family and sexual violence sector, research, community organisations, lived experience, business, service delivery and related fields to provide advice on emerging issues, priorities, evidence and opportunities to strengthen national efforts to prevent and respond to violence.

By bringing diverse perspectives and championing practical, evidence-informed solutions, the Council helps ensure reforms under the National Plan are informed by evidence, stakeholder perspectives and the experiences of diverse communities.

Through its advice, the Council supports the Australian Government's efforts to drive meaningful and lasting change towards ending domestic, family and sexual violence in Australia.

Membership

• The Council comprises 14 members, appointed through a competitive, merit-based selection process following a national Expression of Interest process conducted between March and April 2026.
• The Department received more than 400 expressions of interest, demonstrating strong interest from individuals across Australia committed to ending domestic, family and sexual violence.
• Members were selected for their diverse expertise, experience and perspectives, and their shared commitment to ending domestic, family and sexual violence.
• Council members bring a wide range of experience across prevention, early intervention, response and recovery, lived experience, research, advocacy, First Nations leadership, child and family services, disability, multicultural communities, business and system reform.
• Ex-officio members support the Council through their official roles, providing expert advice, leadership and guidance to help implement the National Plan and Second Action Plan.

Hayley Boxall

Hayley Boxall is a criminologist and leading researcher in domestic, family and sexual violence. Their work focuses on perpetration, intimate partner femicide, sexual violence and criminal justice responses. They bring extensive experience in research, data analysis and translating evidence into policy and practice.

Kelsey Hegarty

Kelsey Hegarty is an academic general practitioner and Chair in Family Violence Prevention at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women's Hospital. Her research focuses on early intervention, health system responses and innovative approaches to improving prevention and responses to domestic, family and sexual violence.

Catherine Fitzpatrick

Catherine Fitzpatrick is a national leader in financial safety, gender equality and systems reform. Her work focuses on preventing financial abuse and the misuse of products and systems to cause harm. She pioneered financial safety by design and has driven cross-sector change through research, advocacy and industry collaboration, influencing nearly 100 Australian companies to strengthen protections for more than 20 million customers.

Tania Farha

Tania Farha is a senior leader with more than two decades of experience in family and gender-based violence prevention, multicultural affairs and systems reform. She has held leadership roles across government, the community sector and international organisations, advancing culturally safe and evidence-informed responses to violence.

Connor Pall

Conor Pall is the Lead of Youth Engagement and Advocacy at the Australian Childhood Foundation, dedicated to defending the rights of children and young people. Drawing on lived expertise, he challenges adult-centric responses to child abuse and family violence - working alongside young people to transform systems and reclaim their power in decisions that shape their lives.

Amanda-Jane George

Amanda-Jane George is a legal academic and law reform specialist whose research focuses on trauma-informed justice and responses to sexual violence. Her work has informed major government reviews and reform processes, including national efforts to strengthen justice responses for victim-survivors.

Chanel Contos

Chanel Contos is an advocate, educator, and author who has led national conversations on consent education and the prevention of sexual violence. As Founder and CEO of Teach Us Consent, her advocacy has helped drive reforms to respectful relationships and consent education, and she continues to amplify the experiences of young people across Australia.

Muriel Bamblett AO

Muriel Bamblett AO is a respected Aboriginal leader and Chief Executive Officer of VACCA. She has dedicated her career to improving outcomes for Aboriginal children, families and communities and is a leading advocate for culturally safe approaches to child and family wellbeing.

Karen Dini-Paul

Karen Dini-Paul is an Indigenous leader and governance professional with extensive experience across community health, child and family services, organisational development and Aboriginal affairs. She is committed to strengthening outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through effective leadership and community-driven solutions.

Tarang Chawla

Tarang Chawla is a national leader in preventing men's violence against women and children, with more than a decade of experience across advocacy, policy, education and governance. Following the murder of his sister Niki by her partner in 2015, he co-founded Not One More Niki. He is a university educator, board director and former Victorian Multicultural Commissioner.

Leah Bromfield

Leah Bromfield is one of Australia's leading child protection experts and Director of the Australian Centre for Child Protection. She has played a significant role in shaping child protection policy, law and practice nationally and has contributed to major inquiries, reforms and Royal Commissions.

Kate Alexander

Kate Alexander is Chief Executive Officer of Barnardos Australia and a highly respected child protection leader. With experience spanning frontline practice, research and system leadership, she is committed to improving outcomes for children and families and strengthening responses to domestic and family violence.

Janet Jukes OAM

Janet Jukes OAM is Chief Executive Officer of Refuge Victoria and brings more than 30 years' experience across family violence, homelessness, counselling and community services. She is a recognised leader in the human services sector and is committed to improving safety, dignity and wellbeing for vulnerable communities.

Jen Hargrave

Jen Hargrave is an Honorary Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne who has partnered on research into violence prevention, response and recovery. In previous policy and representative roles, Jen drove cross-system collaboration between family violence and disability service systems, including resourcing for specialist programs.

Ex-officio members

Ex-officio members will also be part of the Council. These members join because of their roles. They include:

• the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner
• the eSafety Commissioner
• representative from Our Ways Strong Together, the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak body for ending family, domestic and sexual violence
• representative from Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS)
• Senior Executive from the Department of Social Services
• Senior Executive from the Office for Women.

More information

• Learn more at Governance of the National Plan.