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Domestic Violence and the Workplace
Plans Policy Assessment
Research Report
Plan International Australia
March 2014
Grace Dee Macauley – Volunteer at PIA
Email: gdeemacauley@gmail.com

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Forward:
Plan International Australia (PIA) wishes to create a pioneering approach to
domestic violence through implementing a policy for women to obtain the
required paid leave .
Two thirds of women who have experienced domestic violence with their
current partner are in paid employment. Through detailed reports, researches
and action plans surrounding this issue have begun a wide spread discussion
over the past decade. This report will underpin the reasons such a policy should
exist within ANO.

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Contents
What is Domestic Violence? ....................................................................3
Domestic Violence and the Workplace Facts ………………………………….4
(2.1) The ‘Project’
(2.2) ADFVC Survey
Economic Impacts…………………………………………………………………………..5
Existing Commitments…………………………………………………………………….6
Plans Commitment to Gender Equality……………………………………………7
(5.1) Plans Strategy 2012-2016
(5.2) GESA
(5.3) Commitment to Child Protection
Effective Implementations……………………………………………………………..8
External Recourses…………………………………………………………………………

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(1) What is Domestic Violence?
Over recent years domestic violence has appeared on many fair work and policy
amendments nationally and internationally. It is defined by the Victoria Family
Act 2008 in the below appendix (1). In short it is an abuse by a family member
or partner/ex-partner that can include forms of intimidation, control, isolation
and emotional, physical, sexual or spiritual abuse.
Victoria Family Act 2008
Section 5 Meaning of family violence
(1) For the purposes of this Act, family violence is—
(a) behaviour by a person towards a family member of that person if that
behaviour—
(i) is physically or sexually abusive; or
(ii) is emotionally or psychologically abusive; or
(iii) is economically abusive; or
(iv) is threatening; or
(v) is coercive; or
(vi) in any other way controls or dominates the family
member and causes that family member to feel fear for
the safety or wellbeing of that family member or another
person; or
(b) behaviour by a person that causes a child to hear or
witness, or otherwise be exposed to the effects of, behaviour
referred to in paragraph (a).
Appendix 1

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(2) Domestic Violence and the Workplace Facts
(2.1) The ‘Project’
In 2010 The University of New South Wales created an 18 month plan named
‘Domestic Violence Workplace Rights and Entitlements Project’ (the ‘Project’):
This report created a greater awareness of the correlation between workplace
productivity, employers safety and gender equality.
The ‘Project’ Quick Facts:
 On average Victorian Police attend over 20,000 incidents of family
violence each year (around 385 per week). Children are present at more
than half of these incidents *60, 000.
 Between one quarter and one half of women who have been subjected to
domestic violence report having lost a job, at least in part due to the
violence.
 A consequence is that victims of domestic violence have a more disrupted
work history and are therefore on lower personal incomes.
 Domestic violence is an increasing problem in Victoria, with reports to
police of family violence-related crime up by nearly a quarter in 2011-12.
(UNSW 2010)

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(2.2) ADFVC Survey
In 2011 Australian Domestic & Family Violence Clearinghouse (ADFVC)
performed a National Domestic Violence and the Workplace Survey of 1,000
participants. Of this survey 81% were women and two thirds in fulltime
employment.
The results below show that
 Nearly a third of respondents (30%) had personally experienced
domestic violence
 A further 20% had not personally experienced domestic violence but
knew someone in paid employment who had
 For 19%, one worker in five who experienced domestic violence, the
violence continued at the workplace
 Overall, 78% of respondents believed that workplace entitlements could
reduce the impact of domestic violence in the workplace
Such statistics has produced a transformation for some organisations and
companies to take control of this issue. There are obvious correlation between
the increase of cases and the companies’ productivity and safety.

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(3) Economic Impacts
When speaking about domestic violence, the first and foremost priority is for
women’s safety and equality. Unfortunately there is also the reality that has its
burdens on companies and organisations themselves, especially economically.
It is conditions such as being distracted from work, impaired work performance
and being threatened at work are large fixtures in the effects of domestic and
family violence amongst the workplace.
The reality hits as in 2004 Access Economics estimated that:
 Domestic violence cost Australia $8.1 billion in 2002-03
 Victims bear the largest cost burden of domestic violence, estimated at
$4.05 billion out of a total $8.1 billion in 2002-03
This highlights the importance of employment as a pathway for women to
leaving violent relationships. Trough companies creating a policy it shows a will
to increase the safety of employers and a commitment to gender equality. Plans
Strategy on Gender Equality 2012- 2016 outlines its areas of operational
standards and how PIA wishes to create gender standards within the company.

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(4) Existing Commitments
There is progression internationally with companies such as Corporate Alliance
to End Partner Violence in the US and the British Trade Union UNISON creating
effective policies for workplace entitlements.
These progressions also exist within Australia. In April 2013 an amendment was
recommended by the Australian Law Reform Commission Report on Family
Violence and Commonwealth Employment Law 2011, the inclusion of domestic
violence in the Fair Work Act is both Australian Council of Trade Union Policy
(Congress May 2012), and Australian Labour Party Policy (December 2011).
Some say we are leading the world with over 1 million Australian employees
now covered by domestic violence clauses in their agreement or award
conditions (ADFVC, 2011).
In September 2010 Torquay-based Surf Coast Shire and the Australian Services
Union has been hailed as possibly the world's most progressive workplace
agreement on family violence. This involved an extra 20 days paid leave for
victims of domestic violence.

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(5) Plans commitment to Gender Equality
‘Plan believes that gender equality is central to achieving our vision for change’
Implementing a domestic violence policy correlates with PIA’s gendered centred
approach to workplace equality.
(5.1) Plan’s Strategy on Gender Equality 2012-2016
Plan’s Strategy on Gender Equality 2012-2016 states that:
 Plans offices will have workplace policies that assure equal opportunities
for male and female staff and a family-friendly work environment
 Sexual harassment and gender discrimination will not be tolerated
Among the priority actions to 2016, Plan encourages relevant implementations
to insure a safe and equal workplace through meeting a set of gender standards
by 2016. A domestic violence leave policy would be a pioneering approach to
ensure these standards are met.
(5.2) Gender Equality Self-Assessment (GESA) Survey 2012
A survey in which the response exemplified the need for commitment to policy
to ensure Plan Strategy on Gender Equality is met by 2016.
Responses such as:

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 A 69% of respondents agreed that policy assures equal opportunities
 Overall 83% of staff members agreed sexual harassment and gender
based discrimination should not be tolerated in the workplace.
Through looking at the effectiveness of the GESA, it has ensured that ANO staff is
equipped with skills, attitudes and knowledge towards gender equality. Ensuring
such a policy would be easily implemented and greatly effective.
(5.3) Commitment to child protection
Aside from the overarching benefits of this policy for women, it also creates a
safer environment for family and children. This will always be at the heart of
Plan’s social policy and implementations.
By advocating for protection for women in the workplace it creates an
awareness of the existing gender relations that still exist. By creating a policy
within the workplace it brings a realistic element to the work that can be done
for gender equality.

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(6) Effective Implementations:
Below is a brief outline of how such a policy could potentially be implemented:
 Gather internal and external stakeholders such as; HR, Victoria Police,
Workplace Safety Victoria, CEDAW
 Survey similar to the GESA to obtain knowledge of awareness of domestic
violence within ANO.
 Information package on the effects of domestic violence on workplace
environment and effectiveness.
 Online training package
 Train key staff in preventing and identifying domestic violence in the
workplace
 Risk assessments; keeping the line between personal life and the
workplace
 Training to deal with disclosure of information of domestic violence from
fellow employers

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External Recourses:
University of New South Wales, 2011, Domestic Violence and the Workplace :
Employee, Employer and Union Recourses
Ludo McFerren , Safe at Home, Safe at Work, 2011, National Domestic Violence
and the Workplace Survey 2011
White Ribbon : Genders at Work: Exploring the role of workplace equality in
preventing men’s violence against women
Access Economics. (2004). The Cost of Domestic Violence to the Australian
Economy. Canberra: Office of the Status of Women, Australian Government
Australian Human Rights Commission (2012). Working Without Fear: Results of
the Sexual Harassment National Telephone Survey 2012. Sydney, Australian
Human Rights Commission