Australia Commits AU$24.5m to Fathers Family Violence Prevention Programmes

Sydney — The Paul Ramsay Foundation has committed AU$24.5 million over five years to 14 Australian organisations helping fathers who use or are at risk of using family violence change their behaviour and improve family safety.

The programmes are expected to support more than 750 fathers annually across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, covering urban, regional and very remote communities.

Each organisation will receive AU$350,000 annually. Six programmes are First Nations-led, while four specifically target culturally and linguistically diverse communities, including migrant and refugee families.

The funding will support individual counselling, parenting education, behaviour-change interventions and whole-family approaches, with some programmes addressing substance misuse, mental health challenges, trauma and involvement with the justice system.

Paul Ramsay Foundation Head of Families, Jackie Ruddock, said the grants followed consultations with organisations working in under-resourced areas of the family violence response system.

“These grants emerged from listening to our partners in the sector and reflect PRF’s commitment to addressing complex, under-resourced parts of the family violence response system,” Ruddock said.

The foundation also intends to build evidence on interventions that strengthen family relationships, prevent developmental trauma and hold perpetrators accountable.

“The evidence demonstrates that men who use violence often remain active in their children’s lives, even following relationship breakdown,” Ruddock said, highlighting the need to consider children's safety alongside family relationships and individual circumstances.

Among the First Nations recipients, Ebenezer Aboriginal Corporation in Perth will expand its Men Supporting Men initiative through Warlang Maaman, or Healthy Dads.

Kornar Winmil Yunti Aboriginal Corporation in Adelaide will add individual case management to its 22-session My Spirit programme.

Moogji Aboriginal Council and Dardi Munwurro will provide culturally responsive healing and mentoring in East Gippsland, while the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council will extend its Uti Kulintjaku Watiku Project, connecting young fathers with Anangu culture, language and traditional knowledge through mentoring and men's walks.

Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Corporation in Alice Springs will promote safe, gender-equitable parenting and family wellbeing.

Waminda South Coast Women's Health and Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation will combine behaviour-change support, case management and culturally focused healing activities.

The Australian Refugee Association will provide therapeutic and behaviour-change support for migrant and refugee fathers in Adelaide.

In Toowoomba, the Domestic Violence Action Centre and Immigrant Women's Support Services will deliver Strong Fathers, Strong Babas, a six-month programme incorporating Caring Dads.

In Victoria, inTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence and Relationship Matters will develop a 20-week parenting intervention for multicultural fathers.

STARTTS and the Kateb Hazara Association will adapt existing programmes for Hazara refugee fathers, combining group sessions, individual support and community education.

Other recipients include Act for Kids, which will deliver a whole-family intervention in Queensland; Family Life, which will develop intensive therapeutic support for fathers with complex needs; and Odyssey House NSW, which will integrate counselling, parenting education and treatment for substance misuse, mental health challenges and trauma.

Windana Drug and Alcohol Recovery will expand its 25-week U-Turn programme across Ballarat, Geelong and Frankston, combining family violence behaviour-change support with alcohol and other drug services.

Ruddock said the initiative would support early intervention while maintaining accountability.

“This collective work is about investing in early engagement and holding accountability, so that we can further develop healing-focused models tailored to different communities,” she said.

The Paul Ramsay Foundation was established in 2006 by philanthropist Paul Ramsay, who left most of his estate to sustain its charitable work after his death in 2014.

The foundation works with organisations and communities to address disadvantage across Australia.