The Cost of Violence against Women and their Children 

7.1 Summary of findings

Table 15 summarises consumption-related costs in 2021-22 resulting from domestic violence against women and their children.

Without the Plan of Action interventions, consumption-related costs are estimated at $3.5 billion in 2021-22. For every woman whose experience of violence is prevented as a result of the Plan of Action, $9,190 in consumption-related costs can be avoided. This equates to $354 million in reduced costs if levels of violence could be reduced by just 10 per cent by 2021-22.

7.2 Category description

This category includes short-term costs of replacing damaged property and defaulting on a bad debt, and the long-term cost arising from the loss of economies of scale in consumption (owing to reduced average household size). Access Economics estimated total consumption-related costs were $2.6 billion in 2002-03⁵⁴.

7.3 Cost and stakeholder breakdown

Table 16 summarises consumption-related costs associated with domestic violence.

Without appropriate action to address violence against women and their children, consumption-related costs could reach $3.5 billion in 2021-22. The main contributor to these costs is likely to be the change in economies of scale at 94 per cent of the total costs. Consumption-related costs are assumed to be borne entirely by the victim/survivor and family and friends.

7.4 Plan of Action priorities

The Plan of Action advocates a range of actions that will particularly impact on consumption related costs:

• strengthen media and internet standards to address sexualised and denigrating representations of women, and minimise the impact of the persistent exposure to representations of violence in childhood and adolescence.
• developing, trialling, implementing and evaluating educational programs in a range of settings, based on best practice principles, for pre-schoolers, children, adolescents and adults that encourage respectful relationships and protective behaviours.
• building on and targeting existing resources, programs and services to help parents and primary caregivers provide positive parenting by supporting their children to develop respectful relationships.
• increasing the availability, range and evaluation of perpetrator programs that meet standard principles, particularly in rural and remote areas.

53. All figures are in 2007-08 dollars.
54. Access Economics, The Cost of Domestic Violence to the Australian Economy: Part I and Access Economics, The Cost of Domestic Violence to the Australian Economy: Part II, 2004, viewed December 2008, p. 46.
55. All figures are in 2007-08 dollars.