Domestic and family violence leave across Australian workplaces: Examining victim-survivor experiences of workplace supports and the importance of cultural change

Abstract

There is increasing recognition across Australian industries, workplace policy makers and researchers that domestic and family violence (DFV) is a workplace issue. DFV not only impacts victim-survivors’ engagement in the workforce but their work performance, job satisfaction, productivity and career progression. The economic costs of DFV to Australian workplaces are well documented; however, there is limited research capturing the workplaces’ experiences of DFV victim-survivors. Reflecting increasing acknowledgement of the need for workplaces to offer supports to employees who are experiencing DFV, in October 2022, the Commonwealth Government passed legislation that introduces a 10-day paid DFV leave provision into National Employment Standards. Recognising the critical opportunity that the new legislation presents for improving DFV workplace supports, this article offers victim-survivor led understandings of what is needed to ensure the new paid DFV leave provisions are introduced and embedded effectively across Australian workplaces. It centres the experiences of victim-survivors by drawing on the findings of a national survey and in-depth interviews conducted with over 300 Australian DFV victim-survivors. The findings are relevant to current policy and practice debates across Australia.