The national plan to end violence against women and children announced on Monday is, as it acknowledges, “an ambitious vision”.

The second in a line of 10-year plans signed off after much discussion by federal and state governments, it seeks to prevent harm not only by advocating a range of practical measures, such as early intervention and better reporting, but by tackling the fundamental issue of gender inequality, which it places “at the heart” of the problem.

The government’s plan ultimately aims to eliminate all violence against women and children within a single generation.Credit:iStock

This would include such initiatives as promoting “women’s independence and decision-making in public life and relationships”, supporting men and boys “in developing healthy masculinities”, and strengthening “positive, equal and respectful relationships in public and private spheres”.

Rebuilding long-held attitudes to gender in this way by addressing “gender inequality, rigid gender norms, and discrimination”, the plan ultimately aims to eliminate all violence against women and children within a single generation. Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth has described it as a blueprint to end gender-based violence.

There is much to commend here – particularly as the plan is not exaggerating when it states violence against women and children is a “problem of epidemic proportions in Australia”.

It is unacceptable that one in three women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15 and that rates of violence are even higher for certain groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

But the lofty aims must not distract from what is needed now in practical terms. With even the best will in the world, a government policy is unlikely to undo centuries of social conditioning overnight.

We know this both instinctively and because the national plan that preceded this one did not, as the current plan acknowledges, succeed demonstrably in its goal of reducing violence against women and children.

The 2010 plan was a failure. It did lead to better co-operation between disparate organisations, increase public awareness of the issue and develop an approach to prevention that can be built on today. But the overall outcome – women and children are still victimised by men in large numbers – tells us that this is an insidious problem that will require an enormous effort to overcome.

While aiming to end gender-based inequality, we must also aim for real wins on the ground, of whatever size we can get, while constantly reviewing tactics to see what is working and what is not.

We know, for example, that there remains a dearth of appropriate accommodation for women and children escaping domestic violence who cannot wait a generation. This should be a priority.

So, too, should a model of parental leave that encourages and normalises men taking time off work to care for their young children, and frees up their partners to engage in paid labour, both chipping away at gender norms and increasing national productivity.

The Albanese government’s plan to expand the parental leave scheme to 26 weeks at minimum pay shared between two partners – or available in full for a single parent – is a step in the right direction. (Currently men can access just two weeks paid leave; barely half bother to do so.) But it should go further, perhaps adopting the Grattan Institute’s proposal that each partner gets six weeks they can “use or lose” with a bonus two weeks if both take up the offer.

In comparison, aspirational statements in the newly announced national plan to end domestic abuse, including that we must “challenge the condoning of violence against women and embed prevention activities across sectors and settings”, sound worthy but too vague.

It is good that measurable yardsticks will, for the first time, be applied to the plan, but a lack of attendant funding – at least that has been announced – and a paucity of real targets calls into question whether there will be accountability on that journey.

The crying need for better results laid out in this strategy deserves a more comprehensive response.

Michael Bachelard sends a newsletter to subscribers each week. Sign up to receive his Note from the Editor.

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