2025 saw the Health Equity and Violence Prevention teams deliver major pieces of advocacy, research, and the growth of the Reproductive Health Data Incentive Fund services network.
Victim Survivor Voice pilot
The Victim Survivor Voice is a pilot program about deep listening to the voices and expertise of people with lived and living experience of domestic, family and/or sexual violence in the ACT. Our analysis of the expertise shared by victim survivor participants is used to inform ACT policy and systems.
Last month we launched two reports presenting findings from the first phase of the Victim Survivor Voice pilot:
The reports highlight several opportunities to prevent and respond to domestic, family and sexual violence in the ACT, including calls to:
- Develop whole-of-system responses to domestic, family and sexual violence by building capacity across healthcare, education, justice, housing, child protection, employment and community settings to recognise and respond to warning signs before violence escalates
- Increase support for victim survivors that intervenes early, and continues beyond crisis to address the long-term physical, mental, emotional, physical and economic impacts they face
- Increase support for young victim survivors, particularly by developing accessible, age-appropriate support pathways that respond to their distinct experiences, voices and needs
- Ensure a dedicated focus on preventing violence by addressing the root causes and cultural attitudes that enable it in our community
These reports were launched at an event at the end of November, which was attended by Minister for Women and Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence, Marisa Paterson, as well as victim survivor participants.
In June, insights from the Victim Survivor Voice project were also used to inform WHM’s Submission to the Statutory Review of the Charter of Rights for Victims of Crime (ACT) and the Submission on Bail Law Reform in the ACT.
The Victim Survivor Voice pilot has been extended until 2027, with the next phase focused on expanding the breadth of victim survivor perspectives.
ACT Reproductive Health Data Incentive Fund
The ACT Reproductive Health Data Incentive Fund supports doctors, health workers and services to provide medical abortion care to Canberrans at no cost to the patient. The Fund pays medical practices, clinics and services a fee for quality improvement activities, including providing basic demographic data (such as your age range and postcode) and some information about the services used by ACT residents.
During 2025, the team has worked to expand the network of GPs, pharmacies, imaging services, and abortion clinics participating in the Fund. To date we now have four GPs, six pharmacies, one imaging service, one pathology service and one abortion clinic participating across the ACT. To see all currently participating services and find out more about pregnancy, abortion, and contraception options in the ACT visit the My Pregnancy Options website.
Forecast for 2026 RHF activities
WHM will focus on maintaining program momentum, expanding service accessibility, and continuing to improve outcomes for the community. However, the sustainability of these quality improvements and expansion opportunities will depend on securing dedicated administrative funding within the program structure. This would enable us to maintain our enhanced capacity for program excellence while preserving our core organisational resources for our broader policy and community engagement mandate.
This program demonstrates strong value in the way it draws on existing funding structures (Medicare) where possible and utilises ACT Government funding to ensures that people can get timely, free, non-judgemental care.
WHM would also like to undertake exploratory work to understand whether there is value in looking to draw on other funding levers through ACT Health and philanthropic funders to create a network of women’s primary care services in the ACT that are free or affordable. We will be engaging with ACT Health actively around this during FY26.