Today in Parliament, Abigail gave notice of a motion highlighting the growing financial barriers preventing victim-survivors from fleeing domestic violence, made worse by the ongoing housing and cost-of-living crisis, and called on the NSW Government to properly fund the frontline and wraparound support services that can make the difference between safety and staying.

Abigail said:

I give notice that on the next sitting day I will move:

(1)     That this House notes that:

• victim-survivors of domestic and family violence are facing increasing financial barriers to leaving violence, including the cost of securing immediate safety through temporary accommodation as well as the follow-on costs of rebuilding after violence and establishing basic stability;
• a lack of accessible financial support and growing pressures amidst a worsening housing and cost-of-living crisis can delay, complicate or prevent a victim-survivor from leaving domestic and family violence. For many victim-survivors, the question is not simply whether they can leave violence, but whether they can afford to; and
• new research from Anglicare Sydney, published in July 2026 in a report entitled ‘Cost of Leaving’, used publicly available Australian data to chart the difference of immediate costs of leaving violence, and found that:
  • victim-survivors are facing extreme rising costs associated with accessing housing, transport and employment, which are compounding existing systemic barriers to accessing support, justice, healing and recovery; 
  • for many victim-survivors, the perceived alternatives to violence are homelessness, unmanageable debt, refuge accommodation, or long-term housing insecurity - they are often not choosing between violence and safety, but between different forms of insecurity;
  • the immediate cost of leaving violence has increased by 71 percent in the last ten years, rising from $4,098 in 2016 to $7,017 in 2026 and significantly outpacing inflation; 
  • rent and bond costs have more than doubled in the last decade, and fuel and childcare costs are more than 50 percent higher; 
  • the median weekly rent in NSW has increased by 60 percent in the last decade, from $450 to $720. Average bond costs also increased by 60 percent, while the cost of hiring a moving truck increased by 122 percent; 
  • only 2.6 percent of rentals are currently affordable for a single parent on the minimum wage, and only 3 dwellings in the whole of Sydney (from the Central Coast to the Illawarra and Lithgow) are affordable and appropriate for a single parent with two children on the minimum wage;
  • in many regional areas, limited housing supply, fewer specialist support services, and social isolation can intensify these barriers further;
  • financial abuse can also create long-term barriers to safety, leaving victim-survivors with debts, damaged credit histories, and reduced financial independence even after separation; and 
  • addressing all of these barriers will require practical, coordinated responses across financial support systems, housing, and employment protections. 

(2)     That this House affirms that every person deserves to be supported with a safe and secure pathway away from domestic and family violence, to rebuild their lives and begin healing and recovery.

(3)     That this House calls on the NSW government to urgently act to address the systemic failings preventing victim-survivors of domestic and family violence from leaving violence and reaching safety and security, by ensuring frontline domestic and family violence services including women’s refuges are properly resourced to deliver clinical, wraparound support to victim-survivors, and by investing in purpose-built transitional and long-term housing options for victim-survivors which are accessible, secure and pet-inclusive.

6 August 2026