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A new data snapshot has found Tasmania is making positive progress towards gender equality, but challenges persist.
Released by national prevention organisation Our Watch, the report provides a data snapshot demonstrating the state’s steps forward and areas for improvement in gender equality, and the prevention of violence against women and children.
Data snapshot: Primary prevention of violence against women in Tasmania
Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly said the data snapshot showed encouraging progress, but more was needed.
“Gender inequality and violence against women are inextricably linked, and we cannot tackle one without the other. There is still so much work to do, but the positive steps taken in Tasmania show that violence against women and children is preventable.”
The data snapshot showed strong progress in building the foundations for primary prevention, with multi-partisan support for prevention and a significant increase in the community’s rejection of gender-based violence.
Tasmania has also halved its gender pay gap over the past decade, making it a national leader with one of the lowest disparities of any jurisdiction. Alongside this, women’s employment in full-time work in Tasmania has increased by 2.3% since 2015 and 5.5% in part-time work over the same period.
Ms Kinnersly said the strides made in bridging workplace inequalities are a positive step forward in preventing violence against women.
“We know women’s safety relies on women’s equality, and giving women fair treatment in the workplace is a vital part of that,” she said.
“The gender pay gap is a visible symptom of the broader inequality that women face. It sends a signal to everyone that women’s work is valued less than men, and it leaves women with less money in their pocket. The more we do to close it, the better off women are.”
The Primary prevention in Tasmania data snapshot also showed women were far better represented on Tasmanian Government boards and committees, increasing from 33.8% in 2015 to 50.1% in 2025. In addition, Respectful Relationships and Consent Education has been embedded across schools, with over 800 staff taking on targeted professional learning since 2023.
However, while some short-term prevalence rates of violence against women in Tasmania have declined, overall levels remain unacceptably high. An estimated 95,600 Tasmanian women (43%) have experienced violence since the age of 15.Although intimate partner violence rates have fallen slightly between 2016 and 2021-22, an estimated 28.1% of women in Tasmanian have experienced intimate partner violence since age 15.
“The only acceptable rate of violence against women is zero, and these numbers serve as a tragic reminder of how far we are from that,” Ms Kinnersly said.
“There is still significant work to do to end the national crisis of violence against women.”
The data snapshot also shows that, while progress has been made, there remains challenges in wider community understanding and action.
Although 94% of Tasmanians see violence against women as an issue in Australia, only 54% agree that it is a problem in their own suburb or town. In addition, 35% of Tasmanians still incorrectly believe that men and women perpetrate domestic violence equally.
Ms Kinnersly said the data underlines the importance of ongoing and increased investment in prevention messaging.
“Almost all Australians want to end violence against women, but myths and misconceptions are still prevalent in the community,” she said.
“We all have to continue playing our parts to prevent violence.”
The data snapshot includes guidance on the next steps to help Tasmania build on the momentum and lead the state towards meaningful changes in preventing violence against women and their children.
This includes:
- A stronger focus on primary prevention actions and the gendered nature of family and sexual violence, which incorporates a whole-of-government approach and is aligned with the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children.
- Ensuring there is sustained investment in primary prevention foundations, programs and workforce development to build on.
- Establishing clear governance, accountability and reporting mechanisms to drive systemic change.
- Developing a roadmap that outlines how, as part of a phased approach, Tasmania can develop and implement a standalone primary prevention strategy with coordinated, long-term funding.
Media contact
Please contact media@ourwatch.org.au or call 0448 844 930.
If you cover this story, or any story regarding violence against women and children, please include the following tagline:
1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family, and sexual violence counselling, information and support service. If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, chat online via www.1800RESPECT.org.au, or text 0458 737 732. Men’s Referral Service: 1300 766 491. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can access support through 13YARN.
Access guides for reporting about violence against women and their children.
About Our Watch
Our Watch is Australia’s leader in the primary prevention of violence against women. The organisation was created to drive nation-wide change in the practices, norms, and structures that lead to violence against women and children. Read more about Our Watch here.