Children as young as one will begin learning about respectful relationships as part of a new strategy to stamp out the scourge of domestic violence across NSW.
A new strategy to be launched on Friday by the NSW government aims to stop violence before it starts and shift the dial on community attitudes, beginning in childcare centres, workplaces and sporting clubs.
One element involves specialist educators supporting schools in the state to deliver age-appropriate and evidence-informed respectful relationship education.
A related $8.8 million project expands the early childhood 'all-in' pilot empowering childcare professionals and families to actively challenge gender stereotypes which drive gender-based violence.
"We'll be working with communities where they live, where they play, where they work and where they socialise," NSW Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison said on Friday.
"We've got to change the beliefs and the cultures that drive gender norms and that allow disrespect and cultures where violence occurs."
One in four Australian women are impacted by family violence over their lifetime while, on average, a domestic violence murder is recorded every fortnight by NSW Police.
Several brutal domestic violence attacks as well as the high-profile femicidal stabbing in Bondi Junction have again highlighted the issue in the past six months.
The state's first dedicated primary prevention strategy was needed now to help prevent more lives being ended or ruined by violence, Premier Chris Minns said.
"The rates and prevalence of domestic violence in New South Wales, unfortunately, are going in the wrong direction," he said.
"We believe these community-led programs ... will save lives."
The strategy was developed in consultation with more than 200 individuals and organisations, including Domestic Violence NSW, Aboriginal stakeholders and Our Watch.
Delia Donovan from Domestic Violence NSW, the peak body for more than 180 relevant state organisations, welcomed the new strategy.
"We're thankful to see much of our feedback incorporated within this strategy, because real change takes meaningful collaboration, deep conversations and listening," she said.
"At every level of the school, there will be policies and frameworks, and they won't be sitting on the shelf.
The strategy identifies three priorities for prevention including progressing prevention in priority settings such as schools and sporting clubs and providing centralised support to prevention efforts across the state.
Aboriginal-led prevention will also be supported, with Aboriginal women in NSW eight times more likely than the general public to be victims.
More than $38 million has been committed to implement the strategy, on top of funding to expand the childcare centre pilot.
An evaluation of the primary prevention work will be published annually by the NSW Women's Safety Commissioner Dr Hannah Tonkin.
It comes a week after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a $4.7 billion package backed by national cabinet to fund critical services.
That includes $351 million of federal funds for a national partnership on domestic violence prevention, to be matched by the states and territories.
