According to the Sydney Morning Herald report, the program "is one of hundreds facing the chop due to the $271 million cut to social service grants, announced by the Federal Government last year" [1].
The award-winning REALskills program, which had operated for 12 years and taught more than 7,000 high school students about healthy relationships and domestic abuse, was scheduled to close in June 2015 along with its accompanying support service [1].
Five affected high school principals co-signed a letter to Social Services Minister Scott Morrison, stating they were "shocked and dismayed" by the decision and that "the loss of the program will have a significant impact on the capacity of the schools in this area to meet the welfare needs of students" [1].
The program was run by the Family Centre at Tweed Heads and focused on "arming young people with relationship-related skills as well as building up their resilience, ability and knowledge to connect with support services when they need them" [1].
Minister Scott Morrison stated that "funding for recent grants had sparked 'unprecedented interest' and not all applications were successful" [1].
**2.
Timing of broader political focus on domestic violence**
The cuts came just one week after Prime Minister Tony Abbott had "vowed to make domestic violence a top priority at the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) conference" [1].
This timing created significant political tension, but also suggests the government was not systematically eliminating domestic violence programs as a matter of policy.
**3. 2015 Budget included some domestic violence funding**
While criticized as inadequate, the 2015 federal budget did include $16.7 million for a National Awareness Campaign to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children (as part of a $30 million total campaign with state contributions) [2].
The program was a local/regional initiative, not national**
The REALskills program was specific to the Tweed Heads region in northern NSW, not a national program.
The claim's framing of "the domestic violence education program in schools" (singular) could misleadingly imply a nationwide program was eliminated [1].
**5.
The article in question is factual reporting rather than opinion, and includes direct quotes from officials, affected principals, and domestic violence advocates.
**Did Labor do something similar?**
Search conducted: "Australian Labor government domestic violence education schools funding history"
The National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children 2010-2022 was established under the Labor government (Rudd/Gillard era).
* * * *
This national framework was developed "by the Commonwealth Government in conjunction with state and territory governments" and was based on recommendations from the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children [4].
Under Labor, the framework existed but specific education programs like REALskills were funded through grant programs that were subject to competitive applications and periodic renewal.
The REALskills program itself had operated for 12 years (since approximately 2003), meaning it received funding under both Labor and Coalition governments before its 2015 termination.
**Key comparison points:**
1. **No national curriculum under Labor either**: Neither Labor nor the Coalition implemented a comprehensive national domestic violence education curriculum during this period.
The 2021 Monash University study commissioned by the Department of Education found significant gaps in "respectful relationships education" nationally, indicating this was a long-term systemic issue across multiple governments [5].
2. **Victoria's Respectful Relationships curriculum was state-led**: Victoria's Respectful Relationships curriculum (launched 2015-2016) was a state initiative, not a federal Labor program.
Federal responsibility for education is limited compared to state control.
3. **Both parties underfunded services**: The Conversation's 2015 analysis noted that domestic violence services were underfunded and unable to meet demand, with crisis hotlines leaving thousands of calls unanswered [3].
This systemic underfunding predated the 2013 election and continued through both government periods.
4. **Coalition reversed some planned cuts**: The 2015 budget reversed planned cuts to homelessness services ($230 million extension) and legal services ($25.4 million extension) that had been announced earlier [3].
**What the critics said:**
- Australian of the Year Rosie Batty stated: "If we are going to achieve cultural change, it has to happen through our schools" [1]
- Fair Agenda executive director Renee Carr said the government "failed" the domestic violence test with inadequate budget commitments [2]
- Rape & Domestic Violence Services Australia's Karen Willis noted: "Women are making incredibly brave steps to come forward and we're not there" [2]
**The government's position:**
- Minister Scott Morrison stated: "My first priority is ensuring there are no gaps in critical frontline services while we work through the transition of services to the new funding arrangements" [1]
- The government noted that grant funding attracted "unprecedented interest" and not all applications could be successful [1]
- The Coalition highlighted its $230 million homelessness commitment prioritizing domestic violence victims [3]
**Comparative context:**
This specific program loss was part of broader austerity measures following the 2014 budget, not a targeted attack on domestic violence education.
This prioritization pattern has been common across Australian governments of both parties, with preventive education historically underfunded compared to crisis response.
The framing suggests a systematic elimination of school-based DV education, when the reality was a specific regional grant not renewed amid hundreds of similar cuts.
The factual core is accurate: the Coalition government did axe funding for a specific domestic violence education program (REALskills) in Tweed Heads schools as part of broader social service grant cuts.
However, the claim uses misleading framing by presenting this as "the domestic violence education program in schools" (implying a comprehensive national program) rather than accurately describing it as one regional program among hundreds affected by budget cuts.
It also omits that the Coalition maintained or extended some domestic violence-related funding (homelessness services, legal services, awareness campaigns) even while cutting this specific program.
Additionally, the claim lacks comparative context: neither Labor nor Coalition had implemented comprehensive national domestic violence education curricula during this period, and systemic underfunding of domestic violence services was a long-term issue predating the 2013 election.
The factual core is accurate: the Coalition government did axe funding for a specific domestic violence education program (REALskills) in Tweed Heads schools as part of broader social service grant cuts.
However, the claim uses misleading framing by presenting this as "the domestic violence education program in schools" (implying a comprehensive national program) rather than accurately describing it as one regional program among hundreds affected by budget cuts.
It also omits that the Coalition maintained or extended some domestic violence-related funding (homelessness services, legal services, awareness campaigns) even while cutting this specific program.
Additionally, the claim lacks comparative context: neither Labor nor Coalition had implemented comprehensive national domestic violence education curricula during this period, and systemic underfunding of domestic violence services was a long-term issue predating the 2013 election.