“Has It Really Changed, or Does It Just Look Different?”: The State's Administration of Domestic and Family Violence Service Delivery in Australia as Contiguous Colonial Violence
Abstract
This article examines how Australia's approach to domestic and family violence (DFV) social service delivery impacts First Nations community-controlled DFV services and theorizes how administrative techniques used by the state in this context can be considered a form of state violence. Analyzing data from a multi-stage qualitative study involving 22 interviews alongside analysis of 98 DFV-related intimate partner homicides involving First Nations women, this article argues that the state's approach to funding and managing DFV service delivery sustains a contiguous colonial logic that threatens and undermines the strength and resilience of community-controlled service delivery and, as a consequence, harms First Nations women.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Indigenous Health
Education
and Rights
Intimate Partner and Family Violence
Military
Security
and Education Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Violence Against Women
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Pages
- 10778012251410217–10778012251410217
- Publication date
- 3 February 2026
- Language
- EN