Following intense lobbying of the Whitlam government in the early 1970's, Elsie Refuge in the inner Sydney suburb of Glebe became the first funded refuge in Australia in 1974. The service worked towards addressing the absence of alternatives for women at that time by providing a safe option for women and children escaping domestic violence. This refuge was to be the precursor to the 53 women's refuges currently operating as part of the NSW Women's Refuge Movement.

In line with feminist philosophy, the focus of the early women's refuges in NSW was on women and children's empowerment through a safe, supported environment. There was an emphasis on mutual support between the women which was felt to be a valuable component to their empowerment. These continue to remain as central principles in women's refuges. However twenty-five years on, refuges have evolved and now provide a broad range of services, support and advocacy including; outreach, court assistance, assistance with housing and legal matters, information, training and referral.

As the number of refuges increased, it became increasingly obvious that a unified approach was needed to effectively put domestic violence on the political agenda. In February 1979, refuges came together to meet in Bathurst for the first State Wide Conference.

Over the years the structure of the NSW Women's Refuge Movement evolved to ensure as far as possible, that all refuges have the opportunity to be involved with policy development and lobbying for change. Based on equal representation in policy development and decision making processes, the NSW Women's Refuge Movement has been used as the voice of all but a small number of refuges for women and children escaping domestic violence in NSW.

Structure of the NSW Women’s Refuge Movement

Regionals

Due to the diverse and expansive area covered, the NSW Women’s Refuge Movement developed Regional meetings where refuges within geographical areas meet on a regular basis for the purpose of sharing information and discussing important issues relating to their region and to the ‘Movement’ as a whole. A delegate, endorsed by that region, represents the region at the state Working Party meeting held monthly.

Support Groups

In recognition of the disadvantages experienced by some groups, statewide networks were formed to provide a forum for support, networking and advocacy in raising specific issues. These include; Koori Support, Non English Speaking Background (NESB) Support, Lesbian Support and Child Support.

NSW Women’s Refuge Working Party Inc.

The NSW Women's Refuge Working Party (which meets once a month) is a smaller and more manageable body that can implement decisions made at conference. It also has the authority to make decisions between conferences if necessary. Working Party is made up of delegates from the various regions as well as the Koori, NESB, Lesbian and Child support groups. The delegate’s role is to represent the views of their region (and/or representational base) and provide feedback on any decisions which Working Party makes or activities it takes on.

State Conferences

Major policy decisions which affect the Movement are made at the state conferences of the Women's Refuge Movement. These conferences are held three times a year and all refuges are encouraged to take their views and proposals to be heard and discussed.

NSW Women’s Refuge Movement Resource Centre

The NSW Women's Refuge Movement Resource Centre (WRMRC) is the contact point for the NSW Women's Refuge Movement. The NSW Women’s Refuge Movement Working Party forms the management committee of the WRMRC and ensures that the Centre reflects the interests of the NSW Women’s Refuge Movement. The Executive Officer’s role includes representing the NSW Women’s Refuge Movement in line with endorsed policies and philosophies. There is also a particular focus on policy formulation and specific projects.