Since 2023, employees in Australia have been entitled to 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave.
The aim is to allow victims of family violence to take time off work without losing income or their job while, for example, they navigate the court system, attend counselling or move house.
One in four women has experienced violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15, according to 2021/22 Australian Bureau of Statistics data, with the social and economic cost estimated to be $26 billion annually.
While millions of workers have access to paid leave entitlements, research by the University of Technology Sydney found the provisions often failed victim-survivors.
The study found domestic violence leave laws were poorly understood and disconnected from broader systems of support, with many employees missing out on the protection and help they needed as a result.
Liana Papoutsis is a Melbourne-based academic with a background in human rights and law.
She is also a survivor of domestic violence, which occurred during a 14-year marriage during which she experienced financial abuse, coercion, physical violence and threats.
"People have a stereotypical view of who domestic violence happens to, but all the evidence shows that it doesn't discriminate," Ms Papoutsis told AAP.
"The insidious nature of family violence underpinned by coercive control is such a slow burn of breaking the victim down to the point where they don't even know it's happening ... the analogy of the frog in the boiling water is so accurate.
"The irony is not lost on me that someone who is experienced in human rights and the law was impacted by domestic violence, but when you are in it you are truly in survival mode."
While domestic violence leave was not available to Ms Papoutsis during her experience more than a decade ago, she knows it would have been a game-changer.
"Had (the leave) been there, it would have made a significant difference because I was a casual academic at the time, so when I didn't work, I wasn't paid," she said.
A specialist Employee Assistance Program (EAP) has been developed to address gaps in employers' and employees' understanding about leave entitlements.
Designed specifically to support employees experiencing domestic and family violence, Safe and Supported at Work is the first EAP in Australia.
It supports employers to strengthen workplace responses by helping employees access confidential and free specialist legal support through New Way Lawyers and professional counselling through Relationship Matters.
The program is world-leading and would assist many experiencing domestic violence, Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence Ged Kearney said.
"To finally see a program like this that will support workplaces ... this is an important missing piece of the puzzle," she said.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14
Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
23°C