Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... For industry
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... Partner with us
  4. arrow_forward_ios ... Giving
  5. arrow_forward_ios UTS + Paul Ramsay Founda...
  6. arrow_forward_ios Anne Summers AO | Dismantling Domestic Violence

Anne Summers AO | Dismantling Domestic Violence

explore
  • UTS + Paul Ramsay Foundation
    • arrow_forward Anne Summers AO | Dismantling Domestic Violence
    • arrow_forward Darlinghurst Public History Initiative
    • arrow_forward Dr Michele Bruniges AM | Disrupting Disadvantage in Australian Schools
    • arrow_forward Human Technology Institute | Data Science Innovating Student Success
    • arrow_forward Leslie Loble AM | Closing Australia’s Learning Divide

Policy Impact: Changing a Bad Law

A mother and child stand hand in hand, their silhouettes cast against the golden sky as they bask in the warm glow of the setting sun, surrounded by the lush grass and vibrant plants of a summer

An enduring crusader against domestic violence, Professor Anne Summers was awarded a Paul Ramsay Fellowship to study the impact of domestic violence on single mothers and their children. What she found is the stark choice facing many Australian women: do they stay and risk the violence continuing or even escalating or do they leave and face the high probability of a life of “policy-induced poverty.”

Launched in July 2022, The Choice report used never-before published data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics to reveal shocking evidence of the financial hardships Australian women face when they escape domestic and family violence.  

A startling finding was that women who became single parents after escaping violent relationships were being driven into poverty after their Parental Payment Single (PPS) allowance was cut off once their children turned eight years old. Through her UTS research, Professor Summers helped lead the fight to change this law so that single parents can now continue to receive their PPS up until their child’s fourteenth birthday.  

Selected Links

Research impact: How to change a bad law

Violence or poverty: A dire choice for many Australian women

Women who suffer domestic violence fare much worse financially after separating from their partner: new data

Recording: How do you change a bad law?

The Impact Ahead: Protection from Domestic Violence

Based at UTS Business School, Anne continues to focus on the pervasive impact of domestic and family violence in Australia, its broader economic implications and inequalities, and what government, policymakers and business can do to address this major societal issue.  

Supported by the Paul Ramsay Foundation, Professor Summers’ current program of research is investigating the impact of domestic violence on women’s employment, including why women exposed to domestic violence are shown to have a lower participation rate in the labour force, and how employment may reduce, or even prevent women’s exposure to domestic violence.

In addition, to measure the extent of violence in all its forms and in particular the characteristics of the perpetrators of such violence, Anne Summers’ program is undertaking the development of a new national longitudinal study to obtain key data on relevant social issues related to domestic violence.  

This research will uncover data on modern forms of violence, such as technology facilitated abuse, coercive control and financial abuse — exposing to policy makers the changing face of the violence, the perpetrators, and the impact on women and children.

Armed with innovative data and research findings, as well as a vast network of collaborators from government to community, Anne Summers’ work will enable the next generation of advocacy for women and children, influencing policies that will help reduce and eventually eliminate domestic and family violence. 

Selected Links

Understanding the broad social and economic impacts of domestic and family violence in Australia

The impacts of domestic and family violence: Our research projects

Our most recent report

The Cost research report by Anne Summers. An orange cover with abstract circular designs.

The Cost: of domestic violence for women’s employment and education

The data we use in this report enables us, for the first time, to quantify the economic impact of domestic violence on Australian women. We show that despite the significant growth in women’s employment and education in recent decades, domestic violence continues to have a large and ongoing negative impact on women’s ability to participate in the workplace and higher education.

This report, launched in February 2025, sets out in detail how large numbers of women have not attained a degree, have left the labour force, have reduced their working hours, or have taken time off work– all because of domestic violence.

Read The Cost

Partnerships are critical to our programs. Contact the team to find out more:

Woman with shoulder length hair smiling and looking at the camera

Professor Anne Summers AO

Professor
UTS Business School

Lady with short hair smiling and looking at the camera

Sarah Angus

Senior Advancement Manager, Trust And Foundation Philanthropy 
UTS Advancement

This project is proudly supported by the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

Paul Ramsay Foundation Logo

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility