Indigenous advocate Karen Iles calls for more action to end sexual violence against women

Further action needs to be taken to prevent sexual violence against women, the founder of the Make Police Investigate Campaign says.

On Wednesday, the significant task of ending gendered violence was laid bare in an update on the progress of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, delivered to Parliament by Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin.

Whilst the report noted the progress and substantial commitment from the federal and state governments, it said there remained "opportunities to accelerate, amplify and drive impact".

Dharug woman and lawyer Karen Iles said sexual violence, as distinct from domestic violence, was one of the few rates of crime that was increasing, with an 11 per cent increase over the last year.

"Despite much goodwill and a lot of political rhetoric, women in Australia are more likely to be subjected to sexual violence now than they ever were before," Ms Iles said.

"With much sexual violence going unreported due to a mistrust of police procedures by sexual violence victims, we need reforms that go directly to the heart of the problem."

Speaking at the National Press Club, Ms Cronin said the country needed to take gendered violence as seriously as it takes terrorism.

"Our service systems are overwhelmed, stretched beyond capacity, they are struggling to hold onto staff, and they are at wits' end," Ms Cronin said.

She said governments must learn to engage with perpetrators as well as victims.

"Men must be part of every aspect of ending violence," the report said.

"Governments must consider how to engage with people who have used violence, including those from diverse populations to inform improved interventions."

Ms Iles said whilst there were 80,000 police officers that could be mobilised to undertake the role of putting "more eyes on men" - as stated by Ms Cronin - there lacked a political will.

"For two years now, I've been calling for greater action and involvement of police in investigating and prosecuting matters of sexual violence, and governments are yet to deliver effective reform," she said.

"We need police to investigate and act on matters of sexual violence with the same vigour, energy and sense of urgency that they treat matters related to terrorism."

Last week, a senate report into murdered Indigenous women and children urged the Attorney-General to task the Police Ministers Council to "conduct a review of existing police practices in each jurisdiction, consider the learnings from each jurisdiction and aim to implement and harmonise best police practices across Australia" by the end of next year.

In response to the report, family violence organisation Djirra said police culture needed to change, and argued policing could not be part of the solution to ending gendered violence.

"When our families report that an Aboriginal woman has died or is missing, police responses are often inadequate," Djirra chief executive Antoinette Braybrook said.

Ms Iles said Australia needed "proactive and trustworthy police" who were willing to investigate sexual violence complaints and "follow through on behalf of victims".

"Once a sexual violence complaint has been made, victims must be sure that investigations will be comprehensively followed through and that the likelihood of a conviction will be high," she said.

According to Ms Iles, currently, the opposite is true.

"The justice system must protect victims, and there must be a high likelihood that the justice system will deliver a result for sexual violence victims," she said.

She said ongoing support was needed from all levels of government, with too often victims being turned away from organisations designed to help due to a lack of resources.

"Access to justice for the victims of sexual violence is not only critical from a legal perspective, but it is critical from a mental health perspective as there can be no true healing without justice," Ms Iles said.

"As a lawyer supporting the victims of sexual violence, I am forced to turn away women each week because there are simply not enough resources to support them within the community."

Responding to the report, Ms Iles said it made some good recommendations, but it didn't focus on the "heart of the problem" - the "murder and abduction of First Nations Women and Children by non-indigenous men".

She said the government response must far outweigh those in the recommendations.

"With the number of women being subjected to sexual violence constantly increasing year on year, governments must undertake more direct and focused reform and dedicate increased resources to spare Australia's women from these horrific crimes," she said.