Kate Fitz-Gibbon is a leading violence against women scholar. Kate is a Professor (Practice) with the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University and an Honorary Professorial Fellow with the Melbourne Law School at University of Melbourne. In 2024 Kate established Sequre Consulting, and is the principal consultant. Kate also holds affiliated research appointments with the School of Law and Social Justice at University of Liverpool (UK) and the Research Center on Violence at West Virginia University (US). From 2020 to 2023 Kate was Director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre, and a Professor of Social Sciences in the Faculty of Arts at Monash University.

Kate’s qualifications include a Phd in Criminology (2012), Masters of Human Rights Law (2019), Graduate Certificate of Higher Education (2013) and she is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kate is an international research leader in the area of domestic and family violence, femicide, responses to all forms of violence against women and children, perpetrator interventions, and the impacts of policy and practice reform in Australia and internationally. She has significant experience with qualitative and survey-based research methods, and a strong record of conducting research that ethically and safely engages with family violence victim-survivors, people who use violence, and practitioners.

The findings of Kate’s research have been published in books, academic journals, funded reports and presented at national and international criminology conferences. Kate has advised on homicide law reform and family violence reviews in Australia and internationally, and has authored over 30 submissions to state, national and international inquiries. Her research has been cited by the High Court of Australia. In 2021 Kate was appointed Chair of Respect Victoria by the Victorian Government.

Domesitc and family violence
Adolescent family violence
Femicide

Intimate partner homicide 
Adolescent family violence
Perpetrator Interventions

Legal responses to intimate partner violence
Coercive control
Homicide law reform
Sentencing

Youth justice
Children’s rights and the criminal justice system