Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Naomi Pfitzner is Director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub and a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Monash University. Naomi is also an Associate Investigator on an ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women awarded in 2023.
Naomi has extensive research experience in gender-based violence prevention and response. She conducts research in the area of gender-based violence, gender, family studies, social policy and law. Her work has a key focus on the primary prevention of gender-based violence, respectful relationships education and gender equality. Naomi is currently leading a national project funded by ANROWS to pilot and evaluate a professional learning program for secondary school teachers to address the influence of the Manosphere in classrooms. She has led several national projects for the Australian Government on respectful relationships education in schools.
Dr Pfitzner is nationally and internationally recognised for her work on domestic and family violence, help seeking behaviours and service innovation during COVID-19. Her work in this area has been cited by the Washington-based Centre for Global Development. Dr Pfitzner has advised several Australian parliamentary inquiries on COVID-19 response and recovery plans for domestic and family violence. Her research is cited multiple times in the recently released report from the Inquiry into Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.
Naomi has also worked on the Victorian family violence reforms including conducting commissioned evaluations of the Victoria Police Family Violence Body Worn Camera Trial, the Fast-Tracking Initiative in the Magistrates' Court of Victoria, the Victoria Police Specialist Investigators Support Unit, the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme and the Enhanced Pathways to Family Violence Work Project.
Other projects have included working with clients, practitioners and stakeholders in the family violence, community services, health, education and justice sectors. She has been a part of several systems and practice evaluations of work aimed at reducing family violence and promoting gender equality at both a state and federal level. Naomi has conducted contracted research and evaluation for Commonwealth Attorney-Generals' Department, Our Watch, the Victorian Council of Social Services, the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, Victoria Police Family Violence Command, the Family Law Council and Family Safety Victoria. The findings of her research have been published in leading international journals and presented at national and international conferences on criminology, family studies and family violence.
Research area keywords
- Domestic violence
- Families
- Social Policy
- family violence
- Prevention
- gendered violence
- Family studies
- respectful relationships
- primary prevention of family violence
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 5 Gender Equality
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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Evaluation of legal integration into the Alexis Family Violence Response Model
Pfitzner, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Woolley, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), McElhone, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Harris, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & McGowan, J. (Chief Investigator (CI))
2/02/26 → 26/02/27
Project: Research
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Independent Evaluation of the Supporting Recovery Pilot (SRP)
Berger, E. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Cowlishaw, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Harris, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Pfitzner, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), McGaw, V. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Blewitt, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Le, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Tan, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Sanjakdar, F. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lambert, K. (Chief Investigator (CI)), McGowan, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Elvins, C. (Project Manager)
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (Australia)
3/02/25 → 30/09/26
Project: Research
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Supporting secondary school teachers to address online spaces as pathways to gender-based violence for boys and men: teacher professional development to tackle the influence of the 'manosphere'
Pfitzner, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), McCook, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wescott, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Roberts, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Phelan, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Clark , O. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Hewson-Munro, S. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Hendriks, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Cavalin, R. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Hendriks, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Harris, B. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Contos, C. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Atkin, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Eap, K. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Trevaskis, L. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Willmett , S. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Fahour, H. (Associate Investigator (AI))
29/07/24 → 31/08/26
Project: Research
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Gender-based violence and help-seeking behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic
Pfitzner, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fitz-Gibbon, K. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & True, J. (Chief Investigator (CI))
7/07/20 → …
Project: Research
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Elder Abuse And Cognitive Impairment
Burns, K. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Warren, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Harris, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Pfitzner, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Banks, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Benier, K. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Moir , E. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Stevens , C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lim, Y. Y. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Avella Archila, A. (Project Manager)
15/01/25 → 1/06/26
Project: Research
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An Introductory Guide to the Manosphere and the Impacts for Young People, Teachers and Schools
Pfitzner, N., McCook, S., Phelan, A., Wescott, S., Roberts, S. & Scott, B., 11 Mar 2026, Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS).Research output: Other contribution › Other
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Hate Speech Detection using Large Language Models with Data Augmentation and Feature Enhancement
Nge, B. J. H., Su, S., Nguyen, T. T., Wilson, C., Phelan, A. & Pfitzner, N., 2026, 2026 8th International Conference on Natural Language Processing. Li, H., Fei, C. & Zhou, H. (eds.). Piscataway NJ USA: IEEE, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, p. 434-441 8 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Paper › Research
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Locked out or let in? Learning from victim-survivors’ remote help-seeking experiences during COVID-19
Pfitzner, N. & McGowan, J., Jan 2026, In: Journal of Gender-Based Violence. 10, 1, p. 20-39 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access4 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Lessons from lockdown: designing flexible, responsive domestic and family violence service systems
Pfitzner, N., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Violence Against Women. 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
LGBTQ+ domestic and family violence victim-survivors’ experiences of remote court hearings during the COVID-19 pandemic: the gendered dimensions of safety, independence and visibility
Reeves, E., Iliadis, M. & Pfitzner, N., Nov 2025, In: Criminology & Criminal Justice. 25, 5, p. 1344-1361 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access5 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
Activities
- 1 Public event
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Early Years Gender Equity Poster Launch
Pfitzner, N. (Contributor)
5 Dec 2019Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public event
Press/Media
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Ex-teacher appointed as first Minister for Men and Boys, experts urge for schools focus (Education HQ)
Wescott, S., Roberts, S., Pfitzner, N. & McCook, S.
20/04/26
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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A new minister in Victoria will tackle the manosphere. Here’s what they should do
Wescott, S., McCook, S., Pfitzner, N. & Roberts, S.
16/04/26
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Tips for how parents can talk to boys and young men about the manosphere
Pfitzner, N., McCook, S., Wescott, S., Phelan, A., Roberts, S. & Scott, B.
13/03/26
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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How schools must respond to the coronial inquest into the murder of Lilie James
Wescott, S., Pfitzner, N. & Roberts, S.
15/12/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blogs, Podcasts and Social Media › Blogs
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Victorian students will get ‘anti-Tate’ lessons – but much more is needed to tackle gendered violence in schools
Wescott, S., Roberts, S., Pfitzner, N., McCook, S. & Phelan, A.
17/10/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature