Gateway Health counselling and support program manager Joseph Lumanog told The Border Mail it was too soon to know the impact of new restrictions, but it could impede service provision.

"We know from the broader patterns of how this pandemic is shaping up that we might see some serious cases emerge," he said.

"All the different agencies were prepared to respond to a spike in cases [at the start of the pandemic], thankfully that didn't really eventuate, however, we are beginning to see an increase in recent weeks around police referrals and police incidents.

"When people are under severe stress, caused by this uncertainty, it really causes a lot of distress.

"That's not an excuse for family violence; the responsibility for keeping our behaviours in line with our values, and keeping our families safe, lies with the men who use family violence.

"Help and support is out there."

There is usually a wait-list for the men's behaviour change program, and Mr Lumanog said there was currently a wait of between six and eight weeks, with staff doing more work virtually.

"We are largely focused now on brief interventions over the phone; our counsellors and case managers invest a lot of their time in calling the men and seeing how they're going, to keep them engaged," he said.

"It's far from where we want to be, but it's better than nothing at this stage.

"MBC programs [at Gateway] are not directly funded for Albury residents; that is a gap we continue to work on."

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Mr Lumanog also said a barrier already present in the distance between Albury and an MBC program in Wagga was exacerbated by the pandemic, with travel being restricted.

"There's that ongoing need to be mindful of those factors, because they certainly present barriers to participation," he said.

"One woman killed [on average each week] is already one too many.

"It is very important we take the steps necessary to keep everyone safe."

Expanding intervention services for men in Albury-Wodonga was part of a 2019 NSW election campaign by No To Violence.

Chief executive Jacqui Watt said waiting lists for men's behaviour change programs were just one measure of need and should be reduced with increased funding.

"By the time somebody gets on a wait list, they've either been trying to get there for a while or they've been sent by the court," she said.

"At the beginning of the pandemic, calls to women's services were right down, because women had nowhere safe to call from.

"It does take a lot of courage to admit you need help, and the last thing we want to do is not be able to capitalise on that - we need men to know we're here for them."

The federal government has given No to Violence $2.4 million of time-limited funding to expand services, enabling the now-national 'brief intervention service' to help men stay engaged with the system while they are on wait lists.

Ms Watt said the ability for men to call back was crucial, with their first call often being about working through perceptions they have about intervention programs.

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"The men realise they [the counsellors] do care about what's going on for him," she said.

"That doesn't mean we won't challenge him on what he's thinking, but we know if we can engage with them, we have some opportunities to enhance the safety of families, and that's what we're aiming for."

The peak body found that at the start of the month, perpetrators of family violence across states were waiting up to 40 weeks to enter programs aimed at changing violence and abusive behaviour.

No to Violence's Men's Referral Service can be accessed by calling 1300 766 491.