The head of the Anglican Church in Australia says he hopes the general synod in September will apologise to victims of domestic violence, and for any failure from the Church.

On The Drum, Anglican Primate of Australia Archbishop Philip Freier read out an unequivocal apology written by an Aboriginal priest, Father Daryl McCullough, who heads a parish in western New South Wales.

"I want to finish this by simply saying sorry. As a priest in the Church of God I'm truly and deeply sorry if you or anyone you love has been the victim of abuse and found the Church complicit in making that abuse worse," Father McCullough wrote on his blog.

Father McCullough, who describes himself as egalitarian, Catholic and Evangelical, said an ABC investigation into domestic violence in the Church made for "harrowing reading".

Archbishop Freier said he wished to say the same thing to women as Father McCullough, and shared the same intentions in expressing "serious regret".

"I'm hoping that there will be some words of apology to people who have experienced domestic violence and any failure from the Church at our general synod, coming up in September," he said.

"I know that these words are easy sometimes to say, but I think we should be truly regretful where we have failed and we haven't listened to people, or understood the depth of their suffering, or the kind of situation that they are being urged to go back into."

David Ould, the rector of Glenquarie Anglican Church in Sydney, agreed.

"We might disagree on a number of things but this is one thing we won't disagree on. I will be voting for an apology in that respect," he said.

On the program, Mr Ould expressed support for the doctrine of headship — where a man is the head of his wife, and that the woman is to submit to her husband.

Archbishop Freier argued that headship does not have biblical backing, saying: "I don't find there is an essential reading of the Bible that teaches me that I must believe in the headship of men. I read the Bible and see that it talks more about the mutuality of people and their love towards each other."

"I think that domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and violence generally is far too endemic in our community and we take the view that the Church is going to be pretty representative of a community in many ways. We would aspire to a different standard.

"I wouldn't be giving any life to any position or ideology that looks like it is capable of being ambiguous to abusers."

Do you have a story to share? If you are a survivor of domestic abuse in the Church, or have feedback on our series on domestic violence and religion, please get in touch: ABCIPV@gmail.com

Clinical social worker Dr Josie McSkimming told the program that in her research and practice, she has found that headship has been misused in religious relationships.

"I see women and men coming in for couple therapy and the presentation is a giveaway in terms of the depression on behalf of the woman, and the man quite defensive, quite blaming of his wife, and then comments that would indicate degrees of ownership," she said.