Louise Markus (Greenway, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I congratulate the member for McPherson on raising this issue today. I rise to speak about domestic violence, particularly since this morning we all gathered to remember the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Having worked for 25 years with families, with women and with children who have been affected by not just domestic violence but abuse of all kinds, I feel that I stand here today with some credibility.

Domestic violence occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate or harm another. Domestic violence can be exhibited in many forms, including physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, intimidation, economic deprivation or threats of violence. Domestic violence occurs in all geographic areas of Australia and in all socioeconomic and cultural groups. Most incidents of domestic violence go unreported and it is difficult to measure the true extent of the problem.

A study conducted in 1998 by the Australian Institute of Criminology identified that most assaults against women are where the victim knows the offender and remain unreported. The 2005 Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey estimates that 36 per cent of women who experienced physical assault by a male perpetrator reported it to police. My local police tell me that cases of domestic violence constitute at least 50 per cent of their workload.

The best indicators available to date about the levels of violence against women in Australia are from the 1996 ABS publication Women’s Safety Survey and the more recent Personal Safety Survey 2005. It was found that, of those women who were physically assaulted in the 12 months prior to the survey, 38 per cent were assaulted by their current or previous partner.

There have also been studies of the relationship between domestic violence and homicides. In Homicide between Intimate Partners in Australia, from the Australian Institute of Criminology, it was found that domestic violence played a significant role in the lead-up to lethal violence and accounted for 27 per cent of all homicides in Australia between 1989 and 1996. In Family Homicide Australia it was found that, on average, there were 129 family homicides each year, 77 of which were related to domestic disputes. This is unacceptable in our nation. This is something that we need to tackle head on with innovative and creative solutions.

However, it is not just women who are at risk. Children and young people can be affected by viewing and hearing domestic violence. I have worked with many children. I remember one case in particular where a child of three viewed their father murdering their mother. These experiences have long-term effects on our children, on our future. Violence does affect the children in the home. Of women who have experienced violence by a current partner, 61 per cent reported that the children in their care viewed or witnessed the violence. A survey published in 2001 by the Australian Institute of Criminology—Young Australians and Domestic Violence—found that up to one-quarter of the 5,000 young people aged from 12 to 20 from all states and territories surveyed had witnessed parental violence against their mother or stepmother. Social and psychological impacts include anxiety, depression, drug and alcohol abuse, sleep disturbances, reduced coping and problem-solving skills, and loss of self-esteem and confidence. Problems at home can affect people’s performance at work and even their capacity to continue to be employed.

The role of the Commonwealth to combat domestic violence has increased over time. The Commonwealth has led the standard approaches to policy and legislative reform. I urge the government to establish a national domestic violence death review board, to establish a national committee on violence against women and to increase efforts in the area of primary prevention and intervention. This is not about the tertiary end. I know that we have spent a significant amount of resources focusing on when the violence has occurred, but we need to increase our focus on prevention. We can work with young people to break the intergenerational cycle of violence. We need to work with victims and perpetrators to break the cycle of violence and we need to work with communities to eradicate violence. Programs aimed at re-educating violent offenders already exist in Australia. I strongly recommend that it be made mandatory to refer all men who have perpetrated violence against women to programs, and I call for the cooperation of all state governments to take a strong and bipartisan approach to ensure this happens. (Time expired)

See this speech in context