Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to join with my colleagues and particularly commend the honourable member for Hindmarsh for bringing this motion before the House. I support the men who founded White Ribbon Day and all the men who have joined them in speaking out and acting as role models for all men and boys. White Ribbon Day is the one day of the year when we speak out against domestic violence and its perpetrators, sadly, mostly men, and that we speak up for the victims and survivors of domestic violence, mostly women, and that we collectively reflect on what I liken to a pandemic, and that is domestic violence. It is a pandemic in Australia and in all countries.

The name sounds more innocuous than it really is and lends itself to still being seen as a private matter when in fact it is a very public matter and a crime. It is interesting to note that in South Africa the constitution recognises that women do not have to suffer domestic violence or violence in public and private spheres. Admittedly, that constitution has been framed in more modern times than our Constitution. Domestic violence is a public matter and one that has to be a matter of public policy with our attention every day, pre and post 25 November, each and every year as it is for those who are victims of it. I commend the White Ribbon Foundation, and I note that the member for Isaacs said that he has become a White Ribbon Foundation ambassador. Well done. I commend Andrew O’Keefe, Libby Lloyd and the committee for talking about domestic violence every day.

Domestic violence has a number of forms. If you have a look at Allport’s framework of oppression, from circumlocution to extermination, domestic violence takes all of these forms. There are people who are murdered as a result of being a domestic violence victim. The White Ribbon Foundation recently published a report that says one in four 12- to 20-year-old Australians surveyed were aware of domestic violence against their mums or stepmums by their fathers and stepfathers. Some commentators said they were surprised. This statistic is not a new one; it has been around for decades. But good on the White Ribbon Foundation for doing the work, publicising it and reminding us that domestic violence is still prevalent and that this is a big issue for young people, who are too often victims of domestic violence both directly and indirectly, and for focusing on violence prevention education programs for young children and young people. The White Ribbon Foundation tells us that it can work. I support their approach and also their focus.

I have had some experience in this area from working in a men’s refuge, working in a women’s refuge for over five years, being on the committee, helping establish a youth refuge and being the founding secretary of the Far North Coast Domestic Violence Liaison Committee, which continues today and does very fine work. I know very few families not affected by domestic violence. My family was affected by it, and the impact is lifelong. I know many families in many communities in many neighbourhoods who are impacted.

Put simply: attitudes have to change. Attitude problems exist in our society and, sadly, there are problems with attitudes towards women and how we are seen. If we take a historical snapshot of our legal system and go back even as far as the code of Hammurabi, it permitted violence against women—with some constraints. If we look at the Napoleonic codes, they also permitted it and said, ‘Women, like walnut trees, should be beaten every day.’ Then, if we go to Blackstone’s commentary, we find where the idea of the rule of thumb actually comes from. We all know about the rule of thumb. It says that you can beat a woman with a rod so long as the rod’s thickness does not surpass the thickness of the thumb. That is actually where the rule of thumb comes from, and it is in common expression every day. If you look at our legal history, you can see that there is an attitude that has lessened but prevails today. That is the work that the White Ribbon Foundation are focusing on, particularly with regard to young people. I know that that will have impact. (Time expired)

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