Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of White Ribbon Day and the efforts by the White Ribbon Foundation to reduce the incidence of violence against women. Today is an opportunity for all right-thinking men in our nation to stand shoulder to shoulder and condemn those who perpetrate violence against our mothers, our sisters, our wives and our girlfriends. It is a chance to state unequivocally that it is never okay to strike a woman or to intimidate, bully, harass or force yourself upon a woman for sexual gratification. No always means no.

At today’s launch of the White Ribbon Foundation report, we heard many impassioned speeches from all sides of politics. This is an issue which naturally transcends political boundaries. The report highlighted the impact of violence on young people and their future relationships. Alarmingly, the report also highlighted that one in three women in Australia are affected by violence. It is a national disgrace, and I urge all men to speak out in support of a coordinated national action plan backed by all levels of government. We must educate young people, we must change our attitudes and we must change behaviour in the interest of the health and well-being of women across our nation. Previous reports have found that, where data does exist, there is a higher reported incidence of domestic violence in rural and remote communities than in metropolitan settings. The reported level of violence against women in our Indigenous communities is even more horrific. Coming from a rural and regional electorate—as a Gippslander—that troubles me deeply.

Today I appeal to all the men of Gippsland to join me in denouncing violence against women, to join me in leading by example by showing our sons the right way to behave: to respect, nurture and care for women in our society. I refer to a couple of findings in the report and draw the attention of the chamber to the fact that domestic violence has a clear and negative impact on children’s and young people’s behavioural, cognitive and emotional functioning and social development. Children’s and young people’s education and later employment prospects are harmed by domestic violence. These are long-term trends, and the impacts are felt right across our community. We need to stop pretending it does not happen and we need to take action to prevent violence against women across our community. I commend the current government for establishing the National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children, and I undertake to do all in my power to support the campaign to reduce the incidence of violence in our community. We can do better and we must do better in future.

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