Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the motion moved by the member for Kingston and to support the tenor of her argument in respect of the provision of support for those who experience domestic violence. In particular, elements of this private member's motion go to some industrial matters and I am not going to debase the need for any workplace to have consideration for the needs of victims. I note that two-thirds of Australian women who have experienced domestic violence with their current partner are in paid employment. The member for Kingston provided further points that will impact directly on the employer and that have implications for workplaces in respect of an increased burden of pressure; therefore, I would argue that the propositions within the motion should be considered in the context of the many factors that prevail within the workplace environment.

Firstly, we always have to consider that domestic violence is not just physical violence. It can also be emotional abuse, which is often used as a tool to control an individual, with deadly consequences that are not physical in the way that is seen if the violence is physical. There is also economic abuse by depriving somebody in a relationship of access to the funding that is normally there for the household; controlling what they are able to buy and use their money for is another extreme of abuse. There is social abuse, which is the putting down of an individual regularly and making them feel worthless or denigrating them in front of others, which is equally as damaging. Then there is the spiritual abuse, depriving someone of the ability to fulfil their belief in their faith and their practices.

I personally abhor those who use these approaches to control another person in that manner. It is not something that we expect to see in relationships, yet so often as a classroom teacher and through my life experiences I saw people subjected to that range of abuse. I want to quote a couple of researchers who have done some significant work on this issue which goes to some very relevant things that we need to think about. Jane Mulroney, a senior research officer, provided information in a paper on the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse website under the heading, 'Australian Statistics on Domestic Violence'. I want to cite both pieces of work exactly so that I do not paraphrase the important points they make. I cite Jane Mulroney accordingly:

The first national data on incidence and prevalence of domestic violence using a representative sample of 6300 Australian women was provided by the Women's Safety Australia study (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] 1996).

The ABS study measured the incidence of physical and sexual violence against women (18 years and over) during the 12 months prior to the survey and over their lifetime (since the age of 15). For the purposes of this survey, violence was defined as any incident involving the occurrence, attempt or threat of either physical or sexual assault (ABS 1996, p. 2). Such incidents were defined as actions considered to be offences under criminal statutes in each state or territory. Accordingly the data does not reflect the entire picture of women's experiences of domestic and family violence as it does not record other forms of abuse—

which I commented on earlier—

(emotional, social, financial etc.) that occur in tandem with acts of violence.

These findings support the information provided by the member for Kingston. The paper continues:

Key results from the study indicate:

which is still a significant number—

When we look at those figures we can see they are substantial in terms of the impact on the workplace. That would mean that the consideration, flexibility and compassion that need to be shown are not small in their detail or number.

The Australian Institute of Criminology, in analysing homicides in Australia between 1989 and 1999, found that 20.8 per cent of all homicides involved intimate partners. This represents approximately six homicide incidents a year within Australia. The study then raises the relationships in various manners and the patterns that have emerged. Indigenous women are far more likely to be killed by their partner than non-Indigenous women. Just under half of all Indigenous homicides occur as a result of domestic altercation. Filipino women living in Australia are almost six times over-represented as victims of homicide compared to other women. A pattern is emerging of the extent of the problem. In one sense the workplace support that needs to be provided for those who rely on their job for economic independence and for the provision of family becomes quite a challenge. I would rather see us go upstream.

Let me also say that one in three victims of domestic violence is male. The Australian Bureau of Statistics' personal safety survey in 2006, the largest of all surveys and the most recent in terms of violence in Australia, found that 29.8 per cent of victims of current partner violence since the age of 15 were male and that 24.4 per cent, or almost one in four, were victims of a previous partner and violence since the age of 15. Two other figures that I found disturbing, if true, are that 29.4 per cent of victims of sexual assault, or almost one in three, during the last 12 months were male.

Domestic violence and abuse, of all the natures of abuse, are quite significant when you consider the context of the motion moved by the member for Kingston. One of the challenges for us is to encourage workplaces to be cognisant of some of the challenges that individuals face within their workplace. I have often found that, where an employer or a workplace is supportive, productivity and loyalty factors become much stronger when there a degree of empathy, understanding, leniency and flexibility are accorded those who are victims.

I think we have much work to do, but I do not believe that to incorporate it into an industrial award or into a clause within an industrial context will solve the problem. It will certainly require employers to be much more compassionate. Often, when we deal with complex issues like this, it is better to have somebody who walks with you and who is much more considered in the way in which they deal with employees who experience this. Often many of those who are victims of violence tend not to share that information within the workplace. When it is shared, then it also has a devastating effect. If we gave some weighting to reducing bullying by those who are cowardly in their behaviour and whose behaviour causes immense emotional and psychological damage to individuals, I think it would be a far better way to reduce the levels of domestic violence within our society. At the same time, I would strongly encourage employers to think about how they can give employees who experience this form of violence and abuse some latitude in the workplace. As I said earlier, employers who do that are often rewarded with a high degree of lasting loyalty from the employee, because, when someone helps you, you often reciprocate and give them back much more than they gave you.

I thank the member for Kingston for this private member's motion. I would support it in the context of doing more for the victims of domestic violence.

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