Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on three issues that are sweeping our rural communities, and it is not only the rural communities that are suffering from these problems, but they are very prevalent in rural society these days. I am talking about violence against women, drug abuse and suicide. These three indictments have no barriers. They can affect anyone—and they do, from jillaroos to health workers to health professionals to landowners. We as a government can only do so much; we can support the cause with dollars, but that is not the be all and end all. It is very difficult to get a full solution, and I think it needs a whole community to get behind these three issues and fight them from the trenches.

Domestic violence is a serious problem engulfing our communities that requires a commitment from all of us to defeat. On Sunday I attended a rally in Gladstone where there were a lot of women but, sadly, not enough men. We have to get back to those campaigns like, 'If you drink and drive, you're a bloody idiot' or the idea that if you king hit someone it is a killer punch or a coward's punch. I think we have to get some campaign like that going for violence against women, because it is very prevalent: 62 women have been killed in Australia this year alone because of domestic violence, and it does not take much to work out that that is more than one a week.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data show there were 132,000 recorded cases of domestic violence in 2011-12. In Queensland 23 women have died because of domestic violence; 44 per cent of Queensland homicides in that period were as a result of domestic violence against women. The Department of Human Services receives 200,000 calls daily, and they are staggering figures. We have 400 agencies across Australia to handle those 200,000 calls, and that puts those workers in a very vulnerable position where they are trying to handle cases that can have minimum or very major conflicts at the end of the day. Domestic violence is not just a social problem but an economic problem as well. It costs taxpayers about $19.9 billion a year—equivalent to about $8,800 for every man, woman and child in Australia. Business losses are also great, with an estimated $1.6 billion in lost productivity due to domestic violence. I am pleased that our government has announced a $100 million domestic violence package. As I said before, you cannot always solve these problems with money, but it is a great starting point. It will go a long way to reducing the problem, but it will not fix the problem.

The second great problem we have to deal with is the issue of drug abuse. This is widespread. When I was a young lad it was not a problem in the country or regional areas, but it certainly is now. We must do all we can, and I think it is another community thing where we 'dob in a druggo' or take whatever measures we think will help to fix the problem. There is no quick fix, but it is something we all have to be aware of and do our best to stamp this trade out. There are people selling drugs and making money, and they are the people we have to clamp down on. Whether they be people smugglers or drug smugglers, these are the problems and these are the ones we have to get out of our society and get rid of. There have been drug busts in Emerald, a major drug bust in Blackwater and busts in towns in my electorate. The amount of amphetamines that were seized in these raids was staggering. Our police force can only do so much. They have zero tolerance, and mining companies have zero tolerance, but still the problem exists.

Finally, depression is a thing that is sweeping through the country areas, and I think drought has a lot to do with that. This problem will not go away. Youth suicide is high; farmer suicide is high. It is a curse on our nation.

See this speech in context