Matt Williams (Hindmarsh, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to contribute to the motion put by the member for Dunkley, the Hon. Bruce Billson, regarding domestic violence, and I commend the member's commitment to important causes and his passion for a variety of policy issues across the spectrum.

In his first paragraph, the member has moved that the House recognise the importance of changing our country's national culture so that disrespecting women becomes fundamentally un-Australian. The question of how to change culture is one confronted head on recently by Australian of the Year David Morrison in his time as Chief of Army. To quote General Morrison: 'We all need to come to grips with our culture and how much it counts.' Although culture is usually intangible, 'it shapes our perspective of who we are as Australians.' The first step is to acknowledge that a culture shift is in fact necessary, that domestic violence is a scourge on our society and is part of a greater problem with gender equality that Australia can and must tackle.

At a national level, important steps have been taken in this parliament and across Australia. We have seen a new focus on the origins and impact of domestic violence, led by the coalition and former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty. Rosie Batty has been an outstanding advocate for tackling domestic violence and she has welcomed General Morrison's championing of this cause.

Another strong voice in this conversation is the Minister for Women, the Hon. Micaela Cash, who joined me in the Hindmarsh Electorate last year for a Domestic Violence forum with the Zonta District 23 Club. I would like to thank all of the groups and organisations represented at the forum, including the Central District Violence Service, White Ribbon, Uniting Communities, Uniting Care Wesley, Migrant Women's Support Service, Centacare Catholic Family Services, Soroptimist International SA and Women's Legal Service SA. It was great to have so many local residents, representatives from community groups and members of parliament come together to share stories and, importantly, provide constructive ideas for the government to consider.

Of course cultural change is only one part of confronting this problem. As Rosie Batty recognised, 'This is a government that has made tackling domestic violence a national priority.' We have demonstrated this not just with words but also with policy and initiatives. The government's commitment to provide appropriate resources to address domestic violence is clearly evidenced by our $100 million contribution to the second action plan under the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children. The package develops a clear path of practical measures to improve the safety of women at high risk of experiencing violence. The package will improve frontline support and services, leverage innovative technologies—something that we have heard from the member for Dunkley and my colleague in Western Australia—to keep women safe, and provide education resources to help change community attitudes to violence and abuse. In collaboration with state and territory governments, the 12-year national plan aims to bring about a significant and sustained reduction in violence against women and their children through a whole-of-community effort.

The Commonwealth is also delivering a $30 million national campaign, jointly funded by the state and territory governments, to focus on how we change attitudes in relation to violence against women and children. Education is fundamental to changing attitudes and achieving the cultural change that is required to eradicate domestic violence in Australia.

Another important initiative is the Building Safe Communities for Women grant, which is a Commonwealth government initiative under the national plan. The Commonwealth government is investing over $4 million across 28 projects to help local communities reduce violence against women. This is so important, as things happen at a local level and not just across the national spectrum. The successful grant recipients will each receive up to $150,000 to develop solutions to local issues, working with local police, local community groups and local welfare organisations. One of the projects is the development of a youth network in Adelaide to better detect and act upon the incidences of domestic violence. I look forward to seeing how these projects bring together governments, organisations and communities to support women and their children experiencing violence, and to prevent it from happening in the first place. As the social services minister has said, 'These projects will give us a better understanding of what approaches work and why—invaluable knowledge that will be shared between the grant recipients and made available to other communities.'

As a local MP, I have heard a number of harrowing stories of domestic violence first hand, and I thank the women who have taken the time to describe their experiences to me. We have a long way to go. One in six Australian women has experienced violence from a current or former partner and one in three has experienced physical violence. This is unacceptable and it should be un-Australian. I commend this motion and the work undertaken by the federal government and many others throughout our community. I commend the member for Dunkley for bringing this motion forward today.

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