John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this important motion on domestic violence, raised by the honourable member for Boothby. As a White Ribbon ambassador, I have spoken on this vital issue a number of times and I congratulate every member who has also spoken on this issue. I have stood here on several occasions and talked about some of the horrifying numbers that summarise the extent of this problem. One in six Australian women has experienced violence from a current or former partner and 63 women have been killed so far this year. This is a problem that strikes at the core of our nation.

The Turnbull government are unequivocal in their position that domestic violence is absolutely unacceptable, which is why we are implementing measures to prevent and respond to this matter as a key priority. We are currently providing over half a billion dollars to frontline services to support vulnerable Australians, including survivors of domestic violence. The National Domestic Violence Order Scheme will ensure the protection of survivors through an automatic national registration of offenders rather than the current state-by-state system.

I also welcome the government's announcement of a $100 million package of measures to provide a safety net for women and children at high risk of experiencing violence. The package will improve frontline support and services, leverage innovative technologies to keep women safe and provide education and resources to help change community attitudes to violence and abuse. The package also includes $21 million for specific measures to help Indigenous women in communities. Indigenous women are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of family violence. So this commitment is essential.

Today's package is in addition to the government's $100 million investment in the second action plan of the national plan and the $30 million National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, jointly funded by the states and territories. This money will be essential in helping victims and I look forward to seeing these funds start to make a difference on the ground. I would also like to speak specifically about the role of technology in protecting women.

The motion we are discussing raises the concern that phone-tracking systems can be used by perpetrators to monitor the location of their victims. This is a real concern and something that must be addressed. However, as is often the case, technology can also offer positive opportunities for the protection of women and the deterrence of violence. There is a company based in my electorate of Bennelong who seem to have perfected this technology—a small company by the name of 3M! We are touching or surrounded by 3M products right here in this place right now. Many people around the world know this global scientific innovation company as the inventor of the humble Post-It note. Yet, as someone who has been fortunate enough to tour the 3M innovation centre in North Ryde on multiple occasions, I can verify that they make much more than the revolutionary stationery product. Products by 3M can be found on aeroplanes, dusty outback road signs and even in surgery on the human body.

I spoke to this earlier this year: 3M have developed a GPS based domestic violence prevention system, empowering women to go about their normal lives freely and without threat or constraint. This technology identifies the victim and perpetrators, then sends alerts when they come into proximity of each other. These alerts work at several ranges, from several kilometres to 100 metres—at which point imminent danger alerts are triggered. These alerts go to a monitoring centre and directly to the victim as well, so they can take the most appropriate action. The system also features a distress button that can alert law enforcement authorities.

This system has been trialled in many locations around the world with great success. Spain has been using the system since 2009. In that time, 3,300 pairs of the system have been issued, resulting in not one victim being killed. On average, the panic button is activated 30 times per month.

The last few years have seen renewed commitments to end the scourge of domestic violence but fighting domestic violence needs to take place on many fronts. The government's new measures and funds will go a long way to supporting those who desperately need our help. But there is more always more that can be done, and I commend 3M on its continued commitment to helping victims and preventing abuse. We look forward to working with all Australians to say that enough is enough and that women and children must be safe in their homes and on the streets, and that domestic and family violence is never acceptable.

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