Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to join my voice with those of my colleagues who've spoken about Eurydice Dixon in preparation for the vigils that will be held around Australia tonight to commemorate a beautiful, unique woman and share the grief and anger that goes with the way that she died and the violence that she suffered. Of course, we are horrified beyond words at the terrible thing that has been done to Eurydice Dixon, but we are horrified beyond words as well that this is part of a continuum of violence against women that we are reading in the papers every day: Qi Yu in New South Wales is missing, presumed dead; an 11-year-old girl was abducted and raped; a two-year-old girl was raped in Tennant Creek. It must stop. Women have the right to walk home at night by themselves and they have the right to be safe in their own homes. One woman every week, on average, loses her life to a current or former partner. One woman in five experiences sexual violence—a figure that's actually increased since 2012 while other forms of violence are decreasing. Today, we think of Eurydice Dixon. We'll be attending a vigil tonight here in Canberra, but we think about all the women who have suffered the threat or the fear of violence and those who haven't survived.

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