Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

In my electorate of Blair we have many individuals and organisations working to eliminate violence against women. On Sunday, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, I joined the Ipswich and West Moreton club of Zonta at the launch of their 16 days of activism against gender based violence which run up until the 10 December to coincide with Human Rights Day. I am pleased to have an 'orange lady' in my electorate office this year again. The theme of this year's 16 days is 'end gender based violence in the world of work', which promotes dignity for women in the workforce. This campaign is focused on highlighting the prejudice and discriminatory behaviours women in the workforce experience, with a view to eliminating this as a contributor to unequal power relations at the heart of gender based violence.

Another group is the Domestic Violence Action Centre, whose Ipswich community based project 'being heard' has won crime prevention and child protection awards for its focus on education and child safety. The program is an initiative of Sinead Nunan, with funding from the Queensland government and the Ipswich City Council. The program is part of DVAC's advocacy and prevention, engaging with young people across Ipswich high schools and Somerset Region high schools. Students undertake a semester of domestic and sexual violence education to recognise, experience and respond to controlling and abusive behaviours. This hands-on, pragmatic approach is worthy of support and helps young people aged 15 to 18 from diverse backgrounds, including LGBTIQA, Aboriginal Torres Strait Islanders and culturally and linguistically diverse groups. Congratulations to all of them.

House adjourned at 20:00

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