Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last week, 11 October marked the International Day of the Girl Child, a day to highlight and address the unique needs and challenges that girls face around the world. I take this opportunity to acknowledge all of the women sitting in this room, who were once girls themselves, and all those girls of now and the future who may be watching this speech, including my own two daughters.

We can rightly take pride in the milestones achieved for girls all around the world to date. We can celebrate the fact that, in the 25 years since the Beijing World Conference on Women, more girls today are attending and completing school and fewer are getting married or becoming mothers while still children. We can celebrate the fact that girls are breaking boundaries and stereotypes across all walks of life all around the world by translating their dreams to reality.

Most importantly, we can celebrate the fact that girls are creating a world that is relevant for them and for future generations. However, these milestones are hardly representative of the lived experiences of all girls in our world. In fact, the reality is that every 10 minutes an adolescent girl dies as a result of violence. In humanitarian emergencies, gender based violence often increases, and such perpetration occurs when male caregivers subject girls to sexual and physical violence, child marriage, exploitation and trafficking.

I visited our nearest neighbour, PNG, earlier this year. This visit reinforced the stark differences that remain across the experiences of girls, and indeed boys, in even our closest neighbouring countries and that we cannot take for granted the enormous strides we have made here in Australia. In PNG the prevalence of intergenerational abuse, and especially gender based and sexual violence, completely shocked me. Over two-thirds of women had experienced forms of physical and sexual violence in their lifetime—that's two-thirds. Over 50 per cent of the sexual violence cases reported to clinics were against children. Shockingly, 41 per cent of men had admitted to perpetrating rape. This form of inequality is simply unacceptable and cannot continue. This is a critical time for the girls of our world, a time for collective responsibility—especially so in light of the warm winds of change occurring globally with respect to their rights and opportunities.

The Morrison government is serious about ensuring an equitable future in providing opportunities for women and girls. Our priority in this area begins with our regional Indonesia-Pacific efforts directed in empowering girls and women. As the former Minister for Women Kelly O'Dwyer emphasised, our ability to seriously tackle these issues depends on a shared commitment to gender equality and women's participation in this space.

Currently, many of the disadvantages faced by women and girls in our neighbouring countries are entrenched via poverty and amplified by the effects of natural disaster and war. We can take the first step in minimising the resulting conflict and instability by involving women as negotiators, as first responders and as leaders at the decision-making table. I'm proud of our government's investment in local programs in PNG aiming to reduce domestic violence and to improve education for girls. A key priority of our government is to help women, both here and overseas, to improve their independent economic security. We know that when women do well their families do well, and that our economy and nation prosper.

In November last year, the first-ever Women's Economic Security Statement was delivered, with more than $100 million dedicated to practical measures to help give women greater life choices, to build financial security and to grow the Australian economy. Additionally, the coalition government has invested the single-largest-ever Commonwealth funding of $328 million in prevention and frontline services to support the fourth action plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children.

There is of course always more that can be, and should be, done. I want my daughters and the girls of both today and tomorrow to grow up in a world full of hope and opportunity. We must continue, as a government and as a nation, to provide pragmatic policies and solutions to ensure that every Australian girl has the opportunity to live her life free from discrimination and to achieve her potential. That is why I stand in support of this motion by the member for Jagajaga.

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