Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

SWANSON () (): I move:

That this House notes that:

(1) the Government is committed to taking real action to end family and domestic violence;

(2) women experiencing domestic violence should never have to choose between their safety and their wages;

(3) the Government will introduce the Fair Work Amendment (Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2022 which will provide workers with ten days of paid leave to deal with the impacts of family and domestic violence, including for casuals; and

(4) this entitlement will be enshrined in the national employment standards, covering up to 11 million employees, and it will be a lifeline for workers, allowing them to take necessary steps to stay safe, while retaining their jobs and their income.

It is a national scourge that, on average, one woman dies every 10 days in Australia at the hand of their current or former intimate partner. We can't shy away from this reality in Australia today. It is unacceptable, it is despicable and it is to the shame of all of us.

We must work together to cease this terrible violence. The Albanese Labor government isn't wasting a minute, and we are taking action to tackle the barriers that prevent people from fleeing. It's not a matter of 'Where would she or he go?' or 'Why don't they just get out?' as we've often heard said. How do they do that? This is about the how. We can all walk a mile in someone's moccasins and say, 'Well, if that were me, I'd be gone.' You know what? The practicalities of that actual going can be so difficult and can be so fraught that people are in some way happier and masked in trying to keep their lives cobbled together and trying just put up with what's happening, rather than having another mountain to overcome and trying to stay safe. That's just one of the thought processes that people have.

Families across Australia now have a government that get it. They now have a government that's listening and working and taking swift action to ensure that the change that's necessary to help them get out of those violent situations is happening, not only for them at a personal level but also at a professional level, at the workplace. We are prioritising this important legislation to increase paid leave for family and domestic violence. We made a promise to the Australian people, and we're making good on that promise.

Professionals across the community sector have long said that removing the barriers faced by those escaping violence is actually the key to ending the loss of life. Access to paid family and domestic leave, provided for in our legislation, will also positively engage the rights of women not to be discriminated against based on gender. This legislation is going to provide financial support to assist employees to manage the consequences of family and domestic violence. The retention of your job is an essential pathway out of violent relationships, and sustained periods of employment can provide financial security, as well as independence and social networks that increase self-esteem and really help people that are caught in these dreadful situations.

We want to make it not only easier but better all round. Where an employee would not otherwise have access to a leave entitlement to engage in these processes, the entitlement provided for in the fair work amendment will assist these employees by retaining employment and financial and personal benefits that come with that employment, particularly during these difficult times. We don't want to see another generation of men and women losing their lives through this kind of violence, and we want to support the employers too to see that it ends.

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