House debates
Monday, 25 November 2024
Private Members' Business
United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
11:18 am
Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Community Safety, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source
I thank the member for this motion. I have made a number of speeches on this very topic, sadly, as have many other members of parliament. A quick internet search tells the tragic story of how many women are murdered in Australia. Everyone would have heard of Isla Bell, who was 19 years of age. Sadly, every day we read these issues in the media, and obviously that should never be the case. Police have charged a 53-year-old man days after family and friends were trying to find this beautiful young lady. Bell was last seen leaving her home about 6 pm on 4 October, but her family had earlier said the last contact they were aware of was via social media on 7 October. The missing persons squad raided two properties. I won't go into further details about the ongoing police investigation. On Wednesday, Bell's mother, Justine Spokes—and you can just imagine how the poor mother would feel—paid tribute to her beautiful, beloved daughter in the Age:
Cherished forever and suffering no more.
I am so sorry I could not protect you, that your experience of the world was cruel and unsafe. Despite your challenges, you lived bravely, stood up for what was right and remained the kindest human, the gentlest soul … With the deepest love and respect, your Mumma.
Bell's family championed her search efforts, setting up social media pages, blanketing Melbourne's inner north with posters and repeatedly pleading with the public to help find their 19-year-old daughter. About a fortnight after Bell went missing, her mother told reporters that she thought her disappearance was strange.
It's just awful for the mother and the family and friends to be trying to find this beautiful young girl. Sadly, they're not alone, as I said at the outset. According to Destroy the Joint's Counting Dead Women tally, 46 women were killed between January and August this year. In Victoria alone, Rebecca Young, 42, Samantha Murphy, 51, Chaithanya Madhagani, 35, and Hannah McGuire, 23, have been killed, allegedly by men, and just last week Bayswater woman Vicky Apostolopoulos's neighbour allegedly stabbed her to death in front of her two children.
Today is White Ribbon Day, which is marked on 25 November each year. It is also know as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It marks the start of days of activism against gender based violence, which runs from 25 November until 10 December.
When you look at domestic violence, the data is horrific. As a former police officer, I know how bad it is for family members. I did write to the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police about the need to ensure that multicultural women in particular are made aware, when there's an intervention order, that it's actually not them taking out the order, that they don't need a lawyer to go up against the defendant and that Victorian police and the government are actually supporting them.
In my portfolio as shadow minister for multicultural affairs, I've found that language barriers make it very difficult for women in a number of multicultural communities. There are also cultural issues that we need to deal with. When I go to multicultural events, especially in some communities, I'm very strong about making sure that it's very clear that people have to understand that, in Australia, everyone—women, men and children—is regarded as equal. If any woman wants to get a job, she is allowed to get a job. If she wants to get a drivers licence, she's allowed to get a drivers licence. If she wants visit friends and families, she's absolutely entitled to do that. Sometimes, in the case of victims I've spoken to, even their own families have said, 'No. You just need to put up with this.' You don't need to put up with this.
I encourage all those women in situations where they're suffering from violence or harm to please go to police and please go to places like Orange Door and get support. We note that the government has put in $3.9 billion in response to rapid review into preventive approaches, and I thank them for that. Obviously more work needs to be done. I don't want to make this into any sort of political attack, but, working together, we all need to ensure that we do everything we can to protect women and children.
Sadly, there'll be more speeches like this. I'll just make this final point: education is the key for change. The earlier we get to young men, the better lives women will have in the future.
No comments