Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Today, as we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the start of the 16 days of activism against gender based violence, we pause to remember all whose lives have been lost to domestic and family violence. We think of every woman robbed of the future she had every right to live. Every death is its own universe of devastation. We think of all who live or grow up in the shadow of violence. We think of those who live with abuse, with fear, and we think of all the First Nations women and children who have been murdered or who have disappeared. This is a stain upon the soul of our nation, and it cannot stand.

We all feel grief. We all feel anger, for all the stories we read on the front page and those that should be on the front page but are not. Rather than let this overwhelm us, we must be energised to keep acting and working for change. Since our very first day in government, we've been focused on ending gender based violence. We've put a particular focus on economic security so no woman has to choose between her safety and her financial security. We've acted to introduce paid domestic and family violence leave, expanded the single parenting payment and cost-of-living support and invested almost $1 billion to establish the leaving violence payment.

We're making major investments in crisis, transitional and social housing so women know they have a safe place to go, and our investment in the Housing Australia Future Fund will provide 4,000 social and affordable homes for women and children affected by family and domestic violence. We've strengthened the way the legal system responds to gendered violence. We've implemented all 55 recommendations of the Respect@Work report, and we are making the family law system safer. And we've sharpened our focus on prevention so we can end violence in a generation.

This year, I've called two National Cabinet meetings where we've concentrated on delivering much-needed funding for frontline specialists and legal services and strengthening our focus on high-risk perpetrators and serial offenders to stop violence from escalating and prevent homicides. I'd particularly like to acknowledge the hard work, the dedication and the courage of the Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth, and the Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, Justine Elliot. As Assistant Minister Elliot put it earlier this year, 'Fear of violence should not be a normal nor accepted part of womanhood.'

This has been a year where I know many across the community have felt a sense of urgency, anger and frustration that 50 years after the first women's shelter opened in Australia we're still grappling with this challenge. It's been a year where we've had to renew our commitment, sharpen our focus on what more needs to be done and accelerate our action. We cannot be satisfied until women feel safe, until this is no longer an issue people need to mobilise in the streets about. But I do have hope that we can get there. All of us have to be part of the change. We can break the cycle but only together. I know we have what it takes, so let's keep working.

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