Sophie Mirabella (Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare, Women and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 1999 the United Nations declared this day to be International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and a white ribbon has become its symbol. It is very sad and indeed quite shocking that in their lifetime one in three Australian women will experience physical violence and one in five Australian women will experience sexual violence. The consequences of this violence, as we well know, are devastating not only for the individuals but for their families and also have very serious economic implications. Each year it is estimated that violence against women costs the nation $13.6 billion, and this figure is expected to rise to $15.6 billion by 2012. By wearing a white ribbon on this day we, as members of parliament, show a united front by demonstrating our very personal commitment not to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women. Everyone needs to know that violence against women is not acceptable in our society. It is not the answer. It is not the solution to anything. We need to empower women so that they know they do not have to suffer this sort of violence and abuse in silence. We need to present a clear message to our children about the sort of behaviour that is not accepted in our society.

This year there is a new campaign in which men are being asked to swear an oath never to commit, excuse or stay silent about violence against women. Interested men can swear this oath at www.myoath.com.au. I applaud the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, who will be leading by example and swearing the oath this Wednesday in the Senate courtyard. I also applaud the member for Lyne, who recently appealed to male parliamentarians to be outspoken, get active in this campaign and become white ribbon ambassadors. I encourage all of Australia’s 10 million men, whatever their culture, to take up the challenge and swear the oath this Wednesday, making a commitment to end violence against women.

While I believe a bipartisan approach is essential when fighting problems like violence against women, I need to make the following and final points. This government committed $41.5 million in response to the report of the National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children, but a closer look shows that the government is just rebadging programs that were operating under the former coalition government’s Women’s Safety Agenda, which was an investment of $75.5 million over four years. In fact, the budget papers revealed no new funding whatsoever for the government’s new national plan, as the funding announced was simply a redirection of funds allocated by the former Howard government. The Rudd government has squandered $16 billion on things like the Julia Gillard memorial school hall program while committing less than one-third of one per cent of that to addressing the insidious problem of violence against women. It has squandered almost half a billion dollars on consultants. Even just a tiny percentage of this money could have done a great deal of good for the women and children plagued by violence every day in this country.

Whilst I would like to send this speech out to constituents of mine to urge them to be part of the White Ribbon Day campaign—I know many are interested, we have local organisations that are very active in promoting safety for women and in working against violence and sexual abuse of women and children in our society—I may have to seek advice because some the facts criticising the government may come under the government’s new censorship rules and I may be prevented from actually sending this speech out to constituents.

Putting aside the government’s inaction, I do call on all Australians to embrace the White Ribbon Day campaign, which supports stamping out violence against women. It needs to be more than just this one day. It needs to be a continued effort. Government resources need to be put where large sentiments exist. It is not good enough to have good intentions; governments need to act on them in an honest way not just rebadge former programs. That is the only way of moving forward to eliminate violence against women.

Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Violence against women is a fundamental breach of human rights. It is wrong and it cannot be excused or justified under any circumstances. It is a terrible fact that any woman can become a victim of sexual assault or domestic violence. Violence knows no geographical, socioeconomic, age, cultural or religious boundaries. In Australia we know that one in three women will be affected by physical violence in their lifetime. We know that one in five women will experience sexual violence. We know that this violence is usually perpetrated by men who women know, in their own homes, often repeatedly. These are not just numbers on the page. These figures represent our mothers, our sisters, our wives and our daughters. The White Ribbon Day campaign is led by men who are willing to take a stand and be positive role models for other men in the community. The aim of the White Ribbon Foundation of Australia is to eliminate violence against women by promoting cultural change around the issue—that is, by men providing role models for other men and boys.

I am proud to stand alongside hundreds of other ambassadors Australia wide, including the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and of course, the Leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Turnbull, on this White Ribbon Day to help eliminate violence against women. It is a pity that this motion has been tainted a little by politics. This is a motion that should be above politics. This is a motion that cuts across all spheres of politics and something that we should all be striving to pursue instead of bringing issues into this about how much money is being spent by which government. White Ribbon Day on 25 November is a very special day, and it is a pity that we have put politics into this particular motion. It would have been far more beneficial if there were no politics in the motion and we all spoke about the importance of eliminating violence against women.

Sometimes we do not want to be seen as interfering in other people’s affairs, but it is our responsibility as a community to do something. If we see someone being assaulted on the street, we should call the police. We should also call the police if we see our next-door neighbour assaulting his wife, daughter or another female. In the last few decades we have heard more people speaking out about violence against women and this is a very good thing. Violence against women is a community issue. Culture and attitudes are shaped when people are young, often through the attitudes of people that they admire. Many of us, especially men, have been standing around having a beer—and I have been in this situation at barbecues—when somebody may say something derogatory about women. Sometimes people laugh in the group, but it is our absolute duty to pull that person aside, tell them that it is wrong and that it is not acceptable. The more often we can do that, the better this issue will become. This should be the absolute opportunity for us men to raise why it is inappropriate. It is about men taking leadership roles and providing guidance about the correct way to act. Well-known male role models who speak out publicly against violence against women is one campaign that I believe will work.

We know that when it happens violence against women does not just affect women; it affects our children, friends, communities, workplaces and ultimately the nation. The new research released by the government shows that each year violence against women costs the nation $13.6 billion, and this figure is expected to rise to $15.6 billion by 2021. The government’s goal is to reduce all violence in our communities, and we take a zero-tolerance approach when it comes to violence against women. We should note here that the Australian government has placed the issue of domestic violence firmly on the national agenda. In May last year the Australian government announced the establishment of a national council that was given the responsibility of drafting a National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Their Children. In March this year the national council presented the Time for action report, which outlined a plan to reduce violence against women and their children over the next 12 years.

I am also proud to say that the Australian government responded in April and took immediate action, pledging millions of dollars in support services and education to help tackle the problem. We are absolutely committed to working with every state and territory government on this issue to develop the national plan to reduce violence against women for release in 2010.

In my home state of South Australia, the South Australian government has been supporting White Ribbon Day activities with its Don’t Cross the Line campaign, combining a community message with legislative change to reduce the incidence and acceptance of violence in the state by making the issue of violence against women public. Men are part of the solution through speaking to our friends and colleagues and through taking a stand in our communities. (Time expired)

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the motion. I commend the member for Hindmarsh on his presentation and the spirit of bipartisanship which he extended across the chamber in relation to the issue of violence against women—in particular the comments he made in relation to zero tolerance. It is never acceptable to have any violence at all in our community directed at women. I commend the member for Indi for bringing this issue to the attention of the House tonight. As our electorates share a boundary in the high country of Victoria, I am sure the member will agree that many of our constituents share similar views on a whole range of rural and regional issues. With respect to the rights and safety of women, it is highly recognised in both our communities.

This Wednesday, people from across the world will unite in an effort to highlight the need to stamp out violence against women in a celebration known as White Ribbon Day. The recent history of White Ribbon Day dates back to a group of Canadian men in 1991 who, I understand, saw it as their responsibility to encourage a change in their community attitudes after the murder of 14 women in Montreal. They wore white ribbons to signify their view that violence against women was completely unacceptable, which they hoped would help to gather support from the broader community, especially men. That tradition has continued to expand throughout the world—so much so that we will see hundreds of thousands of participants across Australia on Wednesday. They will be participating in White Ribbon Day and raising funds from the sale of white ribbons which will go towards the implementation of a range of strategies to reduce the incidence of violence against women in our local communities.

Before I continue into the other aspects of the motion currently before the House, I would like to take the time to shed more light on what the White Ribbon Foundation of Australia identifies as the key reasons for participating in White Ribbon Day:

• Wearing a White Ribbon is not a badge of purity or a badge of perfection. It does not mean that the wearer has perfect relationships.
• It means that this man believes that violence towards women is unacceptable.
• It is a visible sign that the wearer does not support or condone the use of violence against women.

I am sure everyone in the House will agree that this is a noble and worthwhile cause to support.

However, despite the strong support for White Ribbon Day amongst leaders in our community and throughout the world, we see violence directed at women continuing in our society today. The motion by the member for Indi referred to the fact that approximately 350,000 women will experience some form of physical violence and 125,000 women will experience sexual violence each year. Women often experience violence at the hands of men they know, and the abuse is often repeated. Breaking that cycle is incredibly difficult for many of the women involved. I believe it is to our collective national shame that there are still this many cases of violence against women occurring every year.

I have spoken on this issue in the past, and I commend other members for continuing to raise the issue in this place, as I believe it will take community leadership from members of parliament and the battle will not be won on any one day. It will require a level of support for events such as White Ribbon Day to be continued and for goodwill to be pursued throughout the year. White Ribbon Day is an opportunity for us to focus our attention and to redouble our efforts for the ongoing commitment that will be required in the longer term. There needs to be a change in culture around the way violence against women is viewed in our society. It is never okay and there can never be any justification for physical violence, sexual abuse or bullying, harassment or intimidation of women.

I have commended action in the past to establish the national council for the prevention of violence against women, and we must continue to implement initiatives and programs that help prevent further violence against women and provide refuge and support for women who have experienced violence. Lives are broken and families are torn apart when this violence occurs in the domestic situation, and we need to be continually vigilant to help women get their lives back on track.

The motion before the House today also notes that violence against women costs the Australian people $13.6 billion annually, and the national council’s plan for Australia to reduce violence against women and their children from 2009 to 2021 states that if there is no reduction in current rates it will cost the economy an estimated $15.6 billion in about 10 years time. It does give a sense of the size of the problem we are faced with here today. The effects of violence against women are extensive and further support is needed if we are to improve the current situation.

I take up the member for Hindmarsh’s comments regarding the need for a bipartisan approach. It is not a question of deciding which government gives more or anything else like that tonight. There is certainly no doubt that we need to be continually vigilant to make sure we are providing the support services for women who have been affected by violence. These preventative measures and campaigns that we have been talking about tonight for White Ribbon Day are certainly a significant part of that.

I commend the exceptional job that the White Ribbon Foundation of Australia does in raising awareness of the many women and children who live with violence or the threat of violence in their homes every day of their lives. We need to take action to prevent that violence against women. I urge everyone to show their support for White Ribbon Day on Wednesday. I take up earlier comments as well that it cannot be just one day a year where we focus our attention on this particular issue. We do need to act as role models in our communities for other men and young boys and to live by the creed of respect for all women. I encourage others to take the oath this week as well.

Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I commend the member for Gippsland and the member for Hindmarsh for their contributions and I agree with them wholeheartedly that this needs a bipartisan approach. It is with sadness and regret that I note that the member for Indi has tried to politicise this motion. This is a very serious matter and it should be above partisan politics. She linked this issue with an alleged squandering in excess of $16 billion under the Building the Education Revolution. I can tell the member for Indi this: there are 313 projects in 85 schools in my electorate, and those school communities do not believe we have squandered the money that they are using to benefit the children. It is really a shame and disgraceful that this motion has been linked in this way. It is to be regretted.

I commend the member for Gippsland for his very accurate, sterling and sensitive contribution to this debate. The member for Hindmarsh is correct in saying that violence against women is cowardly. It is unheroic and unmanly. Violence takes many forms. In my more than 20 years practising as a family lawyer I saw many cases, spoke with many clients and prosecuted and defended many cases involving domestic violence. Domestic violence takes many forms, and people do not acknowledge it. The White Ribbon Foundation is to be commended for bringing to the attention of the Australian public, particularly Australian men, the fact that violence takes a multitude of forms—for example, physical abuse, threats, damage of property, forcing another person to have sex, depriving someone of the necessities of life, demanding someone hand over their Centrelink payment, criticising, humiliating, forcing someone out of a car or into a car, abusing someone in front of children, taking the children away, repeatedly stalking someone or phoning them and other things that put someone at risk and make them feel ashamed or humiliated or fill them with feelings of inadequacy. These are terrible things that are perpetrated by so many men against so many women.

The Queensland Police Service estimates that there are 30,000 instances of domestic violence in Queensland alone each year. The CEO Challenge has urged employers to recognise that domestic violence costs—as it did in 2003—in excess of $8 billion to the Australian economy because women come to the workplace feeling inadequate and that they are not productive, their self-esteem is lowered and they feel they cannot contribute at home or in the workplace. So this is an economic issue, but it is also a personal issue and a familial issue which affects all of us. The member for Indi is trying to politicise it. I was going to speak without mentioning what she had to say. I was going to speak in a very bipartisan manner, but I have to say to the member for Indi that she really needs to have a look at herself for politicising this very serious issue.

There are implications for children as well. Children copy violent or abusive behaviour. They are stunned into terrified silence. We see them frustrated and angry, humiliated and depressed. Bed-wetting happens and there is suicidal idealisation. They end up running away from home. They start abusing alcohol and other substances. They try to intervene to stop the abuse and they are hurt. They feel that their lives are not worth living and that there is no refuge and no safety anywhere. It is a shame that we are politicising this by this motion.

My electorate of Blair has many great organisations which adopt the same attitude as the Rudd Labor government that there is zero tolerance with respect to domestic violence. I do not accept that the Rudd government has done nothing. The Time for Action plan was formally received by the Prime Minister on 29 April 2009. We contributed nearly $42 million in terms of a new national telephone and online crisis service, more primary prevention activities, a national scheme for registration of domestic and family violence orders and more research.

My electorate has many great groups such as the Ipswich Women’s Centre Against Domestic Violence and I commend Gabrielle Borggaard for the work they do. There are also the Ipswich and the West Moreton Lifeline, Booval Community Service and the wonderful work done by coordinator Bianca Law, Ipswich Community Youth Service and the Family Relationships Centre. All of them work very hard to prevent domestic violence in our community. (Time expired)

Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.