Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Settlement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, as White Ribbon Day approaches, on 25 November, I am sure that you and everyone in this chamber will agree with me when I say that all forms of violence are unacceptable. The White Ribbon organisation believes the prevention of violence against women will change society for the better. Through primary prevention initiatives and an annual campaign, White Ribbon works to change the attitudes and the behaviours that lead to men's violence against women.

The former federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Susan Halliday once said that it is of grave concern that we still live in a society where physical, sexual and emotional acts of violence against women are prevalent in our streets, workplaces and homes. Every woman has a right to feel free of domestic violence. Violence against women is a serious problem in our society, and statistics show that one in three Australian women over the age of 15 have reported experiencing physical or sexual violence at some time in their lives.

In addition to the obvious personal costs to the women involved, this violence costs our community dearly. In the 2009 Time for action report, KPMG estimated that violence against women and their children cost the Australian economy $13.6 billion annually, and this is expected to rise to a figure of $15.6 billion by 2021. Domestic and family violence is also the major cause of homelessness for women and children, and White Ribbon Day works to stop this insidious violence.

Violence against women is a deeply personal issue for women, and as an employer in my time before entering this place I was often faced with the terrible spectre of staff experiencing violence at home. It affects us all profoundly. Not only is this an important issue for me but it is very much a men's issue, because it is their wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and friends whose lives are being harmed by violence and abuse. It is also a men's issue because a minority of men treat women and girls with contempt and violence, and it is up to the majority of men to create a culture that says this is unacceptable.

I am privileged to have been able to take part in the joint AusAID-US Pacific Women's Empowerment Policy Dialogue currently here in Canberra. I was delighted to be able to engage in this dialogue. I look forward to seeing some very positive results.

Last night US ambassador Mr Jeffrey Bleich gave a heartfelt and deeply personal speech at the launch of the conference. His long-time commitment to this cause is very evident. Also evident is the joint commitment of the US and Australian governments to eradicating violence against women and to empowering women through undertaking this policy dialogue.

We were fortunate today to hear a taped address from the US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, to open the dialogue, and this morning we heard an impassioned address from the leader of the US delegation, Ms Tina Tchen, the Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, and chief of staff to Michelle Obama. Ms Tchen's knowledge in this area not only comes from high-level government roles but also from being a front-line domestic violence shelter worker. She recounted how in those days there was very little support given by governments and women's domestic shelters had to be in secret locations. It is good to see that we have come a very long way now; we can discuss these issues in the open.

I welcome the work done by this government in launching the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, building on the work done by the former Howard government in this important area. I want to commend the very fine work of the White Ribbon organisation, which is working towards preventing the common and pervasive form of male violence against women. I want to commend their efforts in bringing this terrible problem to everyone's attention. I encourage everyone to get behind the White Ribbon campaign, which is fast approaching—25 November—and do their bit to say that all forms of violence against women should end.