Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As a White Ribbon ambassador, I was pleased to join Minister Kevin Andrews at the launch of the second action plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Children this morning. Violence and sexual assault against women and children are utterly unacceptable and the second action plan to reduce violence against women and children sends a strong, united message that such violence is reprehensible.

The coalition government has allocated more than $100 million over the next four years to support the second action plan. This is part of the $200 million that has been committed under the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Children for the period July 2009 to June 2017. The Commonwealth government will continue to work with states and territories, with the business community and community sectors, and across all of our society to build on the success of the first action plan and achieve better outcomes for women. As policymakers, we have a responsibility to ensure that perpetrators should have nowhere to hide—nor victims reason to hide. I am proud to stand alongside Minister Andrews and other parliamentary colleagues as we take crucial steps together to reduce violence against women and children. We still have much work to do, however the second action plan is a vital step in the right direction.