Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House acknowledges the work of:

(1) community legal centres in tackling domestic violence;

(2) the United Nations and its 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign to end domestic violence;

(3) journalist Ms Sarah Ferguson for her ongoing efforts to educate the public on the key driver behind domestic violence—control;

(4) the Leader of the Opposition for appointing a Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Child Safety and Prevention of Family Violence; and

(5) the Victorian Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, for her work on Victoria's Royal Commission into Family Violence.

I rise today to talk once again about domestic violence—the national scourge that has attracted our attention so poignantly this last week. As we all know, domestic violence is not restricted to one suburb or one part of our society. It transcends all cultural, class and religious boundaries. It is about control, it is about violence and it is born from gender inequity. The result of domestic violence is the undermining of one's self worth, and it has always been with us. As I said last week on White Ribbon Day, the conversation, however, has changed. We are finally having a serious national conversation. We cannot go back from this point. We must keep shining a light on this epidemic.

To that end, I commend journalist Sarah Ferguson's two-part series Hitting Home. Sarah has spent six months on the front line, documenting the terrible realities for so many families. She followed women as they went through the court process seeking AVO's. The pressure and difficulty of going to court has been highlighted in this documentary series—the formality of the court process and the absolute humiliation of having to attend a court to have that court seek to protect you from someone who purports to love you. I also commend the work of community legal centres and women's refuges in ensuring women are not alone facing their worst day and not alone when making decisions about what to do when they find themselves in these situations. I must stand here today and condemn this government for its cuts to funding these services, and for the cynical way it pays lip-service and makes announcements about new funding which still represents real cuts in real terms.

The statistics are alarming: 650 domestic violence incidents nationally each day; one every two minutes; 240,000 a year. But it is not the statistics that will change behaviour; it is the stories. We could stand here for hours detailing these horrific statistics; we have all heard them before. But the real stories make those statistics more stark—the individual stories that we are seeing on our televisions will, we hope, carry the change in behaviour. To that end, I commend the Victorian state government, led by Daniel Andrews, and Minister Fiona Richardson for the royal commission that is occurring in Victoria and for highlighting those stories and sharing them across our society, because they do merely become a statistic if you take away the individual stories.

Again, the statistics and data are important. To that end, I commend Bill Shorten and the Labor opposition for their announcement that the victims of domestic and family violence will be eligible to take leave as a universal workplace right. This is an important thing to occur in this country. It supports victims and ensures their rights under the law. It shines a light. It names and shames, in workplaces, those perpetrators. It ensures that workplaces will support the victims of domestic violence. It will also do a really important job and that is that it will accumulate the data; it will tell a story about the economic impact of domestic violence in our workplaces. As we all know, we measure those things that are important to us. So in measuring this and putting this domestic violence leave, as we are calling it, into our workplaces, we will, therefore, be collecting important data on the economic impacts of domestic violence.

I also want to commend the Victorian state government for joining the United Nations and its 16 days of activism. It was a proud moment when Spring Street was lit up orange last week. I have followed closely the work of Minister Richardson as every day so far of these 16 days she has made a point about domestic violence and carried it in our mainstream media. I hope that in this place the issue remains constant, that we mark the damage and the actions set to change those underlying factors, and we mark the changing behaviours that we hope come from this. But make no mistake: it is about gender inequity and it is about control. I am proud to be a part of the Labor Party that sets target for equal representation of women in our parliament. I am proud to stand here today with my sisters.

Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is there a seconder for the motion?

Terri Butler (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am indeed very pleased to rise to speak in the House today on this very important issue regarding domestic violence. I start by commending the Prime Minister's comments made in Parliament on White Ribbon Day last week. Like the Prime Minister has said on a number of occasions, violence against women and children is one of Australia's greatest shames. I acknowledge the United Nations 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign which will run until 10 December.

The Turnbull government, I am very pleased to say, is committed to addressing this issue, with the $100 million women's safety package announced in September. This is a comprehensive package and will go a long way in addressing domestic violence in Australia. This package will boost front-line support and services, improve technologies to keep women safe, and provide education resources to help address community attitudes to violence and abuse. The package also includes $20 million for specific measures for Indigenous women, as Indigenous women, as you will know, Deputy Speaker Broadbent, are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of family violence. Innovation will be at the heart of this government, and domestic violence will be no different. Under the package, there is a pool of $12 million to trial, with the states, the use of innovative technology—such as GPS trackers for perpetrators—with funding matched by state and territory governments.

The e-safety commissioner will develop a resource package regarding online safety for women, under the $5 million set aside for safer technology, which includes working with telecommunication companies to distribute safe phones to women in need. Women will be safer in their homes, as we commit $17 million to expand the Safe at Home program—installing CCTV cameras and other safety equipment—together with a grant to the Salvation Army to work with security experts to conduct risk assessments in victims' homes. It is important to keep victims in their homes where it is safe and possible to do so. The government will expand the national telephone and online counselling service, 1800RESPECT, which will ensure that there is someone there to talk to at the time of need. We have also increased funding to MensLine by $2 million, for tools and resources.

I had the honour of launching the Aboriginal Family Law Services' Sparkle and Grow program in Kununurra, in October. The Sparkle and Grow program builds confidence and self-worth for teenage girls. The program is made up of five two-hour sessions over five months and is designed to raise awareness around family and domestic violence and to develop an understanding of living healthily and building and maintaining respectful relationships, targeting 12- to 16-year-olds. This program will be a great addition to the east Kimberley, and also other regional areas in Western Australia, and I commend the work of the Aboriginal Family Law Services with their creation and tailoring of this program.

Mr Deputy Speaker, it goes without saying that domestic violence is an incredibly serious issue, which is why we are talking about it again here this morning. As you can see, the Turnbull government is committed to tackling one of our national shames. We all have a responsibility to call out domestic violence when we see it, but we also need to make sure our husbands, brothers, friends, neighbours and, especially, sons know that domestic violence, No. 1, is a criminal offence but, No. 2—and more importantly—is never acceptable.

I would like us all to spare a thought for the women and children who live in fear for their lives. Please reach out so that they know that they are not alone—especially at this time of the year, when most of us will be enjoying time with our loved ones, friends and neighbours. When you become aware of an incident of domestic violence, please do not ask, 'What did she do wrong?' or, 'Why does she stay?'; please ask, 'How can I help?'

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank my good friend the member for Lalor for moving this important motion before the House today. Too many Australian women experience domestic violence every day, and the emotional, physical, social and economic cost of that is just enormous. Ending violence against women is a challenge that belongs to the whole community, not any one individual or group. In meeting that challenge, it is vital that we have adequately funded support services in place, that justice and protection for victims is readily available and that awareness programs are ongoing, monitored and assessed for their effectiveness. We must also insist on quality reporting in the media, to help build awareness of the impacts of gender stereotyping and inequality. We have to demand a whole-of-government approach, across multiple jurisdictions, to really address the structural inequalities in our society. Each of these issues is identified in the terms of the motion that is before the House.

Today, my contribution to the debate will focus on two issues in particular: the work of community legal centres and the activities in my electorate of Newcastle as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Community legal centres provide much-needed advice to some 200,000 disadvantaged Australians every year, including women who are fleeing domestic violence and abusive relationships, but, because of the actions of this Liberal government, community legal centres are at breaking point. Last week, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the chairperson of the National Association of Community Legal Centres, Ms Rosslyn Monro, acknowledged that, while the shift to raising broad awareness of family violence was happening, without a reversal of funding cuts into their services, increased awareness would mean nothing. She said that community legal centres:

… see first hand on a daily basis the toll Australia's family violence crisis is having on women and children across Australia. However, CLCs face a 30% cut to their funding nationally from 2017 under the new National Partnership Agreement for Legal Assistance Services. Similarly, other frontline family violence services, including the Family Violence Prevention Legal Services, face funding cuts and uncertainty.

To date, the government is in denial about these cuts and refuses to acknowledge or give reason as to why it will not commit to renewing desperately needed funds. Labor's $70 million package to address family violence commits $50 million to frontline legal services—it is time this Liberal government did the same.

It is also noted in the motion that the 16 days of activism for the elimination of violence against women started last Wednesday, on 25 November, and will run through to 10 December. Events and activities are occurring all around the world as part of the 16 days of activism. Today, I would like to recognise some of the activities taking place in my electorate of Newcastle. Last Wednesday, 25 November, the 16 days of activism was launched in Newcastle, with a White Ribbon breakfast and community function hosted by the lord mayor. On Friday, men and boys from Newcastle took part in the Walk a Mile Koori Style—a walk led by Aboriginal male youth—taking the White Ribbon pledge and raising awareness that society must change the beliefs and behaviours that excuse, justify or condone violence and inequality. Also on Friday, the Newcastle community attended the Sista Code White Christmas Party to raise funds to help women start their lives again after escaping domestic violence.

There was also a gathering at St Johns Anglican Church, hosted by the Victims of Crime Assistance League, called the Christmas Tree of Angels, which brought people together to remember those touched by or lost to violence. There was a flash mob held by NOVA for women and children and there will be another next Saturday, in a surprise location in Newcastle. Last Saturday, I was honoured to take part in a ceremony of tying white ribbons to trees to commemorate the lives of the 78 women who have been killed through acts of violence this year alone. That event was hosted by Timeless Textiles, and I commend them for their ongoing activism in this space.

There are many more events happening across Newcastle in coming days, and I congratulate all involved not only for raising awareness but also for their efforts working on the front line, day in and day out, to support women and children in our community.

Question agreed to.

Debate adjourned.