Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the importance of changing the national culture to make disrespecting women un-Australian;

(2) welcomes the Government's $100 million Women's Safety Package to combat domestic violence;

(3) supports efforts at the upcoming COAG meeting to engage all levels of government and the broader community on this shared national endeavour;

(4) places on record its deep concern about the use of new technology and in particular smart phone tracking applications by family violence perpetrators to obtain and monitor the location of their victims; and

(5) calls on all governments to consider this as part of their strategy to combat domestic violence and technology facilitated abuse.

I move this motion today to continue to raise awareness of the terrible problem of domestic violence in our community and the steps the Turnbull government is taking to address this most serious of issues. The Turnbull government is leading the way in terms of policy development and funding and, through COAG, is working with our state government counterparts to ensure all levels of government are doing their part.

Addressing the scourge of domestic violence, however, is not just the responsibility of government; it is the responsibility of each and every Australian. We must all do our part to make it un-Australian to disrespect women. I note the Prime Minister and the Minister for Women this morning condemned the appalling behaviour and language by US presidential candidate Donald Trump in relation to women. It is crucial that we all condemn such actions because, as the respect.gov.au website records, there is a clear link between violence towards women and attitudes of disrespect and gender inequality.

Even though most Australians recognise that violence against women is a serious issue, fewer people realise where the behaviours and attitudes can start—in childhood. Adults have the strongest influence on young people's attitudes about disrespect towards women. But when we see it in action, we tend not to get involved. Without realising it, what we say and do is shaping young people's views about more serious behaviours. We need to, as respect.gov.au says, stop violence against women at the start.

The problem of domestic violence in Australia is incredibly serious. Statistically speaking, according to a 2012 Australian Bureau of Statistics personal safety survey, one in three women has been a victim of physical or sexual violence since the age of 15 by someone known to them. The same survey found that one in four women have been emotionally abused by a partner. But the most distressing figure comes from the 2015 Australian Institute of Criminology report, which found that almost one woman dies almost every week at the hands of a current or former partner.

Addressing the awful problem of domestic violence has been at the forefront of the Turnbull-Liberal-coalition government agenda. The first act of the Turnbull government was to announce a $100 million Women's Safety Package on 24 September 2015. At the time of the announcement, a staggering 63 women had been killed by a current or former partner for the year. I know the Prime Minister and the Minister for Women have a special interest in this issue as they have again demonstrated today. The Women's Safety Package is part of the Turnbull government's approach to take real, practical and immediate action to keep women and children safe. The $100 million package focuses on improving training for frontline workers, enhancing service delivery and providing the best educational resources to change attitudes in our community.

The Turnbull government, in partnership with the states and territories, has also launched a $30 million national campaign to change young people's attitudes to women and violence. The campaign website has received almost 400,000 views and there have been more than 32 million online views of the TV commercials. Crucially, we are doing a number of specific things and have funded a range of specific activities to keep women and children safe. In relation to Indigenous women, who are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of family violence, we have announced up to $15 million to help police in Queensland to better respond to domestic violence in remote communities, $1.4 million to extend the Community Engagement Police Officers program in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory and up to $1.1 million to help remote Indigenous communities prevent and better respond to the incidence of domestic violence through targeted support.

There is a range of frontline services, support services, education, as I have mentioned, and technology initiatives that we are undertaking. And I would again like to place on record my deep concern about the use of new technology and in particular smart phone tracking applications by family violence perpetrators. This is something that we must have all governments working on as part of their strategy to combat domestic violence and technology facilitated abuse.

I commend the Prime Minister, the Minister for Women and the government for all they are doing to address domestic violence, and to support and protect Australian women.

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve the right to speak.

Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Boothby for bringing this motion to the House. It is a very important issue and one that is very topical at the moment. I come to this debate with considerable experience in this space—experience from my time as shadow minister for human services, 40 years community advocacy and personal experience.

The genesis of domestic violence does not discriminate. Intergenerational poverty, neglect and often historical violence add to this terrible mix. I think it is important, though, for me to put on record exactly what this $100 million commitment is really about. There are a lot of new and innovative ways for perpetrators to inflict harm on their targets, but the solutions are still mostly the same: better legal help for victims, helping victims navigate the complex legal system, reforming systems and having community based approaches. This motion does congratulate the government for the $100 million funding commitment, but let us be very clear: the domestic violence package does nothing to boost the frontline services available to women escaping violence. Of the $100 million offered, not a cent will go towards shelters or refuges.

While state Liberal governments, like the one in New South Wales, are slashing services and refuges are closing, this government is doing a very similar thing. Refuges are closing their doors, and women have increasingly fewer places to turn. Despite the promise of $10 million a year for legal assistance for women and children escaping violence, this government is still cutting funding to community legal centres by $35 million per year. If this government is really committed to helping victims of domestic violence, it will start funding frontline services rather than window-dressing. Announcing GPS trackers, safe phones and CCTV does not make up for 30 per cent cuts to community legal centres—not when the Productivity Commission tells us that every dollar spent on CLCs saves the community $18.

There is also the issue of the Minister for Women, who the member for Boothby mentioned. The Minister for Women does not support domestic violence leave in the Commonwealth Public Service agreements being negotiated, despite the fact that the ABC's new enterprise agreement will include domestic violence leave. I suggest that supporting domestic violence leave would be a very good place to start for the Minister for Women. Why do you have to trade-off annual leave to get some support if you are in a domestic violence situation? It really is quite unacceptable.

The member for Boothby rightly mentioned the issue for Aboriginal women, who are 35 times more likely to be hospitalised. We know those statistics very well. The response of this government to that particular issue is nothing short of despicable. Half a billion dollars worth of funding for Indigenous affairs has been cut, and much of that funding was designed to prevent cycles of violence in our communities. In New South Wales, programs like Hey Sis, which is working with communities, have not been able to secure any government money. That is a program that is community driven. The Commonwealth has also withdrawn all of its funding from the Tackling Violence program, which uses local Rugby League teams to achieve exactly the kind of cultural change that this motion is talking about.

It is important to put on record that we all collectively are very concerned about this issue. It does not mean that any side has the high moral ground, but it is important, from my perspective, that when there is a self-congratulatory motion like this in the House in relation to domestic violence funding we need to be honest about what that funding is actually for. As I said, it is not making one single additional bed available. For people who are in domestic violence situations, for women who are in domestic violence situations, there needs to be the security that they will be able to go to a safe place. You would think that a government's priority would be making those safe places available instead of reducing availability—particularly, as we have seen the Baird government do in New South Wales.

At the end of the day, domestic violence is the responsibility of all. There are no two ways about that. This is not a time to congratulate ourselves on this issue, because it is, in fact, getting worse. I support efforts to combat this issue at COAG. And I support, of course, additional funding for family violence services, but not at the cost of cuts such as the ones we have seen.

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this important motion on domestic violence, raised by the honourable member for Boothby. As a White Ribbon ambassador, I have spoken on this vital issue a number of times and I congratulate every member who has also spoken on this issue. I have stood here on several occasions and talked about some of the horrifying numbers that summarise the extent of this problem. One in six Australian women has experienced violence from a current or former partner and 63 women have been killed so far this year. This is a problem that strikes at the core of our nation.

The Turnbull government are unequivocal in their position that domestic violence is absolutely unacceptable, which is why we are implementing measures to prevent and respond to this matter as a key priority. We are currently providing over half a billion dollars to frontline services to support vulnerable Australians, including survivors of domestic violence. The National Domestic Violence Order Scheme will ensure the protection of survivors through an automatic national registration of offenders rather than the current state-by-state system.

I also welcome the government's announcement of a $100 million package of measures to provide a safety net for women and children at high risk of experiencing violence. The package will improve frontline support and services, leverage innovative technologies to keep women safe and provide education and resources to help change community attitudes to violence and abuse. The package also includes $21 million for specific measures to help Indigenous women in communities. Indigenous women are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of family violence. So this commitment is essential.

Today's package is in addition to the government's $100 million investment in the second action plan of the national plan and the $30 million National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, jointly funded by the states and territories. This money will be essential in helping victims and I look forward to seeing these funds start to make a difference on the ground. I would also like to speak specifically about the role of technology in protecting women.

The motion we are discussing raises the concern that phone-tracking systems can be used by perpetrators to monitor the location of their victims. This is a real concern and something that must be addressed. However, as is often the case, technology can also offer positive opportunities for the protection of women and the deterrence of violence. There is a company based in my electorate of Bennelong who seem to have perfected this technology—a small company by the name of 3M! We are touching or surrounded by 3M products right here in this place right now. Many people around the world know this global scientific innovation company as the inventor of the humble Post-It note. Yet, as someone who has been fortunate enough to tour the 3M innovation centre in North Ryde on multiple occasions, I can verify that they make much more than the revolutionary stationery product. Products by 3M can be found on aeroplanes, dusty outback road signs and even in surgery on the human body.

I spoke to this earlier this year: 3M have developed a GPS based domestic violence prevention system, empowering women to go about their normal lives freely and without threat or constraint. This technology identifies the victim and perpetrators, then sends alerts when they come into proximity of each other. These alerts work at several ranges, from several kilometres to 100 metres—at which point imminent danger alerts are triggered. These alerts go to a monitoring centre and directly to the victim as well, so they can take the most appropriate action. The system also features a distress button that can alert law enforcement authorities.

This system has been trialled in many locations around the world with great success. Spain has been using the system since 2009. In that time, 3,300 pairs of the system have been issued, resulting in not one victim being killed. On average, the panic button is activated 30 times per month.

The last few years have seen renewed commitments to end the scourge of domestic violence but fighting domestic violence needs to take place on many fronts. The government's new measures and funds will go a long way to supporting those who desperately need our help. But there is more always more that can be done, and I commend 3M on its continued commitment to helping victims and preventing abuse. We look forward to working with all Australians to say that enough is enough and that women and children must be safe in their homes and on the streets, and that domestic and family violence is never acceptable.

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

I welcome the continued political attention being given to family violence. I also call for that attention to be matched with action. There are delays from the Turnbull government in relation to the national plan to reduce violence against women and their children. The government is also slow to address technology facilitated abuse, which is the subject of this motion, and the government is refusing to deal with some other areas in urgent need of reform, like cross-examination in family law.

The national plan is underpinned by three action plans. I am very concerned that the third action plan, which was due to commence in July this year, has yet to be published even in draft form for comment. The government's website claims the third action plan is due for release in mid-2016. I wrote to the government on 3 August 2016 asking when it would be published. It was not until 30 September that I received a response from Minister Cash, who blamed her delay in publishing the action plan on state elections. Minister Porter also wrote to me indicating that the national plan would be published after the ACT election in October. But there is not even a draft or proposed version of the plan available. I also wrote to the government on 4 October asking when we can expect to see the 2015-16 progress report on the national plan.

The government published a national evaluation plan in June 2014 and that national evaluation plan said:

Annual progress reports will be made publicly available. They will be a key mechanism for governments to share key learnings, discuss barriers to implementation, identify gaps and emerging issues and to make necessary amendments to activities as required.

The annual progress report for the year 2014-15 is publicly available, but the annual progress report from the 2015-16 year does not appear to be. So I have asked the government for a copy or, if it has not been done yet, which is possibly the case, to let me know when it will be done. I sent a request on 4 October and I am looking forward to receiving an answer.

I turn now to the subject of this motion, which is technology facilitated abuse. This is the second time in recent months that a motion of this kind has been moved in the parliament. The last one was in the 44th Parliament, towards the end of it. It was in very similar terms. But in fact the government has failed to move promptly on technology facilitated abuse. The opposition, as it has been so often the case with the Turnbull government, has had to take the running on this issue. So last year in October, the member for Gellibrand and I moved a private member's bill in this place seeking to criminalise the phenomena that is colloquial referred to as 'revenge porn', which is the sharing of intimate images or videos without consent or threats to do so. That bill was tabled in October last year. We sought the government's support for the bill. In fact the then member for Dobell actually spoke in favour of the bill, and I was very grateful to her for doing so.

But the government has dragged the chain on responding to the challenge of non-consensual sharing of intimate images and videos in this country and the consequence is even though some of the states have started to seek to criminalise this conduct, certainly not all of the jurisdictions have done so and there is no overarching Commonwealth law that can provide some consistency across the nation. In fact, there was a Senate inquiry into that bill. And in that Senate inquiry, the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions submitted that there should be Commonwealth law in relation to this phenomena. It was made very clear that there should be law in relation to this egregious conduct that is deeply harmful and hurtful, particularly to the victims of it, who tend to be women and young women.

The government has refused to support legislation to criminalise revenge porn in federal legislation. Originally, Minister Cash wrote to the member for Gellibrand and I saying it was a matter for COAG, but, of course, in November, at the Law, Crime and Community Safety Council, there was a working group paper put up to that council, for consideration subsequently at COAG, that dealt with issues of technology facilitated abuse. That working group paper ultimately did go to COAG, and yet, nine months later, there has been no action from the Commonwealth on revenge porn.

Labor committed, at the federal election, that we would legislate to criminalise revenge porn if we were to win the election. We also committed to working with the states to criminalise covert installation of surveillance apps on mobile phones. These things are urgent, as is the reform of cross-examination, which the Liberal government has also refused to commit to or even agree to. The government should be ashamed.

Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to support the member for Boothby's call for the House to recognise the importance of eradicating domestic violence against women and children. The COAG Advisory Panel on Reducing Violence against Women and their Children notes in its final report some alarming statistics. One in three Australian women has experienced physical violence; almost one in five has experienced sexual violence; one in four Australian women has experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a current or former male partner; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised from partner assaults than the general female population; and women with disabilities are more likely to experience violence than women without a disability.

To localise this problem, in Canning, my electorate, in 2014-15 Pat Thomas House, a domestic and family violence crisis accommodation service, assisted or housed a combined total of 280 women and 417 children. Sadly, not all instances of domestic violence are reported. For example, Pat Thomas House notes that there were some 467 women and 636 children who were unattended in the same year, with reasons including wrong phone number, the call going to voicemail or the number having been disconnected.

No woman or child should have to live with domestic violence. The coalition has already implemented a number of strategies to reduce violence against women and children, including the 'Stop it at the start' campaign, which aims to break the cycle of violence at a young age through education and increased awareness; the eSafetyWomen website, which teaches women how to protect themselves and their children online; the $100 million Women's Safety Package, which includes funding for innovative technology to keep women safe; and the second action plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022, which underpins our whole-of-government approach and focuses on understanding diverse experiences of violence, improving perpetrator interventions and driving whole-of-community action to prevent violence. Heading up the public policy effort for the coalition is the Minister for Women, Senator Michaelia Cash, who is unrelenting in her pursuit of better outcomes for women and children who experience family violence. Last year, the minister visited Canning to help me host a women's safety forum, the purpose of which was to begin a local conversation about stopping domestic violence before it starts. I said it at the time and I will say it again: I am disappointed that more men did not attend the event. While the government is doing everything it can to increase community awareness about how domestic violence starts, the change must come from homes, schools, community groups and sporting clubs. We need an organic revolution of sorts, and men need to be involved. I was disappointed by the absence of men at that meeting and I seek to bring more men into this conversation.

I am pleased to inform the House that in Canning this is starting to happen. In July, the Peel Community Development Group was granted $147,000 by the coalition for its 'Peel says no to violence' project. The purpose of this project is to create a regional alliance against domestic violence made up of business ambassadors and community leaders. The alliance will be used to trial and promote a zero-tolerance community education campaign, with a full evaluation to be undertaken after. I commend the Peel Community Development Group on its grassroots initiative and I look forward to working with the group throughout the trial.

It is my hope that the government continues to work with local people to deliver local solutions and put an end to violence against women and children. Government can only get us so far. It must start with local leadership. As I look across the floor of the chamber, I am proud to say that I am working with the member opposite and the member for Mallee. We are going to be hosting events over the next year or so to promote stopping violence against women.

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to rise today to speak on the motion, because it is an opportunity to consider a public cause and a private effect. Family violence is the leading cause of injury and death of Australian women under 45 years old. More than two women are murdered by an intimate partner every single week. This happens everywhere, every day and it affects women of every age, every income, every postcode, every religion and every race. It does not come out of nowhere. The Prime Minister has said that violence against women begins with disrespecting women. I believe this is very true. And it is appropriate that the motion calls for a change to a culture that normalises disrespect for women, because the effects of this cultural standard are borne out in research and borne out in practice.

The findings of a report last year by VicHealth are incredibly sobering. One in four young people—25 per cent—feel it is 'normal' for a male to pressure a female into sex. Fifteen per cent of young people think it is acceptable for a boy to pressure a girl for sex if they are both drunk. One in four young people—again, 25 per cent—think it is reasonable if a man sometimes slaps his girlfriend when he is drunk or has had a bellyful. Sixteen per cent of young people think that women should know their place. This is absolutely frightening. This survey was conducted in 2015, one year ago.

Long-term cultural change begins with this generation but cannot succeed without the support of the next generation. It is true what the Prime Minister says—that not all instances of disrespecting women will result in violence against women—but violence against women always begins with disrespect for women. We owe it to the next generation of young women to ensure that we instil a culture of respect in the next generation of young men. But how do we do that?

I am reminded of the Canberra community response to the brutal and tragic murder of Tara Costigan last year. Just as Canberrans have come together to support the children of Tara Costigan, we need to come together, as a nation and as a community, to take action against this blight on our society and this deep-rooted cultural problem—and it is deep rooted. Action begins when we talk about the issue, call it out for what it is and stop making excuses. This can be difficult, because often women are experiencing physical, emotional or economic violence at the hands of someone they love. It means raising the issue with our family and friends, in our schools and workplaces, at our local footy clubs and walking groups, and speaking out when we see it. It means strong leadership from our politicians; community, business and sporting leaders; and policymakers. It means commending the organisations who have signed up to the White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation Pilot Project, including the Australian Defence Force. It means adopting a zero-tolerance approach and having the courage to act when we see. It means remembering that only weak men hit women. And it means providing funding to legal, housing, health and child protection services, the police, justice and the courts to ensure every part of our community is working to end violence against women.

Tara Costigan's death was a shocking and tragic reminder that family violence is happening today in our community, behind doors that we must do everything we can to open. It is a reminder that there is a role for the community: to support and to educate. Today, on the day I rise to support this motion, ACT police will attend to eight separate reports of family violence here in Canberra. This is unacceptable. There is no such thing as 'a woman's place'. This is a tragedy yet a challenge. It is up to all of us to rise and meet it.

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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.