Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 10 days time, Queensland's only state-wide domestic violence legal helpline will be forced to cut its services. Half of the vulnerable women who receive advice from this service live in rural, regional and remote Queensland. Since this service commenced, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women it has helped has doubled. Cutting this important service will mean that over 13,000 calls from vulnerable women will go unanswered—that is the figure for this year alone. We know that at least one woman is killed by their partner or former partner in Australia each week. We know that one in four Australian women has experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner.

This crucial service saves lives, so I call on the members for Capricornia and Flynn to fight for vulnerable women in their electorates so that when they call for help, there will be someone on the other end of the line. I call on the members for Leichhardt and Wide Bay to fight for the women in their electorates who may need to flee a violent relationship, so they will have the help they need to leave safely. I call on the members for Dawson and Maranoa to fight for women and their children in their electorate so if they find themselves to be in immediate risk, they will have help available that may save their lives.

If the Turnbull government was serious about tackling family violence, it would do more than talk about it. It would make sure that this service continues to help Queensland women in the bush. This service saves lives and should be defended and funded.