Emma Husar (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is day No. 12 of 16 days of activism to end gendered violence. Recently, I spoke in this place about how important paid domestic violence leave is to the victims and survivors who have suffered at the hands of somebody they loved or cared about. I am pleased to say that yesterday we had the Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, announce our support on this side of the House for paid domestic violence leave for those survivors. People who have been through domestic violence understand that you cannot attend some of the appointments required—the courthouses, the lawyers, the police, the doctors, the schools and the counsellors—out of hours when you're not at work. That can only be done during work time. This is an incredibly important step in ending the scourge that is domestic violence and supporting those victims. I note that yesterday the Prime Minister of this country had the opportunity to come out in support of the victims and the survivors and chose instead to answer with, 'Bill Shorten, Labor and the unions.' I urge the Prime Minister to take an approach to this that actually puts in focus victims and survivors and not politics.

It is up to every single person in this country—as I have said many, many times in this place—to take their place and do something. It is not about getting a ribbon out of the drawer one day of the year and saying that you support the victims and the survivors; it is about actually taking some hard action. So I once again call on those opposite to support paid domestic violence leave.