Julian Hill (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak out regarding the alarming issue of dowry, and dowry related abuse, and the violence affecting women and families across Australia. The parliament and the government must take this seriously. Some consideration of my request was given last year by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, but their report just kicked the can down the road to the family law inquiry. This isn't good enough. I now call for a dedicated inquiry by the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee to shine real light on these issues and examine what action is needed.

Payment of dowry is a cultural practice that still happens in many countries in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It's mainly paid by a bride's family to the groom and his family—gold, jewellery, cash and sometimes property. It has cultural and probably religious origins. It was outlawed in India in 1961, yet Australia has still failed to outlaw dowry abuse. Shocking stories have been aired in the media, including an excellent piece in 2017 by Debra Jopson as part of the ABC's investigation into the links between religion and family violence.

I believe the practice of dowry is completely inappropriate in modern Australia. Dowry perpetuates a culture of ownership of women, which runs against the cause of equality. Women are not property; cultural or religious practices that suggest so are not welcome in Australia. I think it's important that we state these truths loudly, clearly and without qualification. We should not be afraid of honest, respectful debate in communities to confront the deeply patriarchal cultures of male entitlement and deal with this problem. This is not a benign, esoteric issue. Dowry extortion has been recognised as a direct cause of family violence and horrific murders and suicides. Alarming growth in reports has been seen in certain communities.

Once again the Victorian Labor government has led the way. I congratulate them on their commitment to implement the 2016 recommendation of the Royal Commission into Family Violence to expand statutory examples of family violence to include forced marriage and dowry-related abuse. You cannot bar gifts, of course, but you can stop grooms and families from demanding dowry, or bride price, as it's called, before or, often, after marriages, when the family then get their hooks into a vulnerable new bride. Women and families who don't comply with these dowry demands face abuse and abandonment by husbands and deportation if on temporary visas and loss of Medicare and access to services. Outlawing dowry is an important normative position, but there are other areas to explore, including the Marriage Act, slavery laws, migration, financial dispute provisions and family violence responses by Commonwealth and state agencies.

When I first spoke publicly in the media last year about dowry abuse, I got emails and calls from men telling me it's not a problem and bagging the brave women who were speaking out. I congratulate my friend Dr Manjula O'Connor for her tireless work campaigning for years against dowry through the Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health. I repeat my call for a dedicated Senate inquiry this year, not another joint House committee controlled by government muppets.