Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Since sharing my personal story of family and domestic violence, I've had an outpouring of emails and phone calls from around Australia, and also from within Cowan, from people who are also sharing their stories. So I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge them here today. The people who have contacted me—mostly women—are from all age groups. There have been some men who have contacted me with their stories as well. Some are still in the process of leaving an abusive relationship and getting their lives back on track, and others are in their 70s and 80s and experienced abuse in their early 20s. But whether the abuse and the violence happened last week or last century, all spoke to me of the indelible scars it has left on their wellbeing and on their mental and physical health. All have given me permission to share their stories but I will change their names.

One of the most harrowing stories that I read was that of Wendy, who is now 75 but in her early 20s she was married to a man who she describes as 'a monster'. She tried to leave him many times but got very little support. When she finally did leave him, he found her and in the middle of the night went into her home and raped her, and then abducted their baby daughter. When she went to the police nobody believed her. Wendy ends her message, with this: 'I am affected each time another woman and children are murdered. I hope you will take note of what I say.' I have written personally back to Wendy and assured her that I have taken note of what she says.

I have also had correspondence from domestic violence support groups and refuges pleading for better funding so that they can continue to provide services for women who are leaving abusive and violent marriages and partnerships.

The Southern Domestic Violence Action Group in Adelaide tells me that the Liberal South Australian government has defunded and closed all services for women experiencing domestic violence, including second level services for prevention and support, such as counselling and trauma counselling, except for women identified as high risk for murder or serious assault. So unless a woman identifies as this demographic—and I can tell you from my own personal experience that that is a big ask on a woman who is leaving a relationship—there are no counselling services available for women. The group has initiated a campaign called 'southern women matter' to reinstate all services to women.

In my state of Western Australia, the WA Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence has raised the issue of the safe places funding, which doesn't provide for ongoing funding. I seek bipartisan support in addressing this issue and let's keep this going. Let's keep talking about this and let's actually do something as well.