Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this year, in a speech to mark International Women's Day, I spoke about the brave work undertaken by a young Tasmanian woman, Grace Tame. Until recently, sexual assault survivors in my state were gagged by Tasmanian law, unable to share their experiences in the media. Grace was repeatedly abused by her former maths teacher Nicolaas Bester a decade ago. Her abuser has always been free to speak. But when Grace worked up the courage to tell her story, she was unable to do so due to the archaic law.

Grace joined forces with journalist, survivor and advocate Nina Funnell, and they created the Let Her Speak campaign, fighting to change the legislation. Grace had to take her case to the Supreme Court to be allowed to publicly self-identify as a rape survivor. Their fight saw the Tasmanian government amend the law earlier this year.

Just recently, I was thrilled to learn that Grace was named the 2021 Tasmanian Australian of the Year. In her acceptance speech, Grace discussed the journey from where she found herself 10 years ago, in a place of hopelessness, to standing on a public stage accepting such an esteemed award for her work. As Grace has told local media, her award is an important symbol for sexual assault survivors, stating:

It's hugely empowering for that community recognising and normalising the act of speaking out.

There's no shame in surviving. The shame sits at the feet of predators, of perpetrators of these crimes.

As a survivor myself, I can attest to the empowerment that comes from hearing the stories of other survivors, the hope for a future and the relief that the shame is not yours to carry. As Nina has said:

… I know firsthand that it can also be an important way of reclaiming a sense of ownership and control over an experience where one has felt fundamentally robbed of power and control.

Well done, Grace. We are so incredibly proud of you.

And, while these positive changes have been made in our state, it is distressing to hear what is happening in the Victorian parliament today, where the same type of draconian legislation is being considered, including whether to criminalise the naming of murdered sexual-assault victims. While I understand that the intent of the new reforms is to protect the needs and rights of victims-survivors of sexual violence, the proposed changes miss the mark, with perverse outcomes. For families of women murdered by acts of sexual violence—and I say 'women', as the victims are overwhelmingly female—the proposed changes include forcing grieving relatives to obtain a court order to speak. As Grace herself has commented, this bill fuels the stigma about sexual violence by attaching shame to the victim. Once again, Nina is leading the charge, fighting for the rights of victim-survivors and the families of victims to be heard. Nina, I know how hard it is. I see you and I applaud your grit and determination to drive forward.

I am absolutely dismayed to learn that the Victorian government did not even consult with any grieving relatives who would be affected by the bill before first introducing it last month. Jill Meagher's mother, Edith McKeon, has said: 'It's such a heartache on all of us who lost our precious ones. How dare they! We will fight it.'

And what happens to the legacy of survivors who do speak out? Sexual abuse survivor Ashleigh Rae Cooper has expressed her dismay that her life's work as an advocate may need to be removed. She says: 'I'll be lost to public memory. It will be as if I had never been able to speak at all.'

Let Her Speak has become Let Us Speak. Nina's call for the bill to be amended has also been backed by a coalition of media organisations who have jointly written to the government saying that the proposed gag is unsupported by law and will put Victoria at odds with mainland Australia as an outlier jurisdiction.

I stand with Grace and Nina and with all survivors, victims and their families, and I urge the Victorian government to reconsider. We will keep fighting for our voices to be heard. Let us speak. Remember our names. We have earned that right.

House adjourned at 19 : 58