Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sonja is a young constituent in my electorate who joined the Youth Voice in Parliament Week campaign, raising awareness of the need for better access to domestic violence services in our community. Sonja says:

It is unequivocal that adequate protection and support is provided to young people fleeing domestic violence. No person should be punished for fleeing their abuser by becoming homeless.

She goes on to say:

We must break the intergenerational cycles of abuse and trauma that have become an everyday reality for so many and replace this with opportunities and an optimistic future for survivors.

One woman is killed every 9 days by a partner. So why do women still lack access to adequate domestic violence support services?

In 2020, the number of police recorded victims of family and domestic violence related sexual assault increased by 13%.

This national crisis is detrimental to community wellbeing and has been going on for too long, disproportionately affecting women and those with a disability or ATSI background.

In 20 years, I hope to see Australia as a place where everyone lives a life of safety and security, where justice is ensured for survivors and where the duty to protect our citizens from violence is upheld.