Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week my community marked a sombre date—10 years since 29-year-old Jill Meagher was raped and murdered in a Brunswick alleyway on her walk home. That night Jill was, as many people do, seeing off the week with after-work drinks alongside colleagues on Sydney Road. Sydney Road goes right through the heart of my electorate and is a popular place to head out for dinner and drinks, to spend time with family and friends. But, on that night, it was the site of a brutal crime that shocked not only my community but the nation.

Ten years on, I know just how frustrated people are that gendered violence remains the scourge it is in our community, that week after week a woman is killed in Australia at the hands of her partner, that year after year there are more vigils for women killed as they go about their daily life—just like Vicki Cleary, who in 1987 was murdered outside her workplace in Coburg, a story, like Jill's, that my community is all too familiar with. I particularly want to acknowledge Vicki's brother, Phil, a former member for Wills, who has been a dedicated advocate for victims and their families and for changes to the law.

The fact that many women still don't feel safe is just unacceptable. They are tired of bearing the responsibility of advocating for change, so we must remain committed to the necessary action that addresses gendered violence, such as programs that address the source of the problem through education, in addition to the 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave that the Albanese government recently legislated for, and more community sector workers and crisis housing, because, whether it's on Sydney Road, at work or at home, all Australian women deserve to be safe.