Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My community of Lindsay is No. 1 in the state of New South Wales, but it is not a badge that we should be wearing with honour—we are No. 1 when it comes to domestic violence. The high levels of domestic violence that we have experienced recently, with two women losing their lives, is extraordinarily sad, and it's extraordinary bad that this is still happening.

I met last week with the local police force, the Nepean Police Area Command, who are stationed in Penrith. As a local police force, they are doing everything they can to deal with the unacceptable situations that are happening in my community, but they can't do it alone. Domestic violence does disproportionally impact women. To prevent it we must intervene at the earliest possible time to support women and their families and to hold offenders accountable for their actions.

Governments of all political persuasions across Australia must invest in early intervention strategies that are effective and impactful, with targeted campaigns in communities like mine with high levels of domestic violence. Awareness is one thing. Action is another, and I'm calling on governments across Australia to take a bigger leap forward in their stance to end domestic violence.