Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

May marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This is a time when we come together to shine a spotlight on a pervasive issue that affects the lives of far too many people in our community. Domestic violence is an issue that affects every single one of us. Whether it's because of the impacts personally or because of the impacts on a family member, a friend or an acquaintance, it's something that affects every single one of us. This is a problem that Australians must come together to solve.

In our own backyard the reports and statistics on domestic violence are sobering. Tragically, many, many women have lost their lives over the years.

I should say that women are not the only victims of domestic violence; there are men who are victims of domestic violence as well. However, the overwhelming number of people who are affected by domestic violence are women. But the solutions are equally applicable, in my view, to both men and women.

For every single life that has been lost, there is a family that has been shattered, a family that will not be able to recover, and a community that has been torn apart. This is definitely something that I believe is beyond politics, and there is a requirement for all of us to come together to try and resolve these issues.

One of the most pressing issues is that of coercive control, which is a prolonged and sustained form of domestic abuse, often that no-one else sees. It's very complex in its nature, and no two cases are generally the same. I understand that in a meeting of the Council of Attorneys-General last year, it was agreed that legislation was required to combat its effect, and a number of the states and territories have actually already taken action to deal with this very insidious crime. But it's something that we must continue to work together on. There is not a simple fix for it. It is an issue that is going to take a long time, and it's something that we need to continuously take steps to deal with.

On the Gold Coast, I recently met with Simone Patterson who is the founder of the Sanctuary Women, Children, and Pets Refuge. The sanctuary don't receive any government funding. They rely very heavily on donations from the community. They are in the position now where they have had to turn away people because they just do not have the facilities to take them. This is actually quite a unique facility because it takes women and it takes boys over 12 years of age and it also takes pets.

I call on us all to support doing all we can to solve this problem. (Time expired)