Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that intimate partner violence is a national crisis in Australia, with a quarter of all Australian women having experienced it in their lifetime;

(2) welcomes the Government's:

(a) announcement of $925.2 million over five years to permanently establish the Leaving Violence Program, so those escaping violence can receive financial support of up to $5,000, as well as financial support, safety assessments and referrals to support pathways, to help them establish a home free from violence;

(b) commitment to introduce legislation to ban the creation and non-consensual distribution of deepfake pornography;

(c) ongoing commitment to the Stop it at the Start campaign; and

(3) commends the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-32.

I rise today to address this House on intimate partner violence. One in every four Australian women have experienced intimate partner violence, an alarming, unacceptable statistic. In 2023, 49 women were killed due to gender based violence, and in the first five months of this year 31 women have been killed. These are women with dreams, ambitions, families and, most importantly, the right to safety. As representatives in this House, we must amplify the voices of these women and loudly proclaim that the women of this country are not alone. I stand here to emphasise the urgency of this issue. I am proud of the Albanese Labor government's commitment to addressing this issue. Our government has taken vital steps in tackling gender based violence.

Financial control is often used as a method of abuse in relationships. I have had too many women come to my office door in desperation, as a place of last resort. They want to leave home but cannot afford to. Women are frequently locked out of their finances, which are deemed a man's business, leaving them without the resources to escape a violent situation. It can cost thousands to move home as an individual and even more if you have children. That is why we are investing $925.2 million over the next five years to establish the Leaving Violence Program, a program that offers safety, support and the chance for survivors to rebuild their lives and start anew. Those eligible will be able to access up to $5,000 in financial support along with referral services, risk assessment and safety planning. Another campaign we have consistently supported is Stop it at the Start, focusing on prevention, early education and challenging disrespectful attitudes and behaviours. Through this campaign, we aim to lay the foundation for a future where respect and equality are the norm, focusing on creating a cultural shift from a very young age.

We will introduce legislation to ban the creation and non-consensual distribution of deepfake pornography, addressing a new form of digital abuse by targeting the use of artificial intelligence to produce and disseminate explicit material without consent. We aim to protect individuals, particularly women and girls, from the lasting harm inflicted by these actions. We will ensure perpetrators face strict penalties and reinforce our nation's dedication to upholding the dignity and safety of our community in the digital age.

These reforms build on the government's previous work led by the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher, and social services minister, Amanda Rishworth. Our National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children is supported by $2.3 billion in funding commitments. We are reforming the family law systems to make them simpler and more accessible for families going through difficult times. We are supporting early intervention efforts and actively working on national data reporting.

But there is still much work to be done. We need men to step in and call out gendered violence before it escalates. We must continue to challenge social norms that perpetuate violence and engage with our communities. We must continue to work between all levels of government and between all political parties. Together we can build a society where every woman lives in safety, dignity and respect.

To the women living silently in fear: you are not alone. Do not be in fear of reporting incidents. Please reach out and please contact 1800RESPECT. I commend this motion to the House.

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to address a matter of great concern that affects the very fabric of our society—that is, domestic and family violence. Tragically in Australia this year alone, we have lost 22 women to family violence incidents and an additional 14 women who have been murdered in violence perpetrated by men. There are at least 39 children left without a mother, their lives altered forever. These are not just numbers. They are somebody's mother, sister, daughter, auntie or friend—loved ones lost, families shattered and community in mourning. As I speak, the police in Perth are investigating the death of a woman in Byford last night, believed to be a result of family or domestic violence.

When in government I was proud that the coalition took robust action on the issue of women's safety. We delivered landmark funding of $5.5 billion through two women's budget statements, prioritising women's safety, economic security and health. Our initiatives including trialling the escaping violence payment initiative and providing support for those on temporary visas escaping violence. These measures were designed to offer immediate relief and long-term support for women in desperate need.

Sadly, the current government's approach has fallen short of its promises. During the 2022 election, the Albanese Labor government pledged to introduce 500 new family and domestic violence sector workers. Shockingly, the latest figures reveal that there are only 44 new frontline workers out of the promised 500. This government has not taken the filling of these roles seriously and it has left the sector overwhelmed and struggling to meet increasing demand, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas like in my seat of Durack.

In the Kimberley region in the north of my electorate the alarming rise in family and domestic violent offences serves as a stark reminder of the urgency of this issue, with recent police statistics detailing a shocking 1,700 reported family and domestic violence offences between January and March this year alone. Rates are up almost 50 per cent in five years. The Kimberley has the highest rates of family and domestic violence in all of Western Australia. Disturbingly, this is the second consecutive time the region with a population of around 40,000 people—not a lot of people—is unfortunately at the top of the list in Western Australia.

As we know, domestic violence abuse extends beyond physical violence. It manifests in insidious forms such as coercive control, which is a complex and often unseen form of abuse that requires greater education and much greater understanding. Furthermore, the rise of sextortion—I know I've said that wrong!—a form of online blackmail particularly targeting our youth, has tripled in the past year, leaving young lives shattered and families devastated. The coalition strongly supports age verification for social media. We must protect our children from exposure to these changes and empower our parents to safeguard their wellbeing. And while society's main focus is on women's and children's safety, I just want to pause and make sure we acknowledge that men can also be victims of domestic and family violence.

The recent tragic murders of Perth mother and daughter Jennifer and Gretl Petelczyc has prompted the Western Australia government to further amend their gun laws. The proposed laws will mean that anyone who is accused of family and domestic violence will have their guns confiscated by police until the claims are investigated and resolved. Now, this is a tough measure, which is going to require the police to act swiftly when accusations are made to identify actual and/or vexatious claims.

This epidemic of domestic violence is unacceptable. It is a national crisis and a national shame, but I do believe everyone has a role to play. Australia does require a cultural change. Men need to start having those uncomfortable conversations with their mates, to call out bad behaviour of other males who are talking or acting in a demeaning way to women because that is where it starts. Men must be better role models in the home and show the next generation of men what a good man looks like. It is our collective responsibility to stand up, to speak out and to be the change that we wish to see. Government has a role to play, and I encourage the Albanese government to do more.

Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll begin by commending the member for Holt for moving this motion. It's a very important and timely motion to discuss in this place. I also acknowledge the work that the member for Newcastle has undertaken over a long period of time on this issue and many related issues.

At this, the beginning of my speech, I acknowledge points made by both of the previous speakers, the member for Holt and the member for Durack, that men have a pivotal role to play in moving this issue forward. As a man who has seen this debate played out in the main chamber and in this chamber, on this motion and others, it has led to a degree of introspection and thought about attitudes in my life and amongst my friends and how they've evolved over the years, so I think that is a useful starting point.

The other point I would make, which I think other speakers have made, is there are shocking numbers in this debate. People often talk about one in four women having experienced intimate violence since the age of 15, and then there's the increasing number of women who have been killed by their partners. But, of course, as the member for Holt pointed out, behind every one of those statistics is a woman, is a person with dreams and aspirations, is a family and is a tragedy that touches on so many lives and has ripples throughout society, so it's really critical to look beyond that.

And, finally, I wanted to make the point that in many areas of social policy there are short-run and long-run considerations, but I think there are few, if any, where they are as stark as in this case. The short-run needs are so jarring and desperate, often, where somebody—a woman in almost all cases—is seeking to escape, has an urgent and desperate need for financial and other support. The long-run issues in relation to intimate partner violence, and family violence more generally, relate to some of the most entrenched attitudes and social norms in society, so they are incredibly difficult to budge.

We're talking, in a lot of ways, about a set of social policies that has to grapple with the urgent and the immediate and, at the same time, are measures put in place that are preventative, that change attitudes in a very complex and slow-moving way. I think that's reflected in the fact that this government is trying to undertake holistic reform. The government has invested in the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children, which is a plan over a 10-year horizon involving $3.4 billion. Within that plan there are both short-run and long-run components. As the member for Holt pointed out, the short-run component includes a significant step up—almost a billion dollars in assistance—for women for a safety net for those fleeing intimate partner violence. Those payments can provide support in terms of safety planning, risk assessments and referrals to support pathways. Of course, there are other mechanisms the government is putting in place such as critical housing supports in the HAFF, and there are mechanisms like the prohibition and strong penalties against deepfake pornography.

Those are really critical short-term measures in which this government has invested significantly, but I want to say it's also critical that, in parallel with that, we invest in programs that move attitudes. Stop it at the Start is a really important preventative program that moves to change the attitudes of younger men—teenagers, in particular. I can say that this dovetails with and supports a number of other important programs in Victoria. We have Respectful Relationships. We need to make sure that we are undertaking a range of approaches on this.

I might just add, finally, on this point. I'm very conscious, as a representative of a very multicultural electorate that that adds another layer of complexity and nuance to this issue. It adds challenges, frankly, that there is a wide-ranging set of ways in which different committees approach these issues. We need to make sure that we are putting sensible and sensitive material in front of teenage boys, but we need to make sure that it's complex enough and nuanced enough to deal with all of those kinds of differences.

This government is trying to look at this issue from a short-run and a long-run perspective, and I commend again the member for Holt for raising this very important issue.

Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Holt for this very, very important motion. We must continue to talk in this place about practical solutions to end intimate partner violence. But, more than talk, we must act.

Like so many others, I'm continuously shocked at the unacceptable rates of domestic and family violence in Australia, and I want to highlight the situation in rural and regional Australia, where unfortunately the statistics are even worse than in our capital cities. In regional Victoria, women are being killed at triple the rate of women in Melbourne. Figures published in December last year show that the top 26 local government areas in Victoria that experienced the highest rate of family violence are all in regional Victoria. It deeply distresses me that this includes councils in my own electorate.

I recently met with frontline support services in my electorate to hear what the people on the ground need government to do to improve these statistics, and I want to thank them for the vital work that they do in my community. Like me, service providers support the government's announcement to extend the Leaving Violence Program. I also support measures that address the disturbing role that pornography plays in this crisis. I support cultural change campaigns like Stop it at the Start. But, speaking about cultural change, it will take decades at best. Government must back solutions that will have an immediate impact. We need to act now. We need to act deliberately to stop women dying.

Government can and must do more beyond what's listed in this motion, and I want to highlight three immediate actions the government can take today that will make a tangible difference to women's safety in regional Australia. Firstly, this government must better regulate industries which, when abused, have serious damaging social consequences, especially the abuse of gambling and alcohol. To end gender based violence, we must get serious about the impacts that these industries have. Research over many years has found a strong and consistent relationship between alcohol abuse and violence against women. In relation to gambling, a study undertaken by Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety found that almost all women interviewed whose partner had a gambling problem described being subjected to severe financial abuse. I urge government to address alcohol marketing and after hours delivery and to implement the recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry into online gambling led by the former member for Dunkley, the late Peta Murphy.

Secondly, the government must increase funding for frontline legal services. This message was crystal clear to me after I recently met with the Hume Riverina Community Legal Service in Indi. When a woman leaves her violent partner, her legal problems multiply. Child protection, tenancy, employment, consumer and family law: lawyers can assist with all of this, but right now there are simply not enough of them. Community legal centres are currently experiencing an 89 per cent increase in demand and are turning away around 1,000 people a day. A recent independent review led by Dr Warren Mundy found that the levels of funding under the National Legal Assistance Partnership, which is how the Commonwealth funds the legal services I've just described, is insufficient to meet Australia's legal assistance needs. Dr Mundy observed that the consequences flowing from this impact acutely on regional and remote areas of Australia. So I urge the government to implement Dr Mundy's recommendations to substantially increase funding for the legal assistance sector particularly in regional areas.

Finally, I want to see dedicated housing funding for regional Australia. We are increasingly hearing of women unable to leave unsafe homes because there is simply nowhere to go. The government's announcement of billions of dollars to increase housing supply, including for women fleeing violence, doesn't guarantee any funding for the regions. We need to lock it in. It needs to be guaranteed. Thirty per cent of Australians live in regional Australia, so we need to see 30 per cent of housing funding go there. Until the government dedicates housing supply funding to the regions, a key solution to keeping women safe from violence in Australia is simply not being realised.

I know this government understands the gravity of the situation for women. The Prime Minister has called it a national crisis. It is a national crisis. Keeping the conversation going in this House is important and good, but acting immediately with the funding and resources that will save women's lives right now is critical. It's crucial, and we must not delay.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too want to thank my friend the member for Holt for bringing this motion before the House this evening. I echo her serious concerns about the safety of women in Australia. It's been a tragic year, but let's not pretend that 2024 has been wildly different from previous decades. We've all seen on the news—and Counting Dead Women Australia have recorded—that 32 women have been killed by male acts of violence so far this year. Many of them have been intimate partners of their killers. They have been found dead in their own homes where they should have been safe. They have been found in a bin, killed in shopping centres or while out jogging or walking or, indeed, killed in their cars.

We know violence can happen anywhere anytime. It doesn't respect demographic boundaries. It can be in public or it can be private. But what we should also know is that violence is not inevitable. We don't want a world where our girls are growing up in fear or our boys somehow think this is normal behaviour. One in four women have experienced violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15, and too many women and children feel scared and unsafe in their own homes. It is violence that we can and must stop. We need our culture, behaviour and attitudes towards women to change. Enough is enough.

That's why the Albanese Labor government has set a goal of ending violence against women and children within a generation through our National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children. It's a big ambition. There are some people saying we can't do it, but I say to those people that no government has set this ambition before. We know it is not going to be easy, but this is the first time Australia has ever had a female majority government in our nation's history, and we are extremely determined. It should not be beyond us as a parliament and as a nation to turn around this epidemic of male violence.

We've got a national plan to help guide those actions for the next 10 years and address some of what we know are key drivers of family, domestic and sexual violence. The Commonwealth's focus will be very much around the prevention and early intervention spaces. I'm not going to have time to go through those this evening, but there have been allocations in the budget to ensure that we look at both prevention and early intervention. We know that this is critical in order for change to take place.

I want to assure the Australian people that this is a government that is deeply committed to that goal of ending violence against women and children, and we will work every day to ensure that it is a reality.

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for the debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next day of sitting.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:30