George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Of course there is a cost. There is a financial cost, an economic cost, to the economy. But, even more seriously, there is a cost to the lives of the people who suffer domestic violence—in particular, to the women and to the children who suffer domestic violence—and that is a cost so grave that it cannot be measured in economic statistics alone, as I am sure you will understand. That is why, in assembling a national and comprehensive approach to this problem, the government is tackling it in all the different ways that I adumbrated a moment ago in the Women's Safety Package. That is why the former Prime Minister, Mr Abbott, placed it as a priority item on the COAG agenda. That is why Mr Turnbull and Mr Porter— (Time expired)