Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

This is one of the most challenging areas not only for government but most importantly for the families and communities that experience violence, particularly in relation to women and their children. We are proud to have made the single largest Commonwealth investment, an amount of $340 million, to support the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022. The plan has a deliberate focus on responding to diverse perspectives, including rural women, through National Priority 3 in particular: 'Respect, listen and respond to the diverse lived experience and knowledge of women and their children affected by violence.' Through the Fourth Action Plan, we also have invested $64 million in 1800RESPECT, and it is nationally available to women across Australia through telephone counselling and online support. That includes projects to improve accessibility for people from vulnerable and diverse cohorts, including, of course, coverage of rural, regional and remote locations. There is more to do, but these are important steps. (Time expired)