Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and the Morrison government recognises that family and domestic violence in Australia is a national emergency. It is unacceptable that we are still seeing so many women and children killed as a result of domestic violence. Over the last six and a bit years, the coalition government has demonstrated a profound commitment to preventing, addressing and ultimately ending this violence.

The statistics are unbearable. They are a national emergency, and I am very proud that as a government we are confronting the need to take extremely strong action. The statistics of one woman on average being killed every week are just abhorrent, but there are cases that stick in all of our minds. One case that has never left me is the case of Darcey Freeman, the young child thrown off the West Gate Bridge by her father. Every time I drive over the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne, it is very hard to control the emotion and the tears. That is just one of many hundreds of horrific cases that have occurred in our nation and that should never, ever occur.

Of course, our government has now made the single largest-ever Commonwealth investment, of $340 million, to support the fourth action plan, a plan which includes $82 million to improve and build frontline services to keep women and children safe and $78 million to provide safe places for people impacted by domestic and family violence. That is a very substantial investment.

I agree with the contribution we have just heard that one of the most difficult challenges for women and children when they are faced with family violence is the support and the resources that they need to leave a violent relationship. Our government recognises this and, as a result, we are providing very substantial support. Let us not forget that it is actually the Morrison Liberal government which has passed legislation to provide an entitlement to five days unpaid family and domestic violence leave for up to six million more employees covered by the Fair Work Act. This expands upon a decision of the Fair Work Commission made in March 2018, which provided five days of unpaid family and domestic violence leave for employees covered by a modern award. So in fact it is our government that is recognising the need for this leave and has taken that action.

As part of the fourth action plan and under the 2019-20 budget, as I mentioned, there's the $82 million to build on the frontline services. I just want to go through some of the other investments in more detail. There is $68.3 million for prevention strategies to help eradicate domestic and family violence in our homes, in our workplaces, in our communities and in our clubs. There is $35 million for support and prevention measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities funded under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy. There is $64 million for 1800RESPECT, the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Counselling Service. That's been a great success, and that service has been significantly expanded. There is $7.8 million for dedicated men's support workers in family advocacy and support services locations to work with male victims and alleged perpetrators of family violence involved in family law matters. And there's $4.9 million to better support former partners of veterans who are impacted by domestic violence.

A number of years ago, when I was the member for Corangamite, I was very proud, as the chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, to lead an inquiry into family violence law reform. We made a number of very important recommendations, including in relation to substantial changes that should be made to the family law system. I am pleased that some of those changes have been implemented by our government, including a prohibition on perpetrators of family violence in relation to the cross-examination of their alleged victims in family law proceedings. That's a substantial step forward, and it is one of the very many measures that have been introduced recently by our government, recognising that even the family law system itself imposes enormous strains and difficulties on those who are confronted with family violence.

On 9 August 2019, the Council of Australian Governments endorsed the fourth action plan, agreeing on five national priorities to reduce family, domestic and sexual violence. The fourth action plan outlines priority areas for targeting action and investment across the Commonwealth, states and territories to address violence against women. That has been released today, and it sets out another very important, practical way as to how all governments working together are taking the important actions to address family violence. It has a very strong focus on implementation and on measuring outcomes, which is particularly important now that we are moving into the fourth and final action plan of the national plan. Importantly, also, the implementation plan gives greater accountability and transparency on how the Australian government and each of the states and territories are working to support women and children who experience violence.

There is nothing more debilitating than when a woman, in most cases, and her children face family violence in the home and the feeling of helplessness when someone can't escape that family violence. It is a national emergency, but I do want to stress this very important point: men, too, can suffer family violence. The government has taken a strong stand in relation to the measures that have been implemented, which are not gender specific. We recognise, of course, that the vast majority of incidents involve women as victims of family violence, but I do make that very important point that men also suffer from family violence.

There's no doubt that the economic restraints on people who want to leave a violent relationship are very, very significant. Even in the context of the family law system, when trying to escape the hideous situation in which they find themselves, trying to get some sort of economic justice, trying to access financial information and trying to give themselves some sort of economic freedom under these circumstances is very, very important.

On that note, I recognise the very substantial work that was done by the Victorian government—of course, much of it as a result of the Royal Commission into Family Violence. There is also a very substantial amount of investment occurring in Victoria. To those who are suffering family violence: there is help out there. There is support. There is very substantial investment. Obviously, for those who are facing that very difficult situation, the most important message is to seek that help early.

As I said, I am very proud to be part of a government which has made such an enormous and substantial investment in combating family violence in this nation, but there is no doubt that there is more work to be done, because this is a national emergency that must come to an end.