Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

Can I just say that I find it really disappointing that today we would be debating an urgency motion written in this way. While the Clarke family are grieving, while their friends and family are grieving and while the nation is grieving, I think it's particularly insensitive that we should be in here playing a blame game already. Today we should be honouring the bravery of Hannah, grieving for her loss and the loss of her children, and allowing Australians to come to terms with what has been one of the most horrendous tragedies that have ever happened in this country.

Today we also must acknowledge that domestic violence in any form is unacceptable. We know that domestic, family and sexual violence is an issue for all Australians. It doesn't discriminate. It touches every corner of our communities and impacts people from all walks of life. It brings shame upon our nation. We know that overwhelmingly it's women and their children who are the victims of this violence. It is totally unacceptable that one woman a week should lose her life to a current or former partner. It's unacceptable that any woman should lose her life at the hand of a previous partner or a current partner. It is absolutely abhorrent, it's destructive and it has a lasting effect on those who have survived it and the families that have not. We must continue as governments—state government and federal government—and the community to make sure that we stamp out this scourge on our society. Responding to this issue is absolutely everybody's business. Whether it be our government, state governments, local government, the wider community, families or individuals, we all have a role to play. Whilst it's absolutely important that we provide sufficient resources to make sure that frontline services are available, money alone will not change the dial on this issue. We need to change people's attitudes to domestic violence, and that starts with respect.

To that end, I would like to commend one of the programs as part of the series of action plans: the Stop it at the Start campaign. This campaign recognises that we need to break the cycle of domestic violence by encouraging adults to reflect on their own attitudes and to have conversations with children about respectful relationships. It aims to reset young people's attitudes by motivating their adult influencers as role models, such as parents, members of family, teachers, coaches and community role models. The campaign seeks to, through four stages, recognise that domestic violence absolutely is a true problem and understand where it can begin, and that's in childhood. We need to reconcile our role in the perpetuation of this situation; we need to respond by increasing confidence in everyone to take action; and we need to reinforce, through multiple voices, the breadth and sustainability of that campaign.

In the first phase of the campaign, we aimed to help adults recognise and understand the link between disrespect and violence and their influence on young people. In phase 2 we aim to help influencers to recognise what they could do to ensure that they are not misinterpreted by young people and to recognise their role in perpetuating disrespectful attitudes. We need positive role models. The third phase, which is just about to begin, aims to empower influencers to respond to the issue by reconsidering their own attitudes and behaviours and by having conversations with young people about respect. That's why the government has committed not just to dealing with a response to domestic violence but also to actively pursuing prevention and early intervention in order to ensure that we make the best use of the $340 million—the biggest ever commitment by a government—to address the scourge that is family and domestic violence under the fourth action plan to reduce violence against women and their children. This will take a significant and very sustained effort and we will not be able to do it alone. We will require partnerships with state and territory governments, who are the first-line responders.

It is so important that we get the language around this right. It is so important that we encourage everybody to come on this journey to stamp out this scourge on Australian society. We must make sure that our language isn't provocative and that it isn't unhelpful. In some instances we have seen language that we can only describe as downright repugnant. But if language is important then culture is important and changing behaviour is important—along with the money.