Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before I start my contribution on this urgency motion I would like to remind anyone listening who is experiencing family or domestic violence that there is a free 24-hour counselling service available. They can access this service by calling 1800 737 732 or 1800RESPECT. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, you should, of course, call 000 instead.

Earlier today we observed a minute's silence for Hannah Clarke and her children. This was an important gesture, but, as a parliament, when we make gestures like this we also need to back them up. We need to commit to making sure that we do everything within our power to prevent tragedies like this from happening again. You may think that the incident in Camp Hill makes this a timely debate. But as much as this tragedy has received widespread media coverage, and as shocked and appalled as Australians are, let us not forget that one woman is murdered every week in Australia by a current or former partner. It is shocking enough that so many women are murdered, but the statistics on violence against women who survive are also quite shocking. I have taken these statistics from the website of Our Watch, which provides sources for each of the statistics. One in three Australian women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 and one in five have experienced sexual violence. Women are three times more likely than men to have experienced violence from an intimate partner and four times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of this violence. Two-thirds of mothers with children in their care who have experienced violence from their previous partner say that their children have seen or heard the violence. So, we need to ask ourselves: what is the impact on these children?

It is important to realise that violence against women takes many forms; it's not always just physical. It can include psychological, economic, emotional and sexual violence and abuse, and a wide range of controlling, coercive and intimidating behaviours. It's also important to realise that even when abuse in domestic and family settings doesn't involve physical violence it can still be extremely harmful and destructive to the victims and to any children involved. In addition to those women who are losing their lives, many more are suffering physical injuries, maiming and disfigurement, which, obviously, can easily lead to psychological injuries and ongoing trauma. This suffering is also experienced by children who are witnessing the violence or, even worse, having it perpetrated against them.

We know from a wealth of evidence that leaving a violent relationship is not easy. We also know that the most dangerous time in a violent relationship is when the partner experiencing the abuse leaves. We know that the situation can be made safer for a victim when they have support around them. But, because perpetrators of domestic violence often seek to isolate their victims from friends and family, victims, when they try to leave, often rely on community services funded by government. Yet this government is failing victims by cutting services. It's absolutely outrageous that when we have a national crisis in domestic and family violence, and when there is a clear need to invest more in tackling the problem, this government is making cuts. The latest cut to family violence services is WESNET, a service which provides free, secure phones to women experiencing family violence so they cannot be tracked, traced or stalked by abusive partners. Yes, that's what often happens. Having a secure phone is often critical for a woman who is escaping a violent relationship. Since the program was established in 2016 WESNET has provided 20,000 of these phones. The program's national director, Karen Bentley, explained to the ABC that abusive ex-partners use mobile phones to track women and locate them after their relationship has ended. Ms Bentley said: 'Quite often they just either don't have a phone, they have never been able to have one, or their phone has been compromised by the abuser or potentially smashed or broken by the abuser.'

This is such a simple program, but it can make such a huge difference for women. This government's cut it, with funding running out later this year. Another recent cut was to the National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services Forum. This service assists First Nations women, who, sadly, are 32 times more likely to be hospitalised and 10 times more likely to be killed than other women as a result of violent assault. This organisation is the peak body for Indigenous survivors of domestic and family violence. It survives on a mere $244,000 a year. In the context of the federal budget that's basically spare change. But the penny-pinching government has cut it. And to add insult to injury, guess what day the government chose to announce this cut? It was 25 November, which also happens to be International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. That's true. I just couldn't believe it. It's such unbelievable irony that it could be funny if it weren't so cruel and tragic.

I ask those opposite, when you cut these services to make a small saving here or there, do you really understand the cost? Do you realise the impact? Do you realise that these women and families need to have support at home, in the workplace and in the court system? If women escaping violence cannot be supported, we can expect more police callouts, more hospitalisations, more pressure on our mental health services and, sadly, more murders. It seems that those opposite are happy to push these costs on to the states and territories if it helps to protect their precious surplus.

In addition to these cuts, the government is failing to invest in the resources needed in legal services and shelter for women escaping family violence. In my home state of Tasmania hundreds of women have been turned away from shelters, which are struggling and failing to keep up with demand. In 2017 I visited community legal centres with shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to hear about the potential impact of a planned 30 per cent cut. Fortunately the government didn't go ahead with that cut, but even with their funding at that time CLCs were struggling to meet demand, including the massive demand from women escaping violence.

It's not just the Liberals at the federal level who are failing women escaping domestic violence. As I mentioned in an adjournment speech last year, Tasmania's Family Violence and Counselling Support Service is only funded to handle one-third of the referrals that they receive. This means they're faced with the difficult choice of turning away victims or not offering them the full support they need. They have decided not to turn anyone away, but without being able to give every client the full support and help they need, it makes it more difficult for the thousands of Tasmanian victims of domestic and family violence to safely escape. It's extraordinary that the recently retired Premier, Will Hodgman, is a White Ribbon Ambassador, yet he allowed this to happen under his watch. For the sake of women in my home state of Tasmania who are trying to escape domestic and family violence, I truly hope that the new Premier, Peter Gutwein, can take a more proactive approach and provide the FVCSS with the funding they need to do their job.

As I said earlier, this is a national crisis and it needs an urgent national response. It requires awareness, community education and cultural and attitudinal changes. It requires support for victims to escape from violence and support for perpetrators to wake up and change their behaviour.

I reiterate opposition leader Anthony Albanese's call for a national summit on domestic and family violence. That is a practical first step that the Morrison government can take. Bring together government agencies, community groups, experts and victims to explore and develop a long-term response which drives long-term cultural change. But we need it now, not in a few years time. We need leadership to make sure that this doesn't fall off the agenda until the next tragedy occurs. While doing that, governments at all levels, including those opposite, need to recognise the need to invest in the services that we know work and which are already working on the front line in helping victims. We need investment, not more cruel cuts. I hope that the government take up Mr Albanese's call for a national summit and that they do it quickly, that they get some responses out and that they start to take action a lot more quickly.