Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The COVID pandemic has turbocharged already prolific violence against women. The Australian Institute of Criminology found that one in 10 women in a relationship experienced intimate partner violence during the pandemic, many for the first time or with increased severity. The women's safety sector expects that demand for crisis housing, counselling, safety and support services will continue to increase even further and it has called for an investment of $12 billion over 12 years to meet this demand. Due to a lack of resources, women's legal services are currently unable to service nearly half of the people who seek their help. Yet, despite rising violence and services having to turn people away, the 2020-21 budget did not include any new funding for frontline domestic and family violence services. Violence against women is a national security crisis and the government must drastically increase funding to ensure that all those seeking safety can access the services when they need them.

Question agreed to.