Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to contribute to the discussion of this matter of incredible public importance and urgency—the safety of our women in this country. I think that's pretty important. Yesterday across the country thousands of women marched for justice. We marched outside this place, demanding change and accountability from this government, from this parliament and from this nation. We want accountability from all of the self-congratulating men who look at themselves in the mirror and tell themselves that they're good people, while defending rapists in their offices and workplaces. Yesterday we demanded the Prime Minister come out, see us, hear us all and act. Instead, he told us that we should be grateful that we weren't getting shot. Women of this country heard this. You can get raped in this very building, but the Prime Minister says that at least you won't be shot protesting about it.

The Prime Minister is wrong again. Ms Joyce Clarke, a 29-year-old mother of one and a proud Aboriginal woman, was shot in the stomach while having a mental health episode by a Western Australia police officer who is now charged with her murder. Ms Dhu died in a Western Australian police cell. One of the last things she heard as she was dying was a police sergeant, Rick Bond, whispering in her ear, 'You're a effing junkie.' Aunty Tanya Day died in a police cell in Victoria because they refused to give her the medical care she needed after Victoria Police targeted her for having a couple of drinks and then falling asleep on a train. Ms Veronica Nelson Walker cried out for help 12 times, but was ignored. She died in her cell, alone.

The list of black women who die at the hands of the state in police or prison custody just goes on and on and on. And the lists will grow longer. Despite this being the 30th anniversary of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, more and more of us are being targeted and imprisoned. Women who live with disabilities also need to be heard. Where is their voice, given that there is actually no data on our sisters experiencing violence?

And can you believe that the Victorian Labor government wants a treaty with our people, despite it being open season on our bodies? Our women are being locked up more than any other person right now in Victoria—treaty with that! Black women move through the world with two great big targets on our backs. Not only do we have to deal with the never-ending sexism as we move through the world, or even as we move through this very house; black women also have to wade through the never-ending cesspool of systemic racism. The patriarchy hates us much more, not just because we're women but because we're black women—the most underappreciated, undervalued, disrespected, neglected and targeted people in this country. And still we rise; we are strong and we are powerful. We have always been here and we'll always be here.

Yesterday was so uplifting, to see so many thousands of people, largely women, come together, united in our message that rape, sexism, violence and misogyny are not women's issues; these are issues for our entire society to reckon with. The Black Lives Matter movement is no different. We need all of us who are outraged by the continuing hurt and trauma inflicted on the First Nations people of this country—especially black women—to be part of this change. I looked out on the march yesterday and saw so many people from all walks of life who had never marched in or gone to a rally before.

We're all in this together, and I look forward to welcoming all of the thousands of women and allies who marched yesterday to our own Black Lives Matter rallies. We show up with you and we ask that you show up with us. If you'd scanned the crowd yesterday you would have seen plenty of deadly black women leading the charge. I was there with my colleagues, proud Yamatji Noongar woman Dorinda Cox and proud Wakka Wakka Wulli Wulli woman Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng. I was also very happy to see the deadly Senator McCarthy and the member for Barton, Ms Burney, holding up our flag at the rally. Black women—we show up and we speak out! We're on the front lines of all the marches and we are some of the first to turn up for our sisters and allies. Hopefully, the Prime Minister will keep his promise and we won't get shot in the streets!

In conclusion: the biggest irony of the parliament of this country is that it is lawless. Despite the laws coming from this place, the parliament itself is absolutely lawless. The thousands of men in skinny ties and pointy shoes and their bosses who crowd these corridors act as if the rules don't apply to them. They act as if they have full permission over our bodies. If the Prime Minister was serious he would immediately, without any delay whatsoever, implement the full recommendations of the Respect@workreport by Commissioner Jenkins, not just three out of 55 recommendations—WTF, for those young people who understand what I'm talking about. I invite all of those who marched yesterday to join us at the next Black Lives Matter protests around this country, because: we fight with you; come fight with us.