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

I thank Senator Chandler for her question on this extraordinarily important subject. The Morrison government is absolutely focused on making Australia a place that is free from violence against women and their children. We demonstrated our commitment to ending domestic, family and sexual violence against women in the 2021-22 budget, where we made the largest ever commitment to women's safety with our $1.1 billion package. This absolutely historic package is a key measure that will contribute towards the zero target that this government is absolutely committed to.

Importantly, the package is also a down payment on the next national plan, not only to reduce violence but to end violence against women and their children. Working towards this important goal, the next national plan absolutely must be an ambitious blueprint to stop the rot that is family, domestic and sexual violence across our national landscape. It will not only build on the previous work of the previous national plan but it will respond to urgent new issues that we're facing today and build a base for emerging issues that are likely to occur into the future.

The upcoming women's safety summit on 6 and 7 September this year will be a critical step in the development of this new plan. The summit will provide us with an opportunity to shine a light on the terrible violence that women from all walks of life experience in Australia. It will discuss key issues of women's safety, including financial security, policing and justice responses, sexual violence and the challenges facing diverse members of the Australian community. The two-day program will also include a series of roundtables that will inform the consultation process as we work towards developing the next national plan. By bringing together a cross section of Australian community, the voices of all Australians will have the opportunity to be heard.