Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We've heard a lot today about violence against women, and a lot of statistics. In addition to the unacceptable number of women killed in Australia by a violent partner or ex-partner, many, many more are regularly subjected to sexual violence, physical violence, humiliation and other forms of abuse. We know from domestic violence services around the country that COVID-19 has exacerbated this for many women, who've been forced to isolate with their abusers, trying to keep themselves and their families safe.

Last night, in my home state of South Australia, police officers from our Special Tasks and Rescue group, STAR Force, responded to an alleged assault on a woman that resulted in a four-hour siege. Let's just think about that for a moment—a woman, all alone, living with and allegedly abused by a man who was willing to hold a paramilitary force at bay for four hours with no anxiety and fear about doing that. It's simply unimaginable what terror she must have experienced over what you could only imagine was quite a lengthy period of time. This was in her own home, a place she should be able to rely on to be safe.

Violence against women knows no barriers socially, culturally or socioeconomically. Since the start of COVID-19, we've seen the number of reported offences against women rise considerably in South Australia and across the rest of the country. While our community awareness of this issue is growing, which is a good thing, far too many women continue to live their lives in fear. Across Australia, refuges report turning away 50 per cent of the women who seek support and help. Currently, those at risk of experiencing domestic violence often cannot access any form of early intervention or support services while they try to avoid ending up as one of the horrendous statistics that we've heard today.

Women's organisations say that, while they advise women to contact a crisis service at the point of crisis—because those are the only services they can access—they have nowhere to refer people in the earlier stages. There is no form of early intervention that is sufficient in Australia at this time. How can we leave so many women languishing in these hideous circumstances when awareness of the issue is so widespread now? We must look at this issue holistically. We must elevate its status well above the standing that it currently has under the Liberal-National government. We see them talking a big game in here while cutting critical funding to services on the ground. Labor will elevate this issue of violence against women—