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

I too rise to speak on the Fair Work Amendment (Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2022 and I'm proud to be part of a government that introduced this bill as one of its first bills to this parliament. In the years to come it will be seen as one of the, hopefully, many great achievements of the Albanese-Labor government. Make no mistake: this bill will save lives. I want my fellow senators to think about this fact as they listen to the debate today and consider how they will vote.

Domestic violence is a shame to our nation. Family and domestic violence affects people from all walks of life, in every community, in every city and in every region across this country. The statistics are harrowing. Since the age of 15 approximately one in four women has experienced at least one incidence of violence by an intimate partner. About 2.2 million Australians have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. Indigenous women are 35 times as likely to be hospitalised due to family and domestic violence than non-Indigenous women. Horrifically, on average, one woman is killed by her current or former partner every 10 days in Australia. For many women, the most dangerous place in Australia is their own home, a place where they should, at an absolute minimum, be able to feel safe. In the 10 years from mid-2002 to mid-2012, 488 women in Australia were killed by an intimate partner, representing 75 per cent of the total of 654 victims killed by an intimate partner. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase in the prevalence of family and domestic violence.

Getting out of domestic violence situations is hard. I empathise with anyone in that situation and truly hope that this bill provides some support to make it easier to get out. Frontline workers have told us there are two issues at the forefront of the minds of women seeking to escape from violent relationships. First, they are worried about the disruption to the lives of their children. Second, they are worried about the disruption to their income and employment. Many can't leave violent situations without risking joblessness, financial stress, homelessness and poverty, so it leaves workers with nowhere to go, having to choose between their safety and their livelihood.

For those who don't believe this is an issue for the workplace, you are very, very wrong. More than 68 per cent of people experiencing family and domestic violence are in paid work. Women experiencing family and domestic violence earn 35 per cent less than those who do not, and it disproportionately affects women, who are more likely to be casual or part time. The cost to the national economy is huge, with estimates ranging between $12.6 billion and $22 billion per year. Employers are bearing significant costs, up to $2 billion a year, in the form of reduced productivity caused by absenteeism, and recruitment and retraining costs. Paid family and domestic violence leave will assist to reduce this cost.

Our legislation extends the Fair Work Commission's recent preliminary review by introducing a right to 10 days paid leave for all eligible employees covered by the national employment standards, including rostered casuals at the employee's full rate of pay. Excluding casuals altogether would have left 2.6 million employees, or 22.8 per cent of all employees, without this protection. It provides further incentive for employers to prefer casuals over permanent jobs. We have also extended the definition of family and domestic violence to include conduct of a member of an employee's household to recognise that Australians are living a more diverse and different arrangements. This new entitlement will take effect on 1 February 2023 for businesses other than small businesses with fewer than 15 employees, and on 1 August 2023 for small businesses, in recognition that they have limited human resources and payroll capabilities. The government will also be consulting on a package of implementation support measures for small business to assist with rolling out this entitlement. This bill is good policy, and those that work closely with the victims of domestic violence are clear as to its need.

Before I finish, I would like to take a quick moment to outline how to access support services for anyone in my home state of Tasmania. If you are listening in Tasmania and need support and counselling for domestic and family violence, you can contact the Family Violence Counselling and Support Service on 1800608122. This service operates between 9 am and midnight on weekdays and between 4 pm and midnight on weekends and public holidays.

In conclusion, I will just say this: as a nation, we can and must do better. This bill is one way that we can do better, so I encourage all my Senate colleagues to support this bill.