Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is very significant, but I don't think we should confine talking about this issue to one day. We have heard today about its prevalence; this issue touches every woman, every family and every community across Australia. Before I entered this place I worked in the family and domestic violence sector for nearly two decades. It's something that I have spoken about at length, written about and researched. I have worked in front-line services, with the police and in refuges. I have packed Christmas gifts and put teddy bears on the beds of kids in refuges. Those kids had been separated because of violence that had happened in their household. It is heartbreaking when you have to do that work.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Our Watch event held here at Parliament House. I acknowledge my colleague Senator Waters, the Leader of the Australian Greens in the Senate, for her work on the parliamentary friends group alongside Bridget Archer and Alicia Payne. I had a great time catching up with colleagues and reflecting on the time that I was on the Our Watch board. Before this I also worked with then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to develop the blueprint to the first national plan in this country. I was the only First Nations woman on that committee. I was a lone voice speaking to the Prime Minister. I also want to acknowledge the work of the then Minister for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek, who's part of the Labor Party. During that time, the Time for action report was handed down into this place. I was honoured to be part of some of those key recommendations that recommended Our Watch and ANROWS, as Senator Payne reflected, as being developed during that time.

Last night was a reflection of how far those organisations have come, when I hear about the work that they've done in this space, but also how far we have to go. When I think about the prevalence and I think about the stories and I think about all of the things that are still happening across Australia, I know that there is so much work for us to do collectively, especially in regard to violence against First Nations women and their children.

I saw the recent announcement of the government's ambitious plan to end violence against women in a generation. A key part of that was the standalone plan. I have relentlessly advocated for a standalone plan for more than a decade, and I'm glad to see this government taking it on board. It's a plan that has got to be created by mob for mob, and it has to be designed to give communities the support they need and to take into consideration some of those cultural factors that are unique and solutions that are unique, in fact, across this country.

In the 46th Parliament, I co-signed a motion, alongside Senator Thorpe, to trigger an inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children in this country. Tomorrow it will commemorate its one-year anniversary. I'm really proud to say that Senator Green and Senator Scarr, in their stewardship of the Senate committee, have been very mindful of the issues and the stories that will be told in this committee. We know the unacceptable rates for First Nations women compared to non-First-Nations women. They are up to 12 times more likely to be murdered. I want to acknowledge also the other First Nations senators in this place and the other place, who have those stories, as well, that reverberate across our families and communities. These are unacceptable and disproportional rates.

Regardless of numbers, we know that far too many of our women are dying and that not enough is being done to stop this from happening. It's no surprise to those who have worked in this area, who have been affected by it, that this hurt, this grief, this trauma is still reverberating across our communities. The truth is we still don't know the true extent of that, and that's because some of these cases are unreported and the data is inconsistent. In fact, even today the media didn't show up to talk about the inquiry. That's telling. That's why we're having this inquiry in the first place. We sent out a media alert and asked them to come, and they didn't turn up. We see the 60 Minutes coverage and we see the vigils and the rallies, but we also hear the reverberating silence. In the next 16 days, I want everyone to remember that as we move forward it's about action. Your activism matters, and here in the federal parliament is where it starts. (Time expired)