Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Waters for the question and acknowledge her longstanding advocacy in this space around women's safety. I too would like to put on the record how devastating the loss of life in this country is every year, in particular in the last couple of months, where we have seen an increased number of women who have died at the hands of their former partner or their partner. It is a massive problem in this country. I will come to your question, but this is a national problem that requires all parts of the community and the economy to work together to get rid of the attitudes and the views that lead to this type of violence against women and children. It's not just the women who have died—although, obviously, that is devastating in itself; it's the hundreds and thousands of women and children who are hospitalised, who are homeless and who fear for their lives every day from living in such a violent arrangement.

The point you raise is around the level of investment. As you say, we have allocated $2.3 billion across a range of programs to end violence against women and children under the national plan. We will always—Minister Rishworth, myself, Minister Elliott—continue to work with states and territories to identify other areas of need, and all governments are working together to look at how we can end violence against women and children. (Time expired)