Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   notes that:

     (i)   two-thirds of women in Australia affected by domestic violence are in some form of paid employment,

     (ii)   violence against women and children will cost the Australian economy $15.6 billion by 2022 unless effective action is taken to prevent it,

     (iii)   domestic violence can have a significant impact on the employment of women who are subjected to it, due to lost productivity as a result of distraction in the workplace, absenteeism due to physical and psychological injuries, disrupted work histories as victims frequently change jobs, and lower personal incomes and reduced hours of work, and

     (iv)   it is common for victims and survivors of domestic and family violence to be denied leave to attend to violence-related matters, such as attending court or moving into a shelter; and

  (b)   calls on the Government to:

     (i)   consider introducing domestic and family violence as a separate ground of discrimination,

     (ii)   consider making discrimination related to domestic and family violence unlawful in the workplace, and

     (iii)   urge all private companies and public sectors to include domestic violence clauses in their enterprise agreements.

Question agreed to.