Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Outside her Traralgon home, in my home state of Victoria, Gayle Potter was run over and killed by her husband. She leaves three children behind. Jacqueline Francis died of stab wounds, murdered by one of her male patients in Perth. She, too, leaves behind three children. Dannyll Goodsell's devastatingly injured body was found by firefighters at her home in Ballarat. A man known to her has been arrested and charged with her murder and her two young children are now motherless. Kristie Powell was killed in her Wollongong home, dying from extensive injuries. Police have charged a man known to her with murder. She had previously contacted the police, concerned by the death threats that he had messaged her. Kristie's five-month-old baby was found unharmed but just metres from her body. A 25-year-old unnamed woman from Palmerston was killed at the hands of a man who breached a domestic violence order. He has been charged with her murder, assaulting her to the point that her body could take no more and she died.

What connection do these women share? They were all murdered at the hands of men known to them in the three weeks since our parliament last sat. Just last Thursday, Erana Nahu's neighbours called the police after hearing screams echo through the night. When emergency services arrived, she was found stabbed to death in her bed. Her partner has been charged with her murder and her children face a future without parents. As her neighbour observed, 'It's not fair; two babies that have to grow up without their mum.' Well, Erana's neighbour is right: it isn't fair. It isn't fair that the perverse actions of these men have ended the lives of innocent women. It isn't fair that their sons and daughters will grow up motherless, with violence shadowing their youth. It isn't fair that their families and friends must gather at funerals to mourn their all too preventable loss. And it isn't fair that over the next few weeks this will all be repeated.

Last year, 48 women were murdered. Over 93 per cent of these were at the hands of men and over 70 per cent were from domestic violence. In addition, 17 children were murdered. Since this January alone, 54 women have been murdered, with close to 90 per cent of these cases being perpetrated by men. Now, these statistics shock us to the core. I want to make it clear that I am not promoting a message of 'all men'—not in the slightest. We know that women also commit these crimes, and we know that it is a minority of men who perpetrate violent crimes against women. Yet, whether we wish to admit it or not, there exists a clear issue of gendered violence. Violence against women is now the leading cause of death, disability and injury for women between the ages of 18 and 44. It is violence against women—not cancer, not car crashes and not workplace injuries. It is violence from a man who purported to love her.

For Gayle, Jacqueline, Dannyll, Kristie, Erana and the nameless others, there is nothing we can do but fight to seek justice. There are, however, hundreds of future victims whom we can seek to protect and for whom we can fight right now. Awareness is crucial, but even more so is action. Earlier this year I met with an incredible group of people seeking to address the epidemic of family violence in the eastern region of Melbourne. Their organisation, the Eastern Domestic Violence Service—or EDVOS, as it is more commonly known—processes upwards of 700 cases referred to it by Victoria Police each month. They are making phenomenal inroads. Since their partnership with the Victoria Police they've tracked a 108 per cent increase in self-reporting. That is a crucial statistic because it speaks to the power of preventive action, bringing at-risk women and their families into contact with help before instances of public or emergency reporting are required. This is mirrored in a notable decrease in the 000 emergency calls made in the municipalities that EDVOS covers, which is at odds with the statewide trend.

The primary Prevention of Violence Against Women Strategy was rolled out in 2016, providing EDVOS with a unique opportunity to work across the continuum of family violence, from primary intervention to early intervention and response. They are developing innovative and effective ways of meeting the needs of women and families in violent or at-risk environments. An example of this is the rollout of something called the HaiR program, modelled on the successful CUT IT OUT Program in the US. EDVOS is partners with hairdressers across the state to train them in identifying the signs of domestic violence in their clients. It gives hairdressers, some of the most trusted and confided-in professionals, the ability to point those in need of help to organisations and bodies that can offer them the range of services they require, from emergency relocation to financial aid.

Jenny Jackson, the executive director of EDVOS, raised with me the all-too-important fact that 89 per cent of abuse victims also experience financial control and manipulation. Domestic and family violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women and their children, largely due to the fact that women in these situations are forced to leave the family home. They don't have access to funds, or the ability to assert ownership and control over family assets. One of the greatest preventive measures being advocated by organisations like EDVOS is the need for female financial independence. Women who have financial security have far greater autonomy. This doesn't necessarily mean being the main breadwinner in the family, although I am very proud of the fact that female participation in the workforce is at a record high under this government. The issue is far more about financial capability—the knowledge, the understanding and the control of household finances. 'Control' is the key word here. All forms of abuse are in fact about control. Emotional or physical abuse depletes resilience, but financial abuse reduces confidence and capacity. It is financial capability and the empowerment that comes with it that can either prevent violence at the start of a relationship or enhance the ability to leave a relationship.

There are thousands of volunteers and workers across our country who are meeting the challenges associated with domestic violence, and I wish to thank them all for their selflessness. I say thank you to those who fight day in and day out to defend those who cannot defend themselves. The fight to prevent domestic violence doesn't end with lowering the death toll. Battles are being fought on the frontiers of emotional and sexual abuse, respect for women, and equality of opportunity. There is so much yet to be done.

Tonight in this chamber I would like to remember the lives of Gayle Potter, Jacqueline Francis, Dannyll Goodsell, Kristie Powell, Erana Nahu and an unnamed 25-year-old. It is my sincerest hope that justice is delivered in each and every circumstance. Statistically, another Australian woman, most likely a mother of young children, will be murdered this week by her partner. As we sit in this chamber, we should be keenly aware of her life hanging in the balance. We don't know yet who she is, but we do know that she will, senselessly, die at the hands of someone who should have cherished her. There is no one fix for the prevalence of domestic violence in our communities, but at a bare minimum we must acknowledge that we can do better and we must do better now. Originally, this was where my speech was going to end but, this afternoon, as I was putting in the final full stop and the ink was drying, I learnt of a 22-year-old woman from Mapoon in Queensland who has also been killed. A man known to her has been charged with the assault that led to her death.

Indeed, we must all do better.