Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 226 standing in my name for today, relating to violence against women—given that today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women—by changing the number of women killed from 47 to 50.

Leave granted.

Before moving the motion, I ask that the name of Senator McAllister be added to the motion. I, and also on behalf of Senator McAllister, move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the overall national toll for women killed by violence, since the start of 2019, now stands at 50, as reported by Counting Dead Women Australia from Destroy The Joint,

  (ii) there is no national government reporting program to record the ongoing toll of women killed by violence in real-time,

  (iii) on average, one woman is murdered every week by her current or former partner,

  (iv) according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey 2016:

     (A) more than 370,000 Australian women are subjected to violence from men each year,

     (B) 1 in 3 Australian women has experienced physical violence,

     (C) 1 in 5 Australian women has experienced sexual violence,

     (D) 1 in 6 Australian women has experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner,

     (E) 1 in 4 Australian women has experienced emotional abuse by a current or former partner,

     (F) Australian women are nearly three times more likely than men to experience violence from an intimate partner, and

     (G) Australian women are 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalised for assault injuries arising from family and domestic violence than men, with hospitalisation rates rising by 23% since 2014-15,

  (v) in 2017, young women aged between 15-34 accounted for more than half of reported sexual assaults,

  (vi) there is growing evidence that women with disabilities are more likely to experience violence,

  (vii) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women report experiencing violence at 3.1 times the rate of non-Indigenous women,

  (viii) in 2016-17, Indigenous women were 32 times as likely to be hospitalised due to family violence as non-Indigenous women,

  (ix) the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022, states that the overall prevalence of violence against women will only start to decrease in the very long term as gender roles change, and

  (x) the Fourth Action Plan recognises that demand for domestic and family violence services has increased, and will continue to increase; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to:

  (i) recognise domestic violence against women as a national security crisis,

  (ii) adequately fund frontline domestic, family and sexual violence and crisis housing services to ensure that all women seeking safety can access these services when and where they need them,

  (iii) legislate for 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave so that women do not have to choose between paying the bills and seeking safety,

  (iv) ensure that all government-funded counselling services for domestic and family violence are delivered by expert family violence service providers, in accordance with the National Outcome Standards for Perpetrator Interventions,

  (v) implement all 25 recommendations contained in the report of the Finance and Public Administration References Committee on domestic violence in Australia, tabled on 20 August 2015, and

  (vi) maintain and publish an official real-time national toll of women killed by violence in Australia.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Morrison government is committed to preventing, addressing and, ultimately, ending family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia. Violence against women and children is an issue this government is responding to with the largest ever Commonwealth investment of $340 million to support the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. Delivery of frontline family and domestic violence services is a matter for state and territory governments.

Question agreed to.