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

Last year, at least 61 women were killed by violence in Australia. That's more than one woman per week. Already, in 2023, at least six women have been killed. We've all heard these figures, but we need to keep saying it out loud. The government does not maintain a real-time record—that work falls to volunteer organisations like Counting Dead Women—but it is work that must be done. Acknowledging these murders is essential to keeping this epidemic of violence at the forefront of the minds of the people in this place, people who have the power to do something about it. We welcomed the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children, and we're keen to see those detailed action plans, including a standalone self-determined plan for First Nations women. Those plans must be fully funded if we are to see real change.

We need frontline services to support women experiencing violence. We need more prevention programs, more crisis accommodation, more resources for legal advice and counselling services and more recovery programs. We know that frontline services need $1 billion each year to meet demand and help all women who need them. We know this because they keep telling us. Yet the sector remains underfunded, and the violence persists.

If this government is genuine about ending gendered violence in a generation, action needs to start now. The upcoming budget is a critical opportunity to invest in women's safety at a scale commensurate with the scale of the problem. This government must fully fund frontline services so no woman is turned away. What better spend could there be? The sector has said time and time again they need $1 billion a year to meet demand. They're not able to help everyone who reaches out for help. That is why these numbers of murders are so stratospherically high. We need to fix this problem. It starts with investment in prevention programs and in education and making sure those frontline services are fully funded.