Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Domestic violence is insidious in Western Australia and is an absolute blight on our community. WA police statistics show the number of family related offences reported increased by almost 35 per cent last year, compared to the five-year average. In the last financial year, they also reported that incidents of family assault and threatening behaviour within a family context rose by more than 15 per cent, with almost 3,000 incidents reported in June alone. Recent figures from the ABS reveal that WA has the third-highest rate of domestic violence in the country, behind Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Bear in mind, these are only the reported incidents. Statistics show 60 per cent of victims-survivors don't go to police.

From 1 July 2012 to 20 June 2022, there were 154 family and domestic violence fatalities in Western Australia. There have been more since. In December 2022, Lynn Cannon was stabbed to death by her ex-husband, who was jealous of her new relationship. In April this year, Emmerich Lasakar was stabbed to death by her partner while their two daughters were home. One of them called triple 0 in an attempt to save her life. Georgia Lyall was shot in the head at her home by her ex-partner, who then took his own life. Less than two weeks later, Tiffany Woodley, a mother of three, was bashed to death by her former partner at her home on 7 August.

These attacks are, of course, horrific and despicable. Alison Evans, the Chief Executive of the Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing—WA's peak body for women and children affected by gender based violence—said: 'This is a crisis. This is a pandemic in its proportions.' She's right; I completely agree. It's not enough for us to share our sympathies, some sympathetic sentiments and promise platitudes. And launching action plan after action plan is not the answer to combating this scourge of family and domestic violence. This nefarious violence should not be running rampant. It's a public health and human rights crisis. We must do more to protect vulnerable women and children in our community. The family and domestic violence sector knows how to be effective. They understand what needs to happen to stop the bloodshed, but they don't have the capacity to keep up with the high demand on their resources. So we must continue to support the sector so that they can do the work they know needs to be done. They know the issues on the ground, and they know what funding and resources are need and where they need to go.

When spent wisely, funding has the potential to enhance the safety of women. It can contribute to financing crucial legal services tailored to supporting women in need that can facilitate the construction of emergency shelters and support the creation of affordable housing options. It can assist women who face obstacles like being denied bank accounts and opportunities for careers, enabling them to require resources for a fresh start. But money itself won't fix the problem. It also takes cultural change, a painfully slow progress but progress that must be made for the sake of these lives.

Western Australia is sick of the violence, of women being killed in their homes. Frankly, it is happening far too often. We need real action, and everyone has to take responsibility. The state Labor government must begin by listening to the calls from the sector and community and step up and show leadership in this crisis.