Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently, thousands of people across the country came out on the streets, thanks to organisers What Were You Wearing? We came out to say, 'No more': 'no more' to gendered violence, 'no more' to violence against women—'no more' to violence, full stop.

How many more ways of public outcry must we find, how much more anger and grief must we express, how many more marches and demands for action must we make before governments decide to step up? Prevention services, crisis accommodation and trauma-informed training for first responders and judicial staff must be fully funded. No woman should be turned away as she seeks refuge, leaves a violent relationship and looks for safety—but they are, and every woman turned away is a government failure.

All women, whether they have experienced violence or not, live under its threat. We have no choice but to feel the myriad ways in which our lives are forcibly shaped by it. So don't tell us what to do, what to wear or how to speak. We have a right to be who we are. We have a right to be safe. We have a right to live.

Gendered violence does not happen in a vacuum. It happens largely against women and is perpetrated by men, and we must reckon with that fact. We must go to the heart of tackling inequity, dismantle power imbalances and smash the patriarchy. We must recognise that First Nations women, women of colour, trans women, queer women and disabled women face extra barriers, due to lack of appropriate support and services. So, most importantly, each and every policy and action must be developed through an intersection of feminist and antiracist lenses if we are truly to make sure that no-one is left behind. Otherwise, the untold heartache and sorrow of women being killed and abused will just go on. And that is unacceptable.