Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Senate will now consider the proposal from Senator McKim, which is also shown at item 17 on today's Senate Order of Business:

Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today the Australian Greens propose to move "That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

That the Albanese government must fully fund frontline women's safety services to at least $1 billion per year as the sector has called for to address the epidemic of men's violence against women in Australia."

Is consideration of the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

With the concurrence of the Senate, the clerks will set the clock in line with the informal agreements made by the whips.

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

I move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

That the Albanese government must fully fund frontline women's safety services to at least $1 billion per year as the sector has called for to address the epidemic of men's violence against women in Australia.

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and we've drawn to the attention of the chamber Australia's epidemic of men's violence against women. The Greens are once again calling on the Albanese government to fully fund the frontline services that respond to and support victims-survivors fleeing violence, to at least $1 billion per year. Current Commonwealth funding is only three-quarters of the $1 billion per year that the women's safety sector says it needs to meet existing demand. This is, in effect, condemning one in four women to being turned away, back to violence.

The Greens today launched our election commitment of a $15 billion package to fully fund frontline services, prevention and recovery programs, and we're calling on the government to increase its investment. This is about priorities. If Labor funded just one less nuclear submarine, they would have more than the amount required to fully fund frontline services—and then some. I would hope that the Albanese government could prioritise the lives of women above one nuclear submarine.

As I foreshadowed this morning, and as I've done for years, I'm going to read the names of women killed by violence this year, using records kept by the volunteer organisation Counting Dead Women.

Their lives and their names matter: Vicky Van Aken, aged 51; Shirley So, aged 50; Mavis Stanley, aged 47; Nikkita Azzopardi, aged 35; Cheryl Davidson, age unknown; Isla Bell, aged 19; Christine Mills, aged 58; Natalie Galcsik, aged 46; Debra Hunter, aged 67; Loyla Morgan, aged 39; Jasmine Sloane, aged 35; Suzy Rackemann, aged 61; Xiaoting Wang, aged 21; Frances Crawford, aged 49; Kiesha Thompson, aged 23; Lolene Whitehand, aged 85; Kierra-Lea Jensen, aged 28; Nunia Kurualeba, aged 21; Annette Brennan, aged 67; Sarah Miles, aged 40; Carolyn McCarthy, aged 51; Annette Kiss, aged 53; Natalie Frahm, aged 34; Evette Verney, aged 61; Wanda Dorothy Uhle, aged 78; Jennifer Petelczyc, aged 59, and her daughter, Gretl Petelczyc, aged 18; Joan Drane, aged 78; Erica Hay, aged 30; Emma Bates, aged 49; Molly Ticehurst, aged 28; Yixuan Cheng, aged 27; Pikria Darchia, aged 55; Jade Young, aged 55; Dawn Singleton, aged 25; Ashlee Good, aged 38; Tara Morrison, aged 38; Hannah McGuire, aged 23; Mauwa Kizenga, aged 22; Chaithanya 'Swetha' Madhagani, age unknown; Joanne Perry, aged 53; Samantha Murphy, aged 51; Min Cho, aged 41; Amarjit Kaur Sardar, aged 41; Samira Kammalledine, aged 80; Vyleen White, aged 70; Antoinette Tozer, aged 76; Alana Martin, aged 30; Keira Marshall, aged 29; Nerol Doble, aged 65; Alison Robinson, aged 39; and 14 unnamed women aged 61, 70, 42, 37, 22, 43, 36, 77, 36, 66, in her 60s, 26, in her 60s and 42. We've got to do better by these women and their families. Please fully fund frontline support services and prevention and men's behaviour change work.

Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Child Protection and the Prevention of Family Violence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Evidence tells us that the wheels of the Albanese government are not turning fast enough or in the right direction to help women and children experiencing violence. This motion demands a dollar figure in increased funding, but the deployment of funding already promised by the Albanese government will have the greatest immediate effect on addressing this scourge. Estimates uncovered that the Attorney-General's Department is still working through the funding agreements in response to the so-called Rapid Review of Prevention Approaches, recommendations finalised some two months ago. The majority of funding will not be available until 1 July next year, of course—after the next federal election—effectively kicking the much needed response down the road. Nothing is rapid about that response by anyone's measure.

Three thousand consultations informed the National Plan to End Violence against Women and their Children. The rapid review triggered yet more consultation. Yet the sector is almost always in unison. Today I heard directly from the Salvation Army and Homelessness Australia that, over a two week statistical snapshot just recently, 40 per cent of services closed their doors to new requests, 83 per cent of providers were unable to answer crisis calls to their service and new homelessness clients are women, children and unaccompanied young people with the primary reason for seeking help being to get help. They are unsafe in their homes because of violence.

Today the Northern Territory coroner, who was looking into the deaths of four women confirmed not enough is being done, especially for children who encounter violence as either victims-survivors or witnesses and, as a consequence, may also now be perpetrators. The coalition endorses the intent of Senator McKim's urgency motion as a call for greater and urgent action and is in agreement that funding is important, but effective deployment of funding must be the priority for this government, which has a track record of failing to deliver as intended. Announcements are not action. We are hearing loud and clear that prevention and early intervention is key to stop the demand for response, recovery and healing.

The Albanese government has found itself in this terrible situation of having to respond to crisis, some of it of its own making. This government stood by for six months while the Northern Territory alcohol restrictions were lifted before reinstatement, and locals and taxpayers are paying for it now—none more so than those vulnerable people directly impacted. Levels of crime and assault are now increasing in the Northern Territory, even with $300 million spent in Central Australia. In January 2024 there was another announcement of $3.5 million in funding to Aboriginal Hostels Ltd for the construction of up to 20 short-term beds for crisis accommodation—yet, right now, not a single bed is available. In fact, construction hasn't even started.

Remember, it was the Albanese government and the Australian Greens who ended the cashless debit card. On page 36 of the University of Adelaide's final report—and I quote directly, with not a single change to the words: 'CDC program cessation had negative impacts. Alcohol consumption, public intoxication and alcohol related violence rose considerably in Ceduna, East Kimberley and the Goldfields. There are declining levels of child wellbeing and welfare. Some children are not being fed or clothed properly, not attending school and being out on the streets unsupervised at night.' That is their own report. The report said increased gambling was the outcome of your handiwork in Ceduna and the East Kimberley, yet the Australian Greens have the cheek to talk about the impact of gambling in this chamber today.

Just like the wrong decision on the cashless debit card and the lifting of alcohol restrictions, the Australian Greens proposing an arbitrary figure in this urgency motion is not the right approach either. Family violence costs around two per cent of national GDP. In 2024 terms, that's $34 billion a year lost. The human, social and economic cost of violence requires an urgent response. Every woman killed and every woman faced with a near-death experience daily is one too many. Every child who is a victim-survivor and witness, or who goes on to become a perpetrator, is one child too many.

The Albanese government must follow the findings of its rapid review and act urgently to combat this epidemic that is family and domestic violence in Australia. Remember the 500-worker fiasco, from a promise by this government? Delivering on existing funding commitments is where the Albanese government's focus should be.

Jana Stewart (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will first take a moment to acknowledge that today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It marks the beginning of 16 days of activism against gendered violence. This international initiative is not just to raise awareness about the epidemic of gendered violence across the world and here in Australia; it also promotes action against it, encouraging women and men across the world to stand together against violent men. In this country, every four days a man violently murders a woman. In this country, every week, as a result of gendered violence—meaning the actions of men—15 women are hospitalised.

Of course, the data is worse for Aboriginal women. Seventy-one per cent of Indigenous women experience physical violence in their lifetime, with three out of five experiencing that violence at the hands of a male partner. First Nations women are 33 times more likely to be hospitalised because of gendered domestic violence than non-Indigenous women. This is an unacceptable blight on Australian society. This is a widespread problem, and it's shameful that violence against women is as common as it is today.

On Senator McKim's motion, I will make a point which I hope puts the scale of this problem into perspective. While these figures are disturbing to read, when you see just how many women are being hospitalised or murdered at the hands of violent male partners it's so widespread that, in fact, it's not something a single government will be able to do away with on its own. We have a shared goal with all states and territories to end violence against women and children in a generation. It remains an ongoing priority for National Cabinet and all state and federal governments to fight this crisis.

The reality is that this problem is deeper than legislation; it's deeper than government policy. It's an entrenched culture in this country. It is not an epidemic that the government will finish on its own. It's the responsibility of all Australians, particularly men, to reflect and call out their mates' behaviour and their parents' behaviour.

Members might remember that it was the Albanese Labor government which introduced paid family and domestic violence leave for women so they can have the assurance of safety without needing to worry about work. Together with state and territory governments, this government has held two National Cabinet meetings this year on gender based violence, bringing national leaders together under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children. It was in that spirit that National Cabinet agreed on the $4.7 billion comprehensive package that harnesses opportunities for cross-governmental cooperation to tackle the crisis of gender based violence, and, through that, it was this government that invested $4 billion in over 113 different initiatives to combat violence against women.

We've invested $3.9 billion for our frontline legal services, which are all too often on the front lines of this violence. There's also our $32 billion plan for more housing, including for people experiencing violence. That's 4,000 new social and affordable homes for women and children impacted by family and domestic violence and $1 billion towards crisis and transitional accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence. Alongside the frontline legal and specialist support investments, we're investing in innovative approaches to better identify and respond to high-risk perpetrators in order to stop violence escalating. We're also looking into the role that systems and harmful industries play in exacerbating violence.

These are all incredible programs and initiatives which will change lives and save lives. They will be a lasting legacy of the Albanese Labor government, and quite rightly. Our government will continue to deliver activities that support action plans under the national plan, working to end gender based violence in Australia, because ending violence against women and children is everybody's responsibility. We all need to get on with the job and work together.

I'm proud of these reforms, as we all should be, but all these programs together will not bring an end to domestic violence. Gender based violence is not something you can legislate out of existence or throw money at. It's cultural. It's a shameful, disgraceful part of Australian culture, but, unfortunately, it's here. The most powerful change that can happen will come from men reflecting and calling out other men. There's no shame in calling out your mates. It's the right thing to do.

Fatima Payman (WA, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The scourge of violence against women is a pervasive issue in our society, with the disturbing and shameful statistic that one woman is killed by her partner every 11 days in this country. Women are more likely to be killed by a partner than by anyone else, making domestic violence an urgent national crisis in need of full funding. We must invest in solutions like women's shelters to provide refuge. We must support cultural change through campaigns like 'Stop it at the Start' and through community outreach. We need to continue to legislate protections such as the 10 days of domestic violence leave. Most importantly, our legal system must be resourced and informed to deal with these problems proactively, preventing harm before it becomes irreversible.

It is not just at home, though, that women are subjected to violence and coercion. While most abuse that workers suffer from, particularly in the retail sector, is verbal, 12 in every 100 workers have reported being physically assaulted by a customer. Sadly, it is not just customers or outsiders who inflict fear and harm. Sometimes it comes from those entrusted with leadership.

In the WA branch of the United Workers Union, of which I am a member, a serious allegation of sexual assault and intimidation has been made against the state secretary, Carolyn Smith. Ms Smith is alleged to have groped a member of her staff and threatened her job if she did not enter into a relationship with her. Despite these allegations now being subject to a lawsuit and an internal investigation, Ms Smith has not stood aside, nor has she been asked to stand aside. This inaction raises profound questions about the culture within the United Workers Union and its capacity to protect and support its own members.

When those in positions of power are allowed to operate without accountability, it sends a chilling message that dissenting voices and cries for justice can be silenced. This is not just a failure of leadership; it is a betrayal of the very values that the union is meant to uphold.

To all the members of the United Workers Union and every worker around Australia: I will stand by you because you deserve better. We owe it to every woman across this nation, to the women who have suffered in silence and to those who have bravely spoken up.

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and it's a day to reflect on those impacted by gender based violence. It's a day to platform the global actions being taken to protect women and children from this violence, and it's a day to remember the lives that have been lost to this violence. One life that is lost to violence against women is one life too many. It is a national shame that so many Australian women have had their lives taken or changed irrevocably because of gender based violence. There is no excuse for it, and it must be eliminated.

There is a genuine and really encouraging commitment across this parliament to deliver change—change that is needed for women and children—to put an end to and bring down rates of gender based violence, and to make sure that we're not just saying things need to change but that we are listening and that we are learning from the experiences of the people who are working on the front lines and the experiences of victims-survivors. We are listening, as a government, to the people who day in and day out deliver the programs and services in the community that are making a difference.

Last year, Minister Rishworth joined Senator Stewart and myself in a round table with organisations who do this really significant work every day in Victoria, and they told us that they want to see things get better. They also told us that it was really important to them for decision-makers to be in the room for once, listening to them, learning from their experiences and putting plans into action. This year I had the privilege of meeting with more women's organisations based at the Queen Victoria Women's Centre. Again, I heard about the absolutely life-changing support that they are providing for women, and I was also able to report back on the actions that we are taking to work to eliminate violence against women.

We are committed to ending gender based violence and we are committed to doing that in one generation—this generation. We have a national plan to end violence against women and children. We've held National Cabinet meetings this year, working with all governments across the country to build on and deliver this plan, and we have committed $7.7 billion in funding to combat gender based violence. We have ministers and assistant ministers across portfolios leading this work, and all these women are working every day to advance the safety and security of Australian women.

It's important to acknowledge the broader role that gender equality and women's economic security play in reducing gender based violence. Inequality and insecurity are both drivers of and consequences of gender based violence. Our government remains committed to an Australia where all women are treated equally, with dignity and respect. Minister Katy Gallagher has made real strides with the Working for Women strategy, outlining priority areas for this government across areas of women's economic security.

A priority area that I'm particularly passionate about is women's economic security. In my own work, I've seen time and time again how critical that is to the safety and the wellbeing of women. Economic inequality can prevent women from escaping or recovering from violence. It can lead to homelessness and housing insecurity, and it can prevent them from having a dignified and safe retirement. Women should never, ever have to choose between poverty and violence for themselves or for their children, and we've made real progress to strengthen the economic security of Australian women: wage rises for female dominated sectors like aged care and early childhood education; expansions to paid parental leave; paying super on top of paid parental leave; and a legislated 10 days family and domestic violence leave.

These are all really important pieces of work to ensure the security and safety of women. We all want women to be treated equally, we all want women to be safe, and while the government takes a lead, we know the elimination of gender-based violence is a responsibility that is shared by all of us.

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I echo the comments of the motion moved by my colleague Senator Waters around the fact that we must fully fund front-line women's safety services to at least $1 billion a year, as the sector have repeatedly called for this to address the epidemic of men's violence against women in Australia.

Three years ago I stood here in this chamber to introduce a motion for a Senate inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children, and today, as I reflect on the government's lack of response to that—I urge them to act and respond to those recommendations that have been made in that report—I note that we need to give voice to those that are no longer here, those that have been left behind, and the families and the communities that I heard from during that Senate inquiry and those in the frontline who were exhausted, heartbroken, because of the women that they could not save. Our women and children are disappearing and being murdered, and most of the time they don't even get a mention in the responsible minister's media report. They are invisible to this system. Today, three years on from that, on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, with heavy heart, I respond to this matter with urgency and acknowledge that not a lot has been achieved since then.

This year 85 women have been killed across this country, at least 12 of them First Nations women, and First Nations people make up only 3.8 per cent of this population. We are being killed at disproportionate rates. These are our mothers, our daughters, our grandmothers and our colleagues. At least half First Nations women also believe that violence against women is not taken seriously, and these women who seek help from police get poor responses and are often experiencing racism. They are asked questions like, 'Why didn't you leave?' This is above petty politics and we need to act now to address what is Australia's national crisis.

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

Today begins the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. This campaign is a symbol of feminist resistance. We mark this International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in the knowledge that 66 women have been killed in 2024 by violence, predominantly men's violence against women—that's according to Counting Dead Women Australia.

So when will enough be enough? The system continues to fail too many women, and while the number murdered women is front and centre of most discourse of violence, we know that for every woman who is killed there are far too many others who are abused in their own homes. Yet, because there is still a desperate shortage of places in refuges, far too many women are turned away as they try to leave, many with children. Every woman turned away is a government failure.

The political priorities of the Labor government are all wrong when they can chuck $50 billion in subsidies to climate-wrecking fossil fuel corporations but not fully fund front-line services which need just a fraction of that money. Family and domestic violence does not occur in a vacuum. Too often, still, there is victim-blaming and gaslighting. Too often, women still are not believed. We must grapple with the reality of the patriarchy and the power imbalances that we need to dismantle. We must believe that violence against women can be stopped, and gender equity is at the core of that solution.

Intersectionality must also be at the heart of these solutions. First Nations women, women of colour, trans women, queer women and women with a disability face additional barriers even trying to access front-line services or navigate the legal system. Women's rights have always been hard-fought for, so this struggle goes on, because we deserve better—every woman deserves better. We deserve to feel safe and to actually be safe, no matter where we are—in parliament, in the street, at university or in our homes. To do this, we must be unapologetic feminists and anti-racists.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to remind everyone in this building that there is not just an epidemic of men's violence against women; there is an active femicide against First Nations women and girls, who are overrepresented in every statistic of harm conceivable. The only way we can understand this harm is by naming the true source of this violence: a culture and system of racial, sexual and gender based violence which has normalised the violent treatment of black women. I see the impacts of this every day in the many women and girls who come to my office for help. These are women who have been horribly abused by their white partners, who have no housing after being priced out by white settlers, whose children are being taken from them by the white man's legal system and who have been turned away from legal services that are stretched to the limit because the white politicians refuse to fund them. In the words of Aunty Vickie Roach:

It's like we are refugees in our own country, on our own land. Hunted by coppers and racists alike …

We all know that the government funding is by far not enough and that hundreds of millions of dollars of additional funding is needed. We need to fully resource Aboriginal legal services, which are inundated by requests. They are the only way for our women and girls to accept support in a culturally safe way. This national crisis needs to be addressed today, and, if you don't, then you have blood on your hands, Labor.

Steph Hodgins-May (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to ask the chamber to observe one minute of silence to remember the women and children that have been killed by violent men this year—the names read out by my colleague Senator Larissa Waters. I ask my colleagues to reflect during this time on what you can do to end gender based violence.

Honourable senators having joined in a minute of silence

Question agreed to.