House debates

Monday, 24 November 2014

Private Members' Business

Domestic Violence

11:22 am

Photo of Chris HayesChris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

by leave—On behalf of the member for Gellibrand, I move:

That this House:

(1)   notes:

(a)   with concern that family violence is an issue affecting members of all of our communities, but that not enough attention is given to it in public debate;

(b)   that the impact of family violence upon our communities is devastating, especially given:

(i)   intimate partner violence is responsible for more ill-health and premature death in women in Victoria under age 45 than high blood pressure, obesity and smoking; and

(ii)   one in three women since their teenage years have been exposed to violence, one in five have been exposed to sexual violence, and one woman per week is killed by her partner or former partner;

(c)   the importance of a bipartisan approach in addressing such a complex issue and support for addressing family violence by all Members of Parliament within the House; and

(d)   with support the creation of the Parliamentarians Against Family Violence friendship group, and acknowledges the success of its launch event on 20 October; and

(2)   makes all efforts to raise awareness of the family violence taking place in our communities.

By now we should all be familiar with the dreadful statistics: one in three women in this country will experience violence in her lifetime. One in five will experience sexual violence. Sixty per cent of boys growing up in abusive households are likely to become abusers. Even more disturbingly, half of all girls growing up in abusive households are more than likely to take an abuser for a partner in their adult relationships. On average, one woman dies each week at the hands of her partner or former partner—the person in her life who is probably most meant to love her and protect her. Only last week this was very much brought home to my community when a 49-year-old woman, a mother of three, was killed in Casula, which is in the electorate of my good friend the member for Werriwa. This shows how close at hand the issue of domestic violence is.

This morning, along with many members of the House, I attended a gathering of police commissioners from each of the Australian jurisdictions as well as from New Zealand, with representatives from all sides of this parliament. It was revealed at the meeting that we have already exceeded the average number of deaths related to domestic violence this year.

Because of the nature of their work, I guess police are in a unique position to have an insight into the circumstances and the effect of domestic violence. In speaking to officers of the four police commands in my area, they told me of the high proportion of their work which is focused on dealing with cases of domestic violence. In fact, what they say is every general duties officer responds to at least one domestic violence case each and every shift. Forty-three per cent are repeat victims and 48 per cent are repeat offenders. In my police jurisdictions, almost 50 per cent of all assaults reported to local police are domestic violence related. Most local area commands have experienced an increase in the number of incidents reported to police. Hopefully that is because of the great work our police and also members of our community are doing in encouraging people to report these assaults.

But I am proud to say a number of organisations and individuals in my local area are working very hard to spread the message that violence against women and children is unacceptable. The number of those organisations is growing, but I would like to refer to two of them. The Liverpool Women's Resource Centre recently celebrated its 30th anniversary of supporting and empowering disadvantaged women in south-west Sydney. They have been involved in building capacity and reducing social isolation through a number of projects showcasing the talents and power of local women. They do an extraordinary job and I hope they continue well into the future.

I would also acknowledge the Bonnie Women's Refuge, another organisation providing vital support to local women and children experiencing and escaping from domestic violence. This not-for-profit organisation in south-west Sydney goes to great lengths to engage with the community and to aid the delivery of violence protection strategies that focus on activities which address the factors contributing to the violence in the first place. It should be noted that they also provide short-term crisis accommodation, prevention and early management of violence, among other useful services that they have been doing over the last 37 years now.

Domestic violence is the single biggest cause of homelessness for women in this country. At the moment one in every two women attempting to access these services is turned away, and this is due, regrettably, to the cuts to homelessness services. I would also like to acknowledge in the time I have left the work of a good friend of mine, a local teacher, Paula Keyes. Last week she organised a domestic violence forum in Liverpool to raise awareness of this very important issue. As a White Ribbon Day ambassador, I commend Paula for her initiative.

I acknowledge that the Liverpool and Fairfield migrant resource centres are also holding their annual domestic violence forums to mark tomorrow as White Ribbon Day. Tomorrow we should all stand together as members of this place and take the oath never to commit violence and never to excuse or remain silent when it comes to violence against women and children.

Photo of Ross VastaRoss Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Photo of Graham PerrettGraham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Yes.

11:28 am

Photo of Ann SudmalisAnn Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

This morning I joined my parliamentary colleague the Hon. Michaelia Cash, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women, along with police commissioners of Australia and New Zealand to stand together against violence towards women and children. One in three women over 15 has already experienced physical violence and one in five has experienced some form of sexual violence. One Australian woman is murdered every week by a partner or former partner.

These awful statistics are the kind that most of us would prefer to sweep under the carpet, described this morning as 'Australia's dirty little secret'. Every person in every family deserves a life of safety and free of violence. It is a sad truth that many young people in our community grow up seeing violence as a way of life. Almost one in three children raised in a violent household has admitted actually witnessing violence against one of their parents.

For a long time violence against women and violence in the home has been treated as a 'don't ask, don't tell' issue. Today I am proud to stand in this House with very clear bipartisan support to say that this culture must end. It is no longer okay to turn a blind eye, or to sweep this important issue for Australia under the carpet.

Just yesterday we had a community gathering in Harry Sawkins Park: one of our local journalists, who has been a champion of this cause for many years, Damien McGill; many members of our Zonta Club of Berry, whose mission is to improve outcomes for women and children, organised by Fran Smith; Waminda, one of our local women's Indigenous advocacy and service provider groups; Duncan Nisbet, a teacher and the local White Ribbon Ambassador; and Adam from the Equal Playing Field program. Uncle Arthur Wellington spoke from the heart, and gave welcome to country. Duncan then described the 900 man-only gathering in 2009, and the continuing work with young men and youth in schools, and then asked those men present to make their pledge by saying: 'I swear never to commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women. This is my oath.' He then told the story of the initiative where 14 handbags were left with their contents on the footpath to illustrate the issue of women killed due to domestic violence. Near these handbags were contents with such statements as: 'this is her lipstick which she will never wear down', 'these are photos of her children who she will never see grow up' and 'those are the appointment cards for appointments that she will never attend'. This was a poignant and powerful image, and made so much worse when we were told that lives lost to domestic violence last year could only be symbolised with 52 pairs of shoes—one pair for each woman. These deaths were caused by someone who once loved them. I truly despair that what was once love turns to frustration, hate and violence.

Each of us needs to put every ounce of our ability towards supporting community groups, who work so effectively with these families. This is true in the regions especially, where much of the additional work is facilitated by hours and hours of volunteers' time. Just two weeks ago, the Shoalhaven Women's Health Centre celebrated 30 years of effective operation with exactly this combination of professional and volunteer help for women. Tracy Lumb, the manager, asked only that when funding was considered by government, successful small groups in the regions would not be consumed by large groups, who very often do not have the deep insights that smaller groups have, and who often do not put in the volunteer hours.

This government takes the issue of family violence very seriously. I was shocked to discover that family violence actually costs us around $8 billion a year. A number of initiatives across all arms of government have steadily increased the support to combat this terrible blight on our community. These include an additional $1 million for the White Ribbon campaign, and implementing the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. That is a national plan from 2010 to 2022. We have just released the Second Action Plan of the strategy: a united and strong message. This means $3.3 million for CrimTrac to develop and test a prototype for a national Domestic Violence Order scheme; $1.7 million to take the next steps in developing a national family violence data collection service; and $1 million for 1800RESPECT, Australia's first national professional telephone and online counselling service.

Deputy Speaker, it is important to acknowledge that this is truly an issue of bipartisanship. The Parliamentarians Against Family Violence group, founded by Ken Wyatt, Andrew Broad and Tim Watts, is a clear symbol of our joint commitment, and shows that all sides politics can and will work together for a better outcome on this issue. We must also expand the support of non-violence towards women and children to be the support of non-violence towards families—to have that equity, and so that we do not leave certain sectors out of the question just because of gender. We must work collectively to reduce violence in our families, both here in Australia and around the world. We have both a duty and a responsibility. (Time expired)

11:33 am

Photo of Michelle RowlandMichelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications) Share this | | Hansard source

So often, we as local members stand in this place and talk about the things that we are rightly proud of in our local communities. There is one stain on my local community that I am not proud of, and that is that for the year to June 2013, Blacktown recorded the highest number of domestic assaults in New South Wales, with 1,963 incidents reported that year. Whilst for the year to June 2014 the domestic assault count dropped to 1,916, I hardly think that that statistic is a cause for celebration. This is an issue that all of us in our local communities should be concerned about.

Whilst today in this parliament we commemorate and express our support not only for victims of family violence but also for support groups, I want to acknowledge a local event that is being conducted at the same time in my home town of Blacktown; that is, what has become our annual Blacktown White Ribbon Day breakfast. I want to acknowledge Blacktown Workers Club, the Blacktown Local Area Command, Gold Crest Security, the Outer West Domestic Violence Network, and the WASH House, for being the main sponsors of this event. It is an event which I know—if it is anything like previous years where I have been able to attend—attracts hundreds of people.

More importantly than that, I would like to go back to something that I am proud of—that is, the resilience and the commitment of the local community to continue to combat and raise awareness of family violence. I want to raise the issue of this event in Blacktown, the White Ribbon Day breakfast, but also a specific person in particular: Constable Genelle Warne, who got on her bike last year and rode nearly 200 kilometres from Newcastle to raise money for local victims of domestic violence and for local support groups. Constable Warne said the woman who had inspired her had witnessed and experienced terrible acts of domestic violence. These are Constable Warne's words: 'I said to her: because she had been so brave, I felt I had to raise awareness in my personal time.' They completed the ride last year, and I was very pleased to be amongst those to welcome them. I am also very pleased to acknowledge Constable Genelle Warne as recently having won the Field Operations award for her work with domestic violence victims. She is the Domestic Violence Liaison Officer at Blacktown, and she said—as all humble recipients do—that she had not expected to receive such an award. And again in her words: 'For me, it was to show my kids how dedication and compassion can pay off. I dedicated my win to the victims, and to the good officers at Blacktown.' So what did inspire Constable Warne? I will not go into too much detail because it is so graphic, but it was the torture of a woman who had experienced abuse for six years before she could even talk about it, and who said she still felt embarrassed and ashamed and did not even want her mother to know about it. Well, thanks to people like Constable Warne, the perpetrator is now receiving the retribution that they deserve.

I want to mention some other local initiatives that are taking place in the Greenway electorate and I want to commend Boronia Multicultural Services and the National Sikh Council of Australia who initiated a very important tool kit for raising awareness of domestic violence in our local Sikh communities called Domestic Bliss. I want to also mention two people who have had a great influence on my life and they are Michelle Hannon, the pro bono partner at Gilbert + Tobin lawyers and Susan Vogels, who coordinated the domestic violence women's advocacy service at the Downing Centre. In my 10 years as a solicitor I decided very early, thanks to the influence of those two people, that my pro bono work would be done for victims of domestic violence—I was not a litigator so it was the only time that I got to go to court. I could see in those 10 years the reality that it did not matter what background you came from, family violence touched everyone—everyone from Aboriginal women to a nondescript career professional whom I saw in a court room and whom I actually thought was another solicitor but she was actually a victim seeking support. Let us all remember what is on the back of the little card that comes with these ribbons—it could be your mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, partner or colleague that is a victim, and stopping this violence is everyone's responsibility.

11:38 am

Photo of Andrew NikolicAndrew Nikolic (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

As a husband, as a father of two grown daughters and as a White Ribbon ambassador from Tasmania I have great pleasure in speaking on this important motion. I commend the member for Gellibrand and the member for Fowler for moving it. White Ribbon Day tomorrow marks the 11th year of getting the message out that we have to do more to acknowledge, address and eliminate violence against women. We have to keep reminding our community of the sobering statistics and, while we have heard them this morning, I think it is worthwhile repeating them again. One in three Australian women over 15 will experience physical violence, one in five will experience sexual violence at some point in their life and an Australian woman will die every week from domestic violence, more than likely killed in her own home by her male partner. It is an equally sobering statistic that already in 2014 we have exceeded that weekly statistic.

Sadly, an overwhelming majority of women who experience physical and sexual violence do not report it. Often it is because of the perceived lack of options to escape the violence. Imagine how awful the situation must be if putting up with the violence is somehow a better option than escaping it. I know from my younger years the pain that this sort of violence can inflict, not just on the innocent female victim but more often than not on the extended members of the family and more often than not on the children in those families. I have seen the effects of the violence more recently in visits to women's shelters in my electorate of Bass, where the somehow intractable nature of this problem seems to persist despite our best efforts—it clearly illustrates that we have to do more.

Thankfully, most men do not commit violence against women and they exercise the sort of respect that we should take for granted in Australia in 2014. But it is nevertheless men—a small cohort of men—who cause women and children to experience pain and often homelessness, to experience the sort of shame and hopelessness that we have heard about this morning, for reasons that make no sense and that no person in this country in 2014 should ever accept. The consequences of this violence are unacceptably high social and economic costs, costs that will only grow unless attitudes and behaviours change. I believe the male-dominated nature of the problem imposes a special obligation on us men to do more in response. I encourage men to take the pledge to wear the white ribbon and to share in that collective commitment, that strong collective countenance, that we will stop violence by men against women.

I am pleased to say that, in my hometown of Launceston, we have a strong group of White Ribbon Ambassadors who are determined to make a difference. Led by our chairman, Warwick Cuthbertson, with influencers like mayor Albert Van Zetten, headmasters like Stephen Norris, treasurer Peter Gutwein, Senator Stephen Parry, and the wonderful Carol Fuller amongst others, it is a group that punches above its weight in advocating for change on this important issue. This year, apart from the usual window displays, balloons and banners, we have a Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event where you will see men making the effort to walk in ladies heels through Launceston's Brisbane Street Mall, quite literally walking a mile in a woman's shoes. It is led by my mate and fellow Lions club member and Northern Tasmanian White Ribbon Ambassador, Phil Crowden. Several high profile men are involved including the CEO of the Tasmanian Health Organisation, John Kirwan, and the Tasmania Fire Service chief, Mike Brown. I mention my friend John Kirwan, who, as head of the Launceston General Hospital, sees a lot of the sad results of domestic violence in my community.

Violence against women requires leadership by influencers in our society, as well as grassroots cultural change. We need people to speak out not just on White Ribbon Day but at every opportunity. I encourage people to visit the White Ribbon website at www.whiteribbon.org.au to see how they can make a difference. The resources on this site contain useful material for those who need help, particularly contact numbers, and there is help for women if they want to escape a violent situation. It also contains advice and strategies for how we can help someone who is experiencing violence.

Again, I commend the members for Gellibrand and Fowler and the other speakers for giving this issue well-deserved attention and I encourage everyone around the country, particularly men, to rally around this important cause.

Photo of Russell BroadbentRussell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

All strength to the arm of the men who are going to walk a mile in high heels—I assure you I could not.

11:44 am

Photo of Laurie FergusonLaurie Ferguson (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

At the outset, I congratulate the staff of Liverpool station, who held a White Ribbon event last Friday. I regret my inability to attend. The figures are indeed horrific—whether it is the 24 women in New South Wales killed in 2013 through domestic violence or the reality that 42 per cent of all of that state's homicides are related to domestic conflict. What is seriously concerning to us is the fact that the problem is underestimated—64 per cent of women who have experienced physical assault and 81 per cent of women who have experienced sexual assault have not reported it to police, according to surveys. And it is disturbing that the level of reporting by people from a non-English-speaking background is only half that of the rest of the Australian population. That is not a credible statistic, so what we are talking about is significant underreporting among migrant communities and, of course, a lesser access to the various organisations that assist. Despite the fact that we have that underreporting, there has been growth of 3.3 per cent in domestic assault in the official statistics despite a general downturn in criminal offences. In a situation where there is underreporting, debates like this and the White Ribbon activities increase public awareness and help people to come forward to reveal this issue.

I think it is worth commending the police force in regard to that uplift in reporting. I had the opportunity to go to the South-West Sydney Pacific Islanders Organisation domestic violence event recently. There I heard the Macquarie Fields police actually admit that in the past the police had had a bit of a tendency not to take this issue seriously enough, but they have made major efforts locally to ensure that they are more responsive. So the picture we have is that there is serious underreporting, particularly in non-English-speaking background communities where there are patriarchal and community aspects, but at the same time a lift in overall reporting possibly because of more police awareness.

I commend Dr Sharman Stone, from the government side of politics, who is playing a regional role in regard to this matter as the chair of the women's standing committee of the Asia Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development. I recently had an the opportunity to attend with Dr Sharman Stone a conference in Cambodia around a number of related issues—underage marriage, trafficking of women and domestic violence. While we can be critical of the downturn in Australia's foreign aid, it is good to see that it is focused on women's issues in our region and the way Australian tax dollars are working against domestic violence in the Pacific and Asia. It was good to see in Cambodia that some countries are responsible enough to tell the truth about their problems. I was particularly impressed with the reports from Bangladesh and East Timor. They pulled no punches in regard to the monstrous obstacles they have to overcome with these problems. I have been very critical of Cambodia on human rights, but there has been a real effort by the government of Cambodia in regard to combating domestic violence. They have put money in and worked with Australia and other countries. They have a program called Good Men, which indicates to men that there are better aspects of your lifestyle and image than macho aggressiveness. That program is working very well. I commend Sharman Stone for playing a very important role on this front.

This issue can deeply affect all of us. The most memorable situation I have had was being asked by one friend to meet a young girl whose mother was gunned down in public outside Parramatta court by her estranged husband in front of about 10 immigration department employees who have been traumatised for decades since. That woman put to me her absolute terror that her father would be released from jail. But the most telling words she said to me were that, throughout the entire period that her mother had been separated from her father, her mother and her family lived a life of terror to the point that she was thankful that her mother had been murdered; life was just so bad. This problem was exacerbated by managers and employees of the Commonwealth Bank giving the husband the details of changes of address by the family so that he could follow them and pursue them. This is probably an extreme example but we are all aware that there has to be a national effort, there has to be people vocal about it. We commend people in our electorates working on this issue every day of the year.

11:49 am

Photo of Karen McNamaraKaren McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I have previously spoken in this House on family violence and subjects such as sexual assault and mental health. I have done so because these issues are important to me and my communities within the electorate of Dobell. Today I rise in support of the motion by the member for Gellibrand regarding the lack of attention and public debate given to the issue of family violence and the importance of a bipartisan approach in addressing this complex issue. I fully support the member on his motion.

It is no secret that the impact of family violence is devastating. Last week we saw the tragic death of a New South Wales woman at the hands of her husband. Violence in the home is unacceptable and we must never become complacent about this issue. There is no excuse for violence in the home. The consequences for victims of family violence go beyond physical injuries, trauma and fear. The victims also experience social and economic isolation, mental health problems and, for many, homelessness. Many children of family violence suffer dramatically. They often experience problems with their peers. They demonstrate aggressive and/or withdrawn behaviour and experience a reduced sense of personal safety. Sadly, in later adult relationships, they regard violence is normal. Hence, the cycle is repeated. Additionally the child's brain development can be impeded. A cycle of violence and control at home feeds fear and insecurity, resulting in a skewed perception of themselves and the world.

And then there is the tier of domestic violence—the consequences for the community. With impacts such as reduced empathy for victims and a sense of hopelessness and social destabilisation, it is imperative that we as community representatives take a stand to raise awareness of this issue and reinforce that there is no shame in speaking out. The statistics indicate that one in three Australian women experiences physical violence from the age of 15 and almost one in five women experiences sexual violence. As a society, this is completely unacceptable. I would like to quote from the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children, which was launched by the Labor government in 2010. It states: 'No government or group can tackle this problem alone.' That statement has never been more pertinent than it is today. The second action plan is currently being implemented to increase community involvement in actions to prevent family violence and sexual assault. This government's allocation of $100 million to execute this second action plan and the continuation of the fight to stop violence against women and children is further example of the bipartisan approaches taken to combat this debilitating social issue.

As government representatives it is imperative that we support legislative means whereby practical measures can be implemented to protect the safety and wellbeing of victims of family violence. It is also imperative that the three arms of government—in particular, the judiciary—work together to strengthen the message to perpetrators of family violence that their actions are unacceptable and illegal.

Suggested practical steps to assist victims of family violence include amending the Family Law Act to ensure that victims of family violence are supported while dealing with bonus legal and financial impacts, and having complementary rather than opposing relationships between state domestic violence legislation and federal family law legislation. The commitment, under the second national action plan, to implement a national domestic violence order scheme to ensure that domestic violence orders are recognised across jurisdictions is encouraging. This is imperative to ensure that victims fleeing family violence interstate receive the same protection throughout all Australian jurisdictions.

Simple solutions advocated by support services who deal with family violence on a daily basis should be rationally assessed and considered for implementation. Direct strategies to ease costs incurred by family violence victims, particularly for those who are isolated from the family home, assets and personal networks, should be implemented. Incorporating evidence in court proceedings regarding the history of a relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, in addition to consideration of research and evidence regarding trauma experienced by victims of family violence, should be standard. Access for children to court appointed children's solicitors and barristers and the automatic provision of evidence via video link should be commonplace and routine.

Creating a safer community for Dobell and the Central Coast is something that I take seriously in my role as a federal member. Only by the continual effort to raise awareness of family violence and its consequences can we begin to acknowledge the magnitude of the problem and implement positive and lasting change. Unfortunately, we in Dobell have the second-highest rate of family violence in New South Wales and we are in the top 10 in Australia.

The strongest three words that can be spoken to a woman suffering domestic violence are: I believe you. I acknowledge the bipartisan actions of all members of this House to tackle family violence and create a safer place for women and children. I commend this motion to the House.

11:54 am

Photo of Gai BrodtmannGai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | | Hansard source

I would like to begin by thanking the member for Gellibrand for moving this motion on a subject that is very close to my heart. I would also like to acknowledge his role in setting up, with the member for Hasluck, the Parliamentarians Against Family Violence group. It is really impressive to see men standing up the for an issue that so overwhelmingly impacts women. I commend them for that and I also commend the speakers on this motion today.

Violence against women in Australia is a deep rooted cultural problem and it is shocking. One in three women in Australia have experienced physical violence. Almost one in five has been subjected to sexual assault. And one woman is killed by her partner or former partner every week—every single week. Deputy Speaker Broadbent, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the work you have done in your community on this issue.

This violence has a number of names—it is domestic violence; it is family violence; it is intimate-partner violence—but the themes are always the same: physical, emotional and economic violence at the hands of someone you love. Family violence does not discriminate. It affects women of all ages, religions, races and socioeconomic backgrounds. In fact, just this morning a woman close to me told me that she has been a victim of domestic violence. That was quite a shock. She is a young woman—a beautiful woman—and she has been traumatised and abused by someone that she loves and that she trusted.

Violence against women is absolutely everywhere and it is crippling. Research shows that around two-thirds of women do not even contact police after being assaulted. These are smart women. These are strong women. Yet they are so crippled with fear that they cannot take action. Australia needs to come together as a country and take action for these women who are too afraid to speak out. Australia's leaders need to stand up and take action. Most of all, Australian men need to stand up and take action.

Changing the attitudes of men will take some time, so it is heartening to see important initiatives like the government funded White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation Program gaining traction. Already, 24 workplaces, including the Navy, the Army and the NRL, have signed up to the White Ribbon accreditation pilot program, with another 68 major organisations to follow suit. I am proud of the former Labor government's approach to this issue. The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children provides us with a clear framework for reducing violence against women. I again welcome the bipartisan approach we are seeing in the chamber.

I would also like to acknowledge the important work of the Chief of the Defence Force and, in particular, the Chief of Army, David Morrison, for the work they are doing to stamp out unacceptable behaviour in the ADF. In my electorate, I would like to thank Relationships Australia, a community based, not-for-profit organisation that has been providing relationship support services for more than 50 years. Programs run by Relationships Australia have led to a number of positive outcomes, including a reduction in family violence and conflict and a reduction in antisocial and violent behaviour in schools and the community.

Despite all of these positive steps, one-third of Australian women are still experiencing physical violence. This figure has not changed in a decade. Australia is crying out for cultural change. Family violence is a serious problem, deeply entrenched in the fabric of our society. But it is not just here in Australia that it is a problem. It is a global pandemic affecting people throughout the world. Violence against women is a human rights violation. We should not think of it as being just the way things are. It is a serious problem which can and must be prevented.

I underscore the fact that violence against women must stop. We have a responsibility to make sure that our laws and our policies are helping to stop the terrible crime of domestic violence. We must support the work of those organisations on the front line in our communities, and we need a holistic, coordinated response from the government on this issue. We need to see our legal services, housing services, health services, child protection services, police and courts work together to end violence against women.

We have a chance, with bipartisan support, to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Australian women. It will require men around the world to challenge the attitudes and behaviours of men who use or condone violence against women. We can only do it through a zero-tolerance approach and by calling out family violence when we see it, by uncovering and highlighting the fact that only weak men engage in this type of violence. (Time expired)

11:59 am

Photo of Jane PrenticeJane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

In the short time I have, I want to commend Zonta for their campaign 'Zonta Says NO' to help combat violence against women on an international scale. Since 1923 Zonta International have been striving to end violence against women by increasing the level of non-discriminatory education, guaranteeing women access to resources and representation on the same basis as men, and providing protection for women with one-stop medical, legal and social help by ensuring perpetrators of violence are held to account.

Debate interrupted.