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

Five women have been killed, eight children have lost their mother, and it's only 37 days into 2024. It's a catastrophic start. Fifty-plus women were killed in family and domestic violence incidents last year—harrowing figures. Action, not announcements, is what's needed. Promising and underdelivering is the DNA of this Albanese government. When the Albanese government wanted your vote, it promised 500 frontline workers to deal with family violence. Right now, only a very small number of these people who help families keep safe are actually on the front line—hardly any! Australians have been let down. Women, children and vulnerable people have been let down. Those who work in this sector to help, protect and assist those fleeing violence have been let down.

I've asked this government about progress and got next to nothing. I wrote to relevant state and territory ministers and got two responses with no detail. There is no real progress. True to form, it was a headline-grabbing number without impact or substance. On 27 November, the PM, the man who said his word was his bond, told us:

My government is taking immediate and practical action … We've delivered on our commitment of new frontline and community sector workers to support victims-survivors.

But the facts are that, 16 months later, in Western Australia they're still calling for expressions of interest, and in my home state of South Australia there is just one new frontline worker. In other states, they reckon it'll be early 2024. This sector is critical of the funding criteria that allows them to respond to significant and immediate need. Five hundred frontline workers was what the Albanese government promised us. They promised that. As with your promises, you have failed Australians again. In this case, Australian lives, the lives of children, the lives of families and the lives of people living in communities have depended on that promise, and you've broken it.