Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House notes that:

(1)

25 November 2008 marks White Ribbon Day in Australia;

(2)

in 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the White Ribbon has become the symbol for the day; and

(3)

the White Ribbon Foundation of Australia aims to eliminate violence against women by promoting culture change around the issue.

Tomorrow, 25 November, marks White Ribbon Day, which is the United Nations Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The white ribbon campaign is led by men who are willing to take a stand and be positive role models to other men in the community. The aim of the White Ribbon Foundation of Australia is to eliminate violence against women by promoting culture change around this issue—that is, by men being role models for other men and boys. In 1991, White Ribbon Day was created by a group of Canadian men on the second anniversary of a man massacring 14 women in Montreal. They began the white ribbon campaign to urge men to speak out against violence against women. The major strategies used to achieve this are a national media campaign, education and male leadership programs aimed at men and boys around Australia. Today a number of men from all walks of life are leading the way and are uniting to become white ribbon ambassadors and to stand up and say no to violence against women.

As a white ribbon ambassador, I can tell you that it is not just women pushing the issue as victims of domestic violence; it is also men challenging society and saying that it is damaging and it is destructive. There are now over 230 ambassadors Australia-wide, including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The patron is Sir William Deane, former Governor-General of Australia, and the chair is Andrew O’Keefe from the Channel 7 game show Deal Or No Deal. Tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of white ribbons will be worn by men and women across Australia to demonstrate their support for the campaign. It is time for men to become involved. Unfortunately, as a community we have often turned a blind eye to what happens in our neighbourhoods, in our streets and even in our neighbours’ homes. We do not want to be seen to be interfering in other people’s affairs. But it is our responsibility as a community to do something. If we saw someone being assaulted on the street, we would call the police, and we should do the same thing if it is our next-door neighbour being assaulted, because assault is assault, regardless of whether it is in your next-door neigh-bour’s home or out in the street.

In the last few decades we have heard more people speaking out about violence against women, and this is a good thing. Violence against women is a community issue. Cultural attitudes are shaped when people are young, often through the attitudes of people that they admire. Many of us would have been standing around—for example, many of us blokes—at a barbecue, when somebody has said something derogatory about women, and you may have just laughed or shrugged your shoulders. This should be the opportunity to raise the issue of why it is inappropriate. It is about men taking leadership and providing guidance about the correct way to act. Well-known male role models speaking publicly against violence is one campaign I believe will work.

We should note here that the Australian government has placed the issue of domestic violence firmly on the national agenda. On 26 May 2008, the Australian government announced the establishment of a national council that was given the responsibility of drafting a national plan to reduce violence against women and children. The formation of a national council and the development of a national plan are significant steps forward for Australia, and the Rudd government should be commended for placing this issue on the national agenda.

I know that every one of us here believes that violence against women is completely unacceptable. Worryingly, just recently a new report showed that up to half of all young people have seen or heard emotional or psychological violence used against their mothers or stepmothers. The report An assault on our future is a survey of 5,000 12- to 20-year-olds. It shows that one in four 12- to 20-year-olds has seen an act of physical violence between their parents or step-parents, with significant impact on their health and wellbeing as a result. The report also notes the violence-tolerant views of boys, with 31 per cent believing ‘it’s not a big deal to hit a girl’. One in seven thought ‘it’s OK to make a girl have sex with you if she was flirting’. These are shocking results. Nearly one in three boys—32 per cent—believes ‘most physical violence occurs because the partner provoked it’. These are attitudes that we have to change, and we in this place have a role to ensure that we change these attitudes. (Time expired)

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