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

( Madam Speaker Bishop, as this is my first address in this new, 44th Parliament of Australia, in the greatest nation in the world, I would like to congratulate you on your election to such high office. I have been intimately associated with you in and out of this House. In fact, we have had an in-and-out relationship. You have been going in and I have been going out on a number of occasions. I congratulate you and wish you all the best in your position as Speaker of this House and in the role that you will play.

I commend the member for Fowler for his motion today. I know that the member for Fowler has been consistently an advocate on behalf of women, especially with regard to violence against women. What I am about to say has been said too many times by too many others in this place and in other places: to hit a woman is unacceptable; to hit a woman is cowardly; to hit a women degrades the men of this nation.

I continue to be disgusted. We must find a way forward—not just for women who suffer through domestic violence but for their children. We must do it for people in schools, people in businesses and for relatives and friends—all of us. We are all diminished in this face of this. We are all made less by not being able to make it stop.

I have experienced a situation in my own business where this issue was hidden from the employer. I did not know that the woman on staff was not clumsy; there was an issue. When, like me, you come from a household where there is no domestic violence you have no idea that it occurs. You take that ignorance into the workplace and expect that domestic violence would never happen to your staff, that it would not happen in families. It does. The honourable member for Gippsland knows, like I do, that the reports from our collective electorates have been unacceptable to him and me. We are taking action, and I will come to that in a minute.

Violence against women is a cancer that gnaws at society and that seemingly and inexplicably is getting worse by the day. White Ribbon Day on 25 November is a day dedicated to raising awareness as well as eliminating violence against women across this nation. But, in a sense, every day should be White Ribbon Day. There needs to be a cultural shift in our attitude. This has been my desire—that across Gippsland and the seat of McMillan there will be a cultural shift that starts at kindergarten, through to junior football and cricket and soccer, where the men of this nation say to the junior men of this nation that this practice is unacceptable. It has to be not just a shift to a new government program with more money being spent on the issue when there is no change happening and we end up back in this place talking once again about the figures.

Whether it is in Eden-Monaro, coming down close to Gippsland, or anywhere else, this is not a rural issue—it is a country-city issue; it is a male issue. One of the best ads I ever saw was with the guys sitting in the bar and the other fellow comes in and says he straightened out the wife so he can stay with his mates, and they all just disown him. It is not just enough to disown him—there has to be a cultural shift. The tribe has to decide in each community, in each small town, in each group what is culturally acceptable, and domestic violence towards women is absolutely unacceptable. This has to be trained into the hearts and minds of our communities. Then we can grab hold of a cultural shift, determined that the people of this nation will say that this is a nation that has completely changed its attitude towards violence against women. The nation will change—Gippsland will change, South Gippsland will change, West Gippsland will change.

I am making this a local issue because it is happening in my area and it is happening in the member for Gippsland's area. It is on our patch. We see the results of it. Quite often the people who come to our members' offices do not tell us they are victims of domestic violence—they have just been evicted or are without a house and need some help; they are having trouble with their children and they need some help. Through my life I have had the great opportunity to deal with some amazing people who have raised funds themselves and have purchased houses and run organisations where women in fear could run to safety. If it is not in your family, you have no idea. If you are a truck driver on the road and it is not in your family, you have no idea. If you are a farmer in a family that has never experienced domestic violence, you have no idea. But those who are affected live in fear, live in pain, and give responses to their friends and colleagues and families that are unusual. Ask why do people respond like this; why do these children respond in such a manner?

I know there are new members of this House who will make magnificent contributions on women's issues and particularly domestic violence. I know the desire of the member for Fowler and the member for Gippsland and the member for Eden-Monaro, because we are connected—we have a desire to lead the way in this cultural shift so that members of this House look to Gippsland and say that we actually did something about it. We have white ribbons on today—we have to wear all sorts of things into this House and I wonder whether the world notices. I have signed a pledge that I will do all I can, make every endeavour, to have a cultural shift in Gippsland, in McMillan, and in Eden-Monaro, on violence against women so that there might be a deep maroon glow across the area that signifies that there has been a cultural shift—a cultural shift in the Latrobe Valley—and no longer will Ken Lay, the Chief Commissioner of Police in Victoria, bring us figures that show us that we have some of the worst areas. I want to come back and report to you, Speaker Bishop, that we have one of the best areas—and I will call you Madam Speaker from this time on! We are having a White Ribbon leaders breakfast. I went to some local people and they said that yes they would like to make a change. It is just a breakfast, but who is coming? Community leaders are coming, and we are beginning the cultural shift that will change a nation.

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