Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to discuss the important work done by the White Ribbon organisation. This Friday is White Ribbon Day. White Ribbon Australia is part of an international movement that engages men to provide strong leadership to stop violence against women. White Ribbon recognises that as men are the predominant perpetrators of violence against women it is men who should take a strong lead in preventing this violence.

Whilst it is true that only some men are violent, men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators of violence in the home. Australian police deal on average with one domestic violence matter every two minutes. That is 5,000 a week—a huge number by any standard. These are not just meaningless statistics. These statistics reflect real people. It could be your neighbour, your colleague or your friend. In 2016 approximately one women has been murdered each week by a current or previous partner and one in four women in Australia has experienced physical or sexual abuse from an intimate partner.

There are many factors that contribute to violence within the home and many obstacles to overcome in order to effect permanent change. There is no doubt that violence against women is deeply rooted in power imbalances that are reinforced by gender norms, gendered roles and stereotypes of how men and women should behave. This is why it is important that men show leadership in this space; that we have difficult conversations with our sons, with our brothers, with our fathers and with our friends; that we have difficult conversations about respect and about equality; and that we call out inappropriate comments, behaviours and attitudes. Men speaking to other men about violence against women is a powerful catalyst for change. These conversations are important, as are actions—actions by men in leadership positions advocating social policy change.

That being said, it is always important to remember that, as violence against women is fundamentally an issue created by men, a male-led group responding to this problem is in a delicate situation. It is reasonable to ask whether a problem that is caused by men is best solved by more men. I have some sympathy for this view and always try to scrutinise my own engagement with this issue through this lens. However, the sad reality is that many of the men who need to hear White Ribbon's message simply will not listen to it if a woman is the messenger. That is part of the problem.

So I do think that White Ribbon will always play an important part in this space, even if it is a role that does require continuous self-reflection. Given that men can be both part of the problem and part of the solution here, they carry special obligations when engaging in this debate. The first is to listen to the women around them about their experiences of gender inequality—experiences that we can, by definition, not understand firsthand. The second is to take responsibility for attitudes and actions that perpetuate gender inequality and, as a result, men's violence against women.

Family violence has progressed an enormous deal in the time that I have been a member of this parliament—just the last three years—through high-profile cases and the tireless work of advocates and community groups such as White Ribbon, but there is so much more to be done. Organisations like White Ribbon fight for the elimination of violence against women in our communities, and I am proud that many of the community institutions in my electorate are active White Ribbon ambassadors and activists. Two that come readily to mind are the Western Bulldogs football team, who played in a White Ribbon-branded game this year, this year being their first premiership year in some time, and also the DONS, the Dads of Newport & Surrounds, a fathers group supporting each other as new fathers in Newport, a suburb in my electorate, and supporting their partners becoming new mothers. They got together an enormous fundraiser last year and raised many thousands of dollars for White Ribbon off their own initiative. We had a gala ball at the substation at Newport. It was a very encouraging thing to see.

It is encouraging because these are organic initiatives in our community. They are not top-down driven; they are men taking responsibility and taking action within their community, and that is what White Ribbon is really for. Through education, awareness raising, creative partnerships and preventative programs, White Ribbon provides the tools for men to stop violence against women in their community and beyond.

As a member of parliament, I have drawn heavily on the hard-won experience and expertise of activists like White Ribbon. As the convener of the federal Parliamentarians Against Family Violence Friendship Group, I have tried to provide a platform for voices to be heard in the corridors of power. I am pleased to stand with them and fight for them.

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