John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Gellibrand for bringing forward this essential debate. This coming Friday is White Ribbon Day, the international day for the elimination of violence against women. I am honoured to be an ambassador for this cause. Each year, ambassadors restate their oath, and I will say it again here: I pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women. It is not a long pledge; it is not a complex statement; and it is not a demanding request. To be honest, it should be so banal, such obvious common sense, that it should not need to be said at all, and yet, sadly, it is a pledge we must repeat annually to remind ourselves of the terrible spectre of domestic violence in our country.

As if the concept of domestic violence were not repulsive enough, the figures underline just how prevalent it is in our society today. A woman dies at the hands of a current or former partner nearly every week. One woman in three has experienced physical violence since the age of 15. One woman in five has experienced sexual violence. One woman in four has experienced emotional abuse by a current or former partner. More than half of the women who have experienced violence had children in their care when the violence occurred. Many millions of women in this country have been touched by domestic violence. This must stop.

The sad fact of domestic violence in Australia is that, rather than being perpetrated by strangers on the street, women who are at risk of violence are more likely to experience it in their own homes by men they know. I firmly believe that men are not naturally violent. Violent and abusive behaviours are learnt. Sadly, for some violence, it is a way of expressing masculinity, or sometimes it simply comes from a complete lack of respect for women. All men must develop respectful relationships with women, and we must be an example to other men. We must treat women with respect and as equals. Words can damage, and we must consider our language as well as our actions and how they can be interpreted.

White Ribbon campaign is one of the world's largest movements to raise awareness and funds for the prevention of violence perpetrated against women. Critically, it is a male-led movement. It engages and empowers men and boys to be leaders in a change of attitudes and behaviours. Violence, most obviously, damages the victim but it also carries a profound impact on the wider community, and individuals carry physical and psychological scars for years, if not decades, to come. I am very happy to say that domestic violence has been at the forefront of the coalition's agenda since we came to office in 2013, and we have built momentum around the issue.

The first act of the Turnbull government was to announce a $100 million Women's Safety Package, which focused on practical, immediate action to keep women and children safe, as well as improving training for frontline workers. Just last month, the government co-hosted the COAG national summit on reducing violence against women and their children. This summit brought together first ministers, women's safety ministers, academics and experts in domestic and family violence, and leaders in the business and not-for-profit sectors to review progress and highlight best practices in efforts to reduce violence.

At the summit, COAG launched the Third Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022. This includes $100 million committed for the preventative strategies and cultural change, for frontline services like housing and financial support, to prevent forms of sexual violence and to address family violence in Indigenous communities and $30 million for frontline family violence legal services. These funds and initiatives represent a big commitment from the government to ending the scourge of domestic violence. I, with everyone involved in the implementation, hope that together we can make a difference.

I would like to end with the same words that I said for the speech for White Ribbon Day last year. I fear I may need to say it for many more years to come, but the words bear repeating.

Attitudes must change: violence against a partner is never excusable. No matter how intense relationships may get, violence is never the answer, and victims of abuse must know that it is never their fault. I say to all men: the most masculine, the most manly thing you can do is always to respect your partner.

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