Ali France (Dickson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The date 25 November marks the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the start of 16 days of activism against gender based violence. The statistics are sobering. I, too, join with my colleagues to acknowledge all those who have lost a loved one as a result of gender based violence. One in four women and one in 14 men have experienced violence from an intimate partner. Women with a disability are more than twice as likely to experience sexual violence. These are not just numbers. They represent lives shattered and trauma.

Recently, I met Lauren at a mobile office I held in Petrie. Lauren bravely shared with me her long and harrowing experience of domestic and family violence. Lauren's ordeal began in 2015 when her partner harmed her baby at just three months old. He was charged and incarcerated. But, for Lauren, that was only the beginning. She told me about the lack of support she received from police and the hospital. She was doing everything she could to protect her child, but the system made her feel like the criminal. After that, Lauren endured further violence and coercion from another partner. She became homeless. She fought court battles. Her child was placed into care. At one point, that abusive partner took out a domestic violence order against her, a move that prevented her from completing her nursing studies and left her as a single mother with significant student debt. Lauren told me that, at one stage, she stole petrol because she couldn't afford to fill up her car.

Lauren's story is heartbreaking, but what is even more confronting is that her story is not unique. There are thousands of Laurens across this country, women who are doing everything they can to protect themselves and their children yet find themselves trapped in systems that compound their trauma instead of alleviating it. Lauren's trauma reminds us that gender based violence is not just about physical harm. It is about power, control and the structures that allow abuse to persist. It is about the barriers that women face when they seek help—the fear of not being believed, the shame of being judged, finding a new home and the crushing weight of navigating complex legal and child protection systems while trying to survive.

The Albanese Labor government is committed to changing this. Since coming to government, Labor has invested more than any Australian government ever, more than $4 billion, in frontline services and preventive programs. We made the $5,000 leaving violence payment permanent, providing support for women leaving violence. We are investing in emergency accommodation and legislated 10 days domestic violence leave. Importantly, we expanded discretion for Centrelink so perpetrators can't use the social security system to leave survivors with tens of thousands of dollars in debt. And we have reformed the family law system so that it is safer, simpler and more accessible. But we know there is more we need to do. We know this because women are still dying, and fighting to keep themselves and their children alive and safe.

We're committed to making changes to prevent perpetrators from using the tax and social security systems for coercive control or financial abuse. We must ensure that, when women like Lauren reach out for help, they are met with compassion and tangible support. Lauren said something to me that has stayed with me. She said, 'The shame I felt was indescribable.' No woman should ever feel that way for seeking help, and every child has the right to grow up safe. I commend this motion to the House.

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