Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Tomorrow is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and it also marks the start of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Labor stands with the millions of women and children whose lives have been shaped by fear, coercion and abuse. Ending gender-based violence is not aspirational; it is urgent, it is necessary and it is achievable.

Before entering parliament, I spent my career working with victims-survivors as a domestic violence lawyer, as a founder of Australia's first dedicated domestic violence law firm, as the CEO of Basic Rights Queensland and as principal lawyer at Women's Legal Service Queensland. I've sat in court where I have seen 90 domestic violence matters a day, I've seen the intergenerational impact of abuse and I've supported women navigating complex systems at the very moment their lives were at risk. I bring their voices into my work every day, but especially during these 16 days of global advocacy.

The Albanese Labor government has delivered the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and their Children, a blueprint to end violence in one generation. Labor has backed this plan with over $4 billion for prevention services, housing and long-term change. We've legislated 10 days of paid domestic violence leave; invested $1 billion in crisis and transitional housing, including 24 new homes in my electorate of Bonner, in Wynnum Manly and Mount Gravatt; we've made the leaving violence payment permanent, giving women escaping abuse up to $5,000; and we've acted to prevent government debts being weaponised, because financial abuse affects 43 Australian women every hour. That is what systemic change looks like.

But today I want to talk about one of the most dangerous and least understood forms of gender-based violence: non-fatal strangulation. It is not a minor assault. It is not a moment of loss of control. It is a red-flag predictor of homicide. When a woman is strangled by a partner, even once, her risk of later being killed by him increases by up to 800 per cent. Yet strangulation often leaves no visible injury, allowing perpetrators to avoid accountability and victims to be disbelieved.

Research shows that even brief oxygen deprivation can cause traumatic brain injury, memory loss, cognitive impairment, depression and anxiety, and long-term neurological damage. Repeated strangulation can change the structure of the brain itself, and now violent pornography is mainstreaming strangulation as normal sexual behaviour, despite medical experts confirming there is no safe way to strangle someone. A recent UK government review found that violent pornography is directly contributing to the rise of choking in sexual encounters, especially amongst young men, shaping expectations and distorting consent. The UK is now moving to criminalise pornography depicting strangulation and to require tech platforms to block it, because children who view violent pornography are three to six times more likely to display harmful, coercive sexual behaviour. These harms demand urgent national attention.

Leading the national conversation on non-fatal strangulation is the Red Rose Foundation based in my electorate of Bonner. They have been a driving force behind recognising strangulation as a distinct and serious offence, educating police, courts, medical professionals and frontline workers; building community awareness about the signs of injuries; delivering specialist trauma support for survivors; and pushing for stronger laws around coercive control. The Red Rose Foundation has changed the national understanding of this crime. Their advocacy helped establish non-fatal strangulation offences in law in Queensland, their training is equipping professionals to identify brain injury and coercive control, and their message is clear and unequivocal. Strangulation is a lethal form of violence. There is no safe level, no safe way and no context that makes it acceptable. During these 16 days of activism, I honour their leadership and recommit to supporting their work

This year we have seen 62 women murdered. Labor continues to stand with those still living in fear, and we amplify the voices of those who have survived. Ending gender based violence must be a national mission, and together we can end it within a generation.

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