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

When I was young, the only red flags that I knew about were the ones that I had to swim between at the beach. There were no conversations about what a bad relationship looked like. Gen X women like me grew up seeing misogyny and disrespect on our tellies, in our workplaces and in many of the relationships around us. We didn't use the word gaslighting; we didn't know what it was. What we got was: 'You're too sensitive. You're crazy. You're overreacting.' And we got it all the time.

Now, in my 50s, I'm so gutted by the rising rates of family violence and the influence of the manosphere. Hard won progress is being eroded. In November, we delivered a 40 per cent funding boost—an additional $41 million—to 1800RESPECT because we know it saves lives. We've made the $5,000 leaving family violence payment permanent. We're funding men's behaviour change programs and we are investing $1.2 billion in housing for victims of family violence—incredibly important.

We also have a responsibility, everyone does, in our daily interactions to talk about good and bad relationships. While many will celebrate Valentine's Day on Saturday, please wave the red flag if you've got hot-and-cold energy, love bombing, location tracking, relationship cycling, situationships. Wave the red flag for your friends and your family members and loved ones.

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