Jodie Belyea (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I share with the House the vital work contained in the yearly report of the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission. Too many Australians have felt the deep and lasting impact of gender based violence: mothers, sisters, daughters, sons, colleagues, neighbours and friends. Violence does not discriminate. It cuts across suburbs, incomes, cultures and generations. Tragically, in Dunkley we know this reality all too well. My electorate carries some of the highest rates of domestic, family and sexual violence in the country, and that is why I set up the Women's Spirit Project to support women to heal and recover from such trauma.

I want to begin by acknowledging the victims and survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence. I want to acknowledge their pain, their grief, their strength and their determination to rebuild their lives in the face of unimaginable trauma. For many, walking through the doors of a refuge, a police station or a courtroom, or reaching out to a friend, is an act of enormous courage. I honour every single person who has done that and every person who is still trying to find the strength to do it today.

In 2022 the Albanese Labor government launched the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children, a coordinated whole-of-nation effort bringing together the Commonwealth, every state and territory, frontline services experts and, most importantly, victims-survivors. The plan was launched because too many lives were being lost, too many children were growing up in fear and too many women were being failed by systems meant to protect them.

In 2024, one woman was killed every eight days due to domestic and family violence. In 2025, 74 women were killed by a partner or former partner. These are not statistics; they are women whose lives were cut short and who should still be here. The reality remains stark. One in four women has experienced violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15. One in five women has been the victim of sexual violence. These figures represent real people—people with families, dreams, careers and lives that have been irrevocably changed forever. They demand not only our attention but our action.

Last year, the commission's report was presented by Minister Plibersek with the strong support of the Attorney-General, Minister Rowland, and Assistant Minister Kearney. A critical outcome of this report is the announcement of the inquiry into domestic, family and sexual violence related suicide. I spoke in the chamber in November last year to express my support for this inquiry. My support is grounded not just in my work over decades in the sector but in my own lived experience of domestic and family violence. I have known the fear, the confusion and the deep shame that can suffocate a person until they believe they have no way out. If we fail to understand the link between gender based violence and suicide, then we fail those who most need our help.

The Albanese Labor government recognises this and is acting decisively. We have been persistent and consistent, taking the most significant suite of actions any government in our nation's history has taken to address gender based violence. We introduced leaving violence payments to support people escaping unsafe situations, recognising that financial control is often one of the strongest tools used by abusers to trap victims. We have committed $4 billion to tackling violence against women. That investment reflects our strong belief that safety is not optional; it is fundamental. We are also responding to the rise in digital abuse. Under the leadership of the Attorney-General and the Minister for Communications, Australia is now taking global leadership in reducing online harms, restricting dangerous technologies such as nudify apps and covert tracking devices, strengthening protections for young people online and backing measures that hold platforms to account for enabling abuse.

In 2024, the Prime Minister convened an urgent National Cabinet focused solely on gender based violence. That sent a clear message. This is not a women's issue. This is not a private issue. This is a national crisis, and every level of government must respond with urgency. As part of this investment, we have delivered $700 million in matching funding with the states and territories to improve frontline services, so when a woman makes the decision to flee, she is met not with a waiting list but with a safe place to go. We are investing $21 million to expand trauma informed specialist legal services and pilot new victim navigator roles to help those experiencing sexual violence find their way through complex legal systems. Through the National Access to Justice Partnership, the government has committed $3.9 billion, including $800 million specifically for family violence legal services. We are also strengthening the response to high-risk offenders, with $82 million to better detect, monitor and intervene in the behaviours of serial domestic violence perpetrators, because we know a small cohort of men commit the most serious and repeated harm. Because children are too often invisible victims of domestic violence, we are investing $81 million to expand child focused counselling and recovery programs. Every child deserves a childhood. Every child deserves to feel safe.

We must also confront the painful truth that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women face higher rates of violence. They are 33 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence and up to seven times more likely to be killed. This is unacceptable. It is heartbreaking and it is preventable. That is why we are finalising 'Our Ways—Strong Ways—Our Voices', the first standalone national plan designed by and for First Nations people to end domestic, family and sexual violence. Its strength lies in its cultural authority and in its grounding in community led solutions. Today was yet another milestone by this government, delivering a 72 per cent boost for our frontline family, domestic and sexual violence workforce and an additional $291 million for the next phase of the 500 Workers Initiative. This funding will ensure the sustainability and security of critical workforce and recognises the specialist skills and expertise needed for women and children fleeing violence. As the Minister for Social Services affirmed today, these workers are a vital part of our response to domestic and sexual violence. They are at the front line, saving lives every day.

We also know that, for many victims, the risk of suicide is heightened by fear, isolation, financial stress and trauma—by feeling trapped in situations where every option seems unsafe. This national inquiry helps us better understand these risks and build pathways that save lives. No-one should feel unsafe—not at home, not at work, not at school, not on campus, not anywhere. Ending gender based violence will require men and boys to play a central role. As Minister Plibersek has said, it is going to take the leadership of men to help turn these numbers around. The commission has seven years remaining in its mandate to support the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children. Its annual report and the new suicide inquiry represent ongoing and essential steps in our national commitment to confronting and ending gender based violence.

Every person deserves to live free from fear. Every child deserves a safe home. Every survivor deserves justice, support and hope. That is the Australia we are working to build, and we will not stop until we achieve it.

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