Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When I was a police officer, I came across many victim-survivor families. Too often, we would get a call and rush to the family's home. Too often, we would arrest a perpetrator of domestic violence. And too often, the perpetrator would be someone who we police officers had seen before, many times.

During Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, I wish to add my voice to the voices in Tangney and across Australia lending our support to victims-survivors. There is zero tolerance for violence in our country.

I wish to acknowledge the victims-survivors who come to my office in Tangney to seek assistance with federal services and to share their personal experiences. These women have spoken about coercive control—about their former partners being able to track their every move, hack into their phones and make them fear for their lives. Their stories are very moving and very scary. If, by some chance, they hear this speech, I want to let these women know that I am working hard to ensure that no-one needs to live with family, domestic and sexual violence.

One in four women and one in 14 men have experienced intimate partner violence since the age of 15. This is totally unacceptable.

I want to acknowledge the work that has been done in my electorate of Tangney by Zonta House, a specialist provider of family and domestic violence services. Zonta House offers important refuge and support and transitional accommodation, as well as services for employment pathways, justice reintegration, awareness and education. I really commend the work that Zonta House does in Tangney and in the whole of Australia.

Our government has invested more than any other government to improve the safety of women and children, with more than $4 billion across frontline services, preventive programs, behaviour change and programs for children, across governments. This investment includes measures such as making the leaving violence payment permanent. This payment is $5,000 in financial help as well as safety planning for women leaving violence. We have also launched Australia's first ever standalone plan to address family, domestic and sexual violence for First Nations women and children. This is backed by $218 million in funding in this budget. We are investing $1.2 billion for emergency and transitional accommodation to ensure that women can reach safety. We have increased funding for family violence legal services and legislated 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave. This work also includes funding for intervention programs and for programs to support recovery for children who have experienced violence. This work has supported 1,400 organisations, helping more than 440,000 people across Australia who have experienced family, domestic and sexual violence. New child support reform announced in the budget will help prevent the weaponisation of the child support system, protecting children and parents from financial abuse. There is more than $1.9 billion of unpaid child support in Australia. This government is investing $183 million in the budget to make our child support system safer and fairer, because child support should never be used as a tool for control or coercion. We need a system that is safer for parents and children.

We know there is more to do. Too many people continue to live with family, domestic and sexual violence every day.

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