Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges that White Ribbon:

(a) is a male led campaign to end male violence against women;

(b) is now active in over 60 countries around the world; and

(c) ambassadors around Australia are working to engage men and encourage them to take a leadership role in ending violence against women;

(2) notes that:

(a) in 2015 in Australia, approximately two women are murdered each week by a partner or former partner;

(b) 17 per cent of Australian women have experienced violence by a current or former partner in their lifetime;

(c) men's violence against women is a symptom of gender inequality in our society; and

(d) social policy initiatives and law reform addressing gender inequality are central to reducing attitudes that support violence against women;

(3) recognises that:

(a) 25 November is White Ribbon Day; and

(b) the white ribbon is the symbol of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women; and

(4) supports White Ribbon and other organisations to eliminate violence against women.

This week all around Australia people from all walks of life will be marking White Ribbon Day on 25 November, which coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The profile of White Ribbon Day in Australia is a testament to the progress that we are making as a community in building community awareness about the issue of men's violence against women. The issue is slowly coming out of the shadows, the curtains are being pulled apart and light is being cast on an issue that previously was kept hidden from view.

Community groups, sporting clubs, governments, our Defence Force, businesses and hundreds of individuals will mark the day with fundraisers and awareness campaigns in their communities. We have seen real advances in the way that people are talking about this issue and, in particular, the recognition that gender inequality is at the heart of the problem. White Ribbon has played a key role in that shift in understanding as men stand up and take responsibility for changing the conversation and the way that women are viewed and treated in society.

White Ribbon is a national male-led campaign to end men's violence against women. Given that the root cause of men's violence against women is gender inequality, the engagement of men in the fight against this scourge is crucial. The promotion of gender equality and respectful relationships is crucial to changing community attitudes that enable violence against women. Given that the primary challenge in preventing this violence is to change the attitudes of men in our community, men need to be a major part of the response to this problem.

White Ribbon has done a great job at tackling this challenge through grass roots community action. Just looking at the White Ribbon website, you can see hundreds of White Ribbon events occurring this week across Australia. In my own electorate these include events with: Peter Jordan Real Estate in Altona, the maritime transport industry lunch at Williamstown Football Club, a Hobsons Bay City Council event at Cherry Lake, the Melbourne's West Zonta Says No to Violence against Women meeting at the Williamstown RSL, Williamstown Women's Lacrosse Club, St Leo the Great Primary School, Yarraville Seddon Football Club, the Expressions of Freedom: hip hop against domestic violence event in Footscray, the Phoenix Youth Centre's PhotoSTOP Violence against Women exhibition, Maribyrnong City Council, Victoria University at MetroWest, Regional Rail Link, Western Region Health White Ribbon Day Committee, Brimbank City Council and the Sunshine Business Association. The number and diversity of these events speak for themselves; it is a campaign that has gained extraordinary traction in our community.

This Friday night in Melbourne's west, I will be heading to the Substation in Newport for a White Ribbon event being held by the DONS. The DONS are the Dads of Newport and Surrounds, a group of local dads who met through the Western Bulldogs Sons of the West men's health program and have continued to support each other on the journey to better health by holding regular fitness and social activities in the community. One of the issues that was tackled in the Sons of the West program was violence against women, and White Ribbon partnered with the program to help the participants learn about their role in helping to put a stop to it.

We are a close bunch in Melbourne's west and pride ourselves in knowing our neighbours and welcoming new people into the community, so it is no surprise that these blokes wanted to build on this work in the broader community. On Friday, they are asking people in Melbourne's west to dress up in black and white and come along to the Substation for a night out to raise money to support White Ribbon's work. While I do not ordinarily condone people wearing Collingwood colours, it is a great initiative and I want to congratulate Jason and Lucy Cranage, Cameron Smith and Matt Elmar for their work, as well as the Substation, Mountain Goat, Lion and local early learning centres and primary schools that have been selling tickets and raising money.

Another great partnership event that has emerged from my electorate is between White Ribbon and the Western Bulldogs. On Wednesday this week, the Western Bulldogs are hosting a barbecue at Etihad Stadium for their supporters and the broader community to raise funds for White Ribbon. Super coach Luke Beveridge will be joined by players Matthew Boyd, Dale Morris, Mitch Wallis, Fletcher Roberts, Marcus Bontempelli—'the Bont'—and Lukas Webb at the event. I am proud to see the Western Bulldogs taking a leading stance on this issue and sending a clear message that violence against women is not tolerated by the club and nor should it be tolerated anywhere in society.

Two weeks ago, Parliamentarians Against Family Violence Friendship Group was proud to co-host the launch of the primary prevention framework developed by Our Watch, ANROWS and VicHealth. It builds on a strong body of research that tells us what the drivers of violence against women are, and tells us how we can prevent it. It tells us that we need to change our attitudes and behaviours in workplaces, schools, community organisations, sports clubs, media and in popular culture. White Ribbon Day does exactly this. It encourages men to stand up and take responsibility for the attitudes and behaviours within our community—within these sporting clubs, these workplaces and our community organisations.

Thanks to the work of White Ribbon, we are seeing that change can happen. This issue has come an extraordinary distance in the last 12 months in particular but also since the founding of White Ribbon in Australia. But the only way that we can make this change happen and continue the progress that we have been making is for people to work together, to look at their own behaviours and to work with the community to take a stand on men's violence against women. I congratulate everyone who has been involved to date.

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Terri Butler (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the White Ribbon campaign to end violence against women. In doing so I acknowledge and thank the member for Gellibrand for his commitment to this cause and for moving the motion before the House today.

Driving along Dane Drive in Gosford the other day I was struck by the simplicity of a message that flashed up on a portable neon road sign. It said, 'One in three women experience domestic violence. Brisbane Water police say no to domestic violence. So should you'—simple, powerful and effective. What also struck me was the fact that a simple neon road sign more commonly used to convey messages about speeding, drink-driving and other safety issues in our community was now reminding our community about another important safety message: eliminating all forms of domestic violence. What was once a hidden scourge in our community is now being put up in lights, so to speak, exposed for all the world to see, and people on the Central Coast are able to speak out with one voice about the fact that domestic violence and violence against women is not acceptable in our community.

Unfortunately domestic violence is still one of the most common crimes on the Central Coast, and some of the key Australian statistics are simply alarming. One in three girls over the age of 16 will experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime. On average every two hours a police vehicle will respond to a domestic violence call. Seventy-eight women this year alone have died as the result of domestic and family violence. Domestic and family violence now accounts for 40 per cent of all homicides, and alcohol abuse is often a factor in these crimes.

I thank Gosford City Council and the Brisbane Water local area command, led by Superintendent Danny Sullivan, who is himself an ambassador for White Ribbon, for their determination to support a male-led campaign to help change attitudes and behaviours that lead to and perpetuate men's violence against women. I spoke with Superintendent Sullivan, who told me about the unique relationship that Brisbane Water local area command has with Central Coast ADVICE, a local organisation that works towards helping victims escape the cycle of violence by providing information, referrals, support and case management strategies for people on the Central Coast. The superintendent said, 'Due to our strong focus on domestic violence as a crime and our partnerships with Central Coast ADVICE and other agencies, we have a proven record of helping victims to escape the cycle of violence. In fact we have one of the lowest repeat victim rates in the region.'

I doubt whether 10 or 15 years ago a portable neon sign on Dane Drive in Gosford—if in fact it had even been there—would have carried such a public message about domestic violence as I saw the other day. I think that the White Ribbon campaign has definitely made a lot of progress. Today I am very proud to be part of a government, led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, that recently announced $100 million of funding to go into a national Women's Safety Package that seeks to turn words into action.

I am also proud to see that Premier Mike Baird's New South Wales government has recently announced $60 million of funding, including increased support for crisis accommodation. Such accommodation is provided by many local community groups. I want to single out today the Central Coast's Coast Shelter women's refuge. Last weekend the Brisbane Water local area command joined with the Blacktown LAC and the Windsor LAC on a bike ride from Newcastle to Blacktown. This ride—an important ride—not only drew attention to the issue of domestic violence but also raised much-needed funds for the important work that Coast Shelter women's refuge does in our local community. Many other community groups recently also supported the men of the Central Coast in standing up against domestic violence. I acknowledge some of the many recent events that have been held, including the Erina Rotary's White Ribbon 'Comfort in Crisis' dinner and the Gosford White Ribbon Luncheon held on Saturday at the Central Coast Leagues Club. This weekend I will be joining hundreds of men, women and children walking along to the Skillion at Terrigal in a strong message of solidarity and support for the White Ribbon campaign. I encourage members of the local community on the Central Coast to join us on Sunday morning in Terrigal for this very important event.

This strong message is permeating right throughout our community today. It is not just about changing the culture for women today, but also for a generation tomorrow. Every time a male in our community stands up and says that violence against women is not acceptable, he is not just another voice or another statistic. He becomes part of a powerful story, the story of a culture on the Central Coast and, indeed, around Australia that truly honours its wives, partners, sisters, daughters, colleagues and friends. I commend the motion to the House.

Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too acknowledge the member for Gellibrand for bringing this very important motion to the chamber today. White Ribbon Day is certainly a cause that I associate with and am very passionate about, not simply because I have been a White Ribbon ambassador since 2009, but because I am a husband, father and grandfather, so there are some very special women and girls in my life, who I love very much. Therefore, it makes it impossible for me to sit back and watch the shameful and almost epidemic proportions in which we are now seeing domestic violence being played out in our communities.

The statistics are well known. From the age of 15, one in three women will experience physical violence. One in five will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. Seventeen per cent of domestic violence is perpetrated by a current or former partner. At least one woman dies each week as a result of domestic violence. To date, I understand that 63 women have been killed in Australia this year.

In my electorate in the south-west of Sydney, the Fairfield local area police command has responded to 2,024 incidents of domestic violence this year and the Cabramatta local area police command has responded to 1,375 incidents. Out of those incidents in Cabramatta, 208 people were charged with 412 domestic violence offences, making domestic violence account for 30 to 40 per cent of all police work in my area. As a matter of fact, the police have advised me that more than 50 per cent of all assaults reported locally are assaults on women by a current or former partner. Despite these alarming numbers, we still see a huge underreporting of domestic violence in our community.

On Wednesday this week 800 people will be marching from Cabravale Memorial Park to Freedom Plaza in my electorate to commemorate White Ribbon Day. The walk will be joined by the police commander, Superintendent Wayne Murray, and Detective Chief Inspector Darren Newman. They will march side by side with community members to raise awareness of this shameful crime in our society. The Race Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Tim Soutphommasane, will also be there. He will also talk about some of the gender imbalance when it comes down to issues of domestic violence in our community and the impact that it has. Leading the march will be three sisters from my local area, Alice, Aminda and Anna Huynh, whose mother, Kim Lien Huynh, was murdered by her second husband in their Cabramatta home in 2012. As teenage girls at the time, these women still carry with them the scars of the emotional trauma of this tragedy, which they feel, they tell me, every single day.

Much still needs to be done to address the impacts and consequences of domestic violence on children. Every year in Australia there are about 50,000 reported cases of child abuse that has occurred as a consequence of violence being perpetrated against their mother. These instances leave children severely traumatised—emotionally, physically and psychologically—with injuries they, many times, never properly recover from. Rosie Batty, our 2015 Australian of the Year and a very powerful advocate against domestic violence, tragically lost her son, Luke, in February 2014—killed by his father, in Victoria. These stories are gut-wrenching; they are clear illustrations of the plight of children who are caught up in family violence and they are yet to be adequately addressed in our society.

While much needs to be done to address the visibility of and impacts upon the children who are victims of domestic violence, there are a number of organisations in my electorate which continue to play an indispensable role in lending assistance to women in violent situations. I particularly commend the Bonnie Support Services, the Liverpool Women's Resource Centre and—a very special one—the Sistas for Sistas group, who look after the abuse of Aboriginal women in our community. They do powerful work for good and should be very much supported.

Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to support the motion brought by the member for Gellibrand and I congratulate him for his continued efforts to raise the profile of this issue in this place. Australia is the lucky country. Australians enjoy freedoms that people the world over aspire to, yet there is indeed a dark side to this idyllic Australia we all know and love. It is a problem which is, sadly, endemic in each and every one of our communities. If there were some mysterious illness that was claiming the lives of Australians each and every week, if there were some pandemic that was destroying the lives of children or if there were some contagion causing generation after generation of women to suffer needlessly, there would be widespread panic and demands for stronger action—and yet there is such an illness. The plague of domestic and family violence across this nation claims the lives of two women almost every week and ruins countless more, and each of them, of course, is a tragedy.

The figures speak for themselves. We have heard them again in this place, but they bear repeating. One in five Australian women have experienced sexual violence; one in three women have experienced physical violence. Each and every day, the police deal with some 650 domestic violence matters across the nation. Domestic violence costs our economy $13 billion, as if you could even quantify the damage. The sad reality is that domestic violence is pervasive and insidious. It is a scourge which is largely out of sight and often goes unreported. It is an issue squarely situated within a discourse of gender power relations and the vast majority of it is perpetrated by men. Indeed, 95 per cent of all victims of violence in Australia, whether male or female, experience violence at the hands of a male perpetrator.

Domestic violence is symptomatic of broader cultural issues which need to be rectified. Unquestionably, gender inequality fundamentally feeds this cycle of domestic violence. To prevent violence against women, we must account for these gender patterns of violence and address the cultural issues driving this pattern of behaviour. On Friday, 13 November, I was joined by Senator Michaelia Cash—who, of course, has responsibility as the cabinet minister inter alia for women—at a domestic violence forum in Mount Gambier. Seventy members of the community attended that forum.

I convened it in partnership with Soroptimist International of Mount Gambier, the White Ribbon association and service providers, and we had speakers from all those groups, including the local resident magistrate, Teresa Anderson. I must express my thanks to the media, including ABC South East SA, who convened an outside broadcast for the event and have taken the opportunity to effectively replay the whole forum on ABC South East SA over the last week. My thanks go also to Sandra Morello at TheBorderWatch. She, too, has covered that event in some particular detail, such that almost every day last week we had stories which were raising the profile of this issue. Magistrate Teresa Anderson made the point that we need to do something to amend the evidence acts around the country, and Susie Smith, who is a service provider at the front line, shocked the audience when she told the audience that 15 women in Mount Gambier were assessed as 'at an imminent risk of death'. That is my community, and it shook me as did everyone in the crowd.

Thankfully, Australia is squaring up for the fight against domestic violence, because it is a fight we have to win. I refuse to accept domestic violence is a given. I refuse to accept there is any excuse for committing violence against our children, wives, girlfriends or partners. I say that there is no excuse for violence. This is not the first time I have risen in this place to speak on domestic violence. It is an issue which I care deeply about. It is the least I can do as a White Ribbon Ambassador. I welcome the recognition this motion brings to the White Ribbon movement—a movement which I believe is crucial in effecting the long-term cultural change required to remove this scourge from our community.

Wednesday is White Ribbon Day. It is an opportunity to reflect not only on how far we have come in this fight but, most importantly, on how much more we still have to do. I am proud to be part of a movement which is making a difference in this space and I am proud to support this motion. I do not accept that my daughters will grow up in a world where they have a one-in-two chance of being subjected to abuse. Not on my watch.

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to rise in support of this very important motion moved by the member for Gellibrand. In doing so, I think it is important to reflect on two things. I acknowledge the incredibly significant work that has been done by White Ribbon, an organisation that I am very proud to be an ambassador for, in raising awareness of family violence and, in particular, in putting squarely at issue in the national conversation men's responsibility to end family violence. It is also incumbent on all of us in this place and in the communities we represent to reflect on the fact that, at the same time that we have seen an increased awareness of family violence in the national conversation, we continue to see family violence, violence against women, at unacceptable levels—at frightening and shocking levels. In particular, I have been concerned, from the moment I was elected to this place, about the incidence of violence against women in the communities I represent.

Much of the electorate of Scullin is comprised of the city of Whittlesea, which has one of the highest reported rates of family violence in Victoria. In the city of Whittlesea in the last year there were 2,359 family violence incidents reported to Victoria Police. Children were present at nearly 900 of those incidents. An average of 45 instances of family violence in the municipality are reported to the police every week. Family violence is the context for 31 per cent of all rapes and 34 per cent of other sexual offences. Further, 82 per cent of victims in the city of Whittlesea were female, and 100 per cent of the alleged offenders were male. There is no greater issue confronting the communities I represent than the scourge that is family violence. It is an issue that is of increasing concern in growth areas, where connections to community have not been well formed and where access to services are not as they should be. I have addressed this parliament on this matter before, and I will continue to advocate for the needs of women and children in growth areas to access support services at these times of crisis.

This motion is also about leadership in this place, and I acknowledge my great friend the member for Gellibrand for the work that he has done as an advocate for his community and as a leader in this parliament and in the Labor Party in putting issues of violence against women firmly at the centre of the national conversation through his work in the party but also through his work in convening the multipartisan parliamentary friendship group that has done so much to raise awareness of this issue. As a Victorian, I acknowledge the leadership that Daniel Andrews, as leader of the opposition and now as Premier, has shown in making the fight against family violence an absolute priority for his government and in agreeing to implement every recommendation of the Victorian royal commission, no matter how difficult those recommendations may be to implement. That shows the strength of his resolve, and I think the resolve of the Victorian people, to eliminate family violence. Bill Shorten, the Leader of the Labor Party in this place, made family violence a priority from the moment he became leader. Indeed, his first announcement was in support of the work of community legal centres, which play such a critical role in supporting victims of family violence. This is a matter where there has been a strong level of bipartisanship, and I acknowledge the recent announcement and commitments of the government in this regard.

Other speakers have touched upon the Change the story framework, which was launched in this place in the last sitting week. It is an interesting document in many respects but a very challenging one for every policymaker, because what it tells us is this: we have the evidence base; we know what to do; we must go ahead and do it. In acknowledging the announcements of the government, I think we need to think about what more there is to be done. There are a range of policy interventions that could do so much. I think about paid domestic violence leave, a matter that needs further consideration. I think about many other legal interventions that can assist and ameliorate the circumstances of victims. In looking at these individual interventions, which we must do, we should also never, ever lose sight of the critical question here, which is gender inequality.

Violence against women is a creature of an unequal society. The member for Gellibrand's motion acknowledges this, and we must all acknowledge this. I was pleased to be in the chamber for the member for Barker's comments and to see that this is a matter that is acknowledged not only on this side of the chamber but right across the House.

Ultimately, as we look at the evidence, as we build a broad-based policy response that includes making prevention of violence against women an absolute national priority, we must remember this: if we are to be serious about preventing family violence, we must be more serious about striving for gender equality in Australia.

Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with great pleasure that I rise today to speak on the motion moved by the member for Gellibrand on White Ribbon Day, and I thank him for bringing this motion before the House. In speaking about White Ribbon Day through this motion, we are recognising the importance of the fact that women and children in Australia have the right to feel safe and to live without fear of violence in their homes.

White Ribbon Day is about all Australian men standing up and speaking out to prevent men's violent conduct towards women, and it is about making women safe. Held annually on 25 November, White Ribbon Day signals the start of 16 days of activism to stop violence against women. However, while this day is significant in highlighting a major issue in our country, putting an end to domestic violence is something our communities should be working towards every single day.

Domestic and family violence is preventable and can be stopped. There is no need for victims of violence to live in fear for themselves and their families, even when they have left an abusive relationship. Over the past 18 months, significant progress has been made in the Australian community in raising awareness of domestic and family violence. As a government, we are addressing what should be a simple goal—that all Australians deserve to live free from violence. Yet it is sad to stand in this place and reflect that this year 63 women have been killed by a violent partner or ex-partner, and one in six Australian women has experienced violence from a current or former partner. Earlier this year, our country saw the devastating impact domestic and family violence has on our community. These tragic deaths of women and children highlighted the need for urgent action.

Domestic, family and sexual violence are unacceptable in any circumstance, and I am pleased to see that this government recently pledged a $100 million package to fight against these forms of violence. The package of measures will provide a safety net for women and children at high risk of experiencing violence. It also improves front line support and services, leverages innovative technology to keep women safe and provides education resources to help change community attitudes towards violence and abuse. More than $21 million from the package will be used for specific measures to help Indigenous women and communities, who are at an even higher risk. Domestic violence is now a national priority, and our government is acting to put an end to violence against women and children. I also take this opportunity to note the efforts of the current Queensland state government in this space and their recent package of announcements.

In my electorate of Forde the Logan police have established a dedicated domestic violence and management team. This team will take a proactive approach to dealing with high-risk domestic violence matters, and I commend them on this initiative. In 2014 Logan police responded to some 5300 domestic violence matters, and this new team of four officers will target perpetrators identified as high-risk offenders. I commend the Logan police for taking such a proactive approach in creating this new domestic violence and management team. It is a positive step from our hardworking police force who are committed to making the community a safer place for everyone to live in.

To the men of Australia I say: domestic and family sexual violence is unacceptable and we should be standing up and speaking out against it. We should be telling our friends, neighbours, children and the family that it is not okay to be violent towards another person—whether it be man, woman or child—and if you see something you should speak up and report it. To the people who are in or have left or are preparing to leave a situation where you are affected by family and domestic violence, there is help and support. From those who I have spoken to about this issue I acknowledge that it is this first step of seeking help and support that is often the most difficult. A great starting point is 1800 RESPECT, the National Sexual Assault Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Service. I also encourage people who are witness to domestic and family violence to not ignore the problem. We have other great organisations, like Logan Women's Health Network—there are many resources. On White Ribbon Day I stand here to say to the men of Australia: stop the domestic and family violence for the future benefit of this great country.