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

What does hope look like? How can you see hope in the shadows of darkness? Last week I was honoured to attend a Night of Hope in West Gosford, run by two incredible people, Mark and Darlene Zschech, at HopeUC, the Hope Unlimited Church. The aim of the night was to raise funds for those living with cancer on the Central Coast, but it was also—and, for me, this is what made it a night of hope and not of sadness—a night to let people know that, even in the most difficult of circumstances, they are not alone and they are surrounded by a loving community. This in many ways sums up the triumph of community spirit that I see often on the Central Coast.

Today I rise to speak about another scourge in our community that, at its destructive worst, causes immense pain and lifelong suffering. I'm speaking tonight about domestic violence. But I'm also speaking about the fact that, even in the darkest of times, even through the darkest of acts, when a partner is subject to violence from somebody who claims that they love them, there is hope. Admittedly, it can be tough to glimpse this hope when we hear, too often, the tragic circumstances of lives lost to domestic violence.

Last month, our community wept together as we heard about the sudden death of Ettalong resident Blair Dalton. Blair died after she was strangled by a former partner—who has also since died, in custody. As the tragic and senseless news broke, hearts across the coast also broke. Like everyone in our community, I was devastated, and my heart broke for Blair's family, her young son, her friends and her colleagues. Even though I didn't know the family personally, I know that those who were close to Blair have shown incredible strength. As reported in The Daily Telegraph, Blair's father, Robert, posted a tribute, writing,

Our beautiful Blair who is always helping others will today continue on this path when the transplanting of her organs begin.

A GoFundMe page was set up by a friend, to help the family. Just from reading through the comments on the page, it is clear that Blair will forever be remembered and admired as a strong, beautiful woman and of course as a very loving mother. The GoFundMe page itself is another fitting tribute to Blair. It says:

Blair was the most beautiful, kind, caring, proud person and she most certainly got that from her family.

I'm wanting to help take some of the financial burden off them at this time.

I would love for everyone to pull together to help with Blair's send-off which I would love to be as beautiful as possible and also for her adorable little boy.

So please everyone open your hearts and help this amazing family in any way you can.

So wrote her friend Renee, who set up the GoFundMe page. The target was $10,000. Today, the tally stands at more than $36,000. We can't change what has happened to Blair or to her future, but, by our community showing their support at a time like this, we can help create hope for a better future, for Blair's son and for all women and children.

At times like this, I know that so many in our community ask, 'What can I do?' Sometimes you feel a great sense of hopelessness at not being able to do more or not being able to do enough. Our community on the Central Coast is a tight-knit one, and so many people feel like family, even if we don't know them personally. Blair's family are closely connected with the Woy Woy Roosters Rugby League Football Club. In the days after this tragedy, the club set up a committee very quickly to host a charity event designed to raise funds to help. The committee includes Roosters Club President Dean Slattery, Senior Vice-President Mick Bovis, Treasurer Jo Bovis, Registrar Melissa Moore and Junior Vice-President Tim McFarlane, along with Assistant Secretary Chris James. Together they've been working with Central Coast Council on a significant community event, one that I'm honoured to be able to announce today. It's called Blair Dalton Day: Domestic Violence needs to STOP. Taking place on Sunday, 26 November at Woy Woy Oval, it'll be a community family picnic open to everyone. I'd encourage families from across the Central Coast to come along and join with our community at Woy Woy Oval to say with determination that domestic violence must stop. With events like this, I see the Central Coast reaching out to a devastated family to let them know that they're not alone.

I'm always struck by the way that our community bands together in times of tragedy. A few days after the news of Blair broke, I happened to walk by her workplace at Erina Fair. Outside the shop where she worked, Blair's colleagues, friends and even strangers had established an impromptu flower memorial. It was a beautiful tribute to a life lost too soon in such a senseless manner. It struck me as I spoke with Blair's workmates how often it is that we walk by a stranger or even a friend who may be struggling with a similar issue. It reminded me that you may never know what someone may be dealing with. You may never know what is happening in the home behind closed doors. It reminded me that domestic violence is something that could affect anyone. It could be someone you pass in the street. It could be you. It could be me. But it also reminded me that, although this may be a difficult topic and sometimes hard to approach, it's always okay to ask how someone is going and to check if they're okay.

I spoke with the Brisbane Water LAC commander, Superintendent Sullivan, recently. Superintendent Sullivan is a fantastic community advocate of reducing domestic violence in our community. He articulated this so well. He said, 'With domestic violence, there are no innocent bystanders. We all receive some information from time to time that may indicate someone is in trouble. It's up to all of us as a community to stand up and speak out.' On this, he's absolutely right. Domestic violence is an issue for all of us.

Because there are no innocent bystanders, I want to take the opportunity in this place to repeat my White Ribbon oath: I pledge to stand up, speak out and act to prevent men's violence against women. I'd also like to encourage each and every person in our community to do the same. You can make your pledge online at whiteribbon.org.au or, better still, join us on 25 November for White Ribbon Day. No matter how small your contribution is to this issue, just as you may never know what someone else is dealing with, you may also never know the impact of your actions—of turning up to one of the community walks, asking 'Are you okay?', posting something on Facebook or showing up to an event raising awareness of domestic violence. It may mean that somebody who is struggling and isolated feels more supported or encouraged, or it may be the thing that helps some woman suffering at the hands of a violent partner recognise that it's okay for her to speak out and ask for help. There are White Ribbon events happening right across the coast, including a walk up the Skillion at Terrigal. I would encourage everyone in our community to take part. I'm looking forward to joining Superintendent Danny Sullivan, an incredible ambassador for White Ribbon, and so many others from around our community to stand up against domestic violence on 25 November—on that day and on every day.

I also want to acknowledge the outstanding work of Superintendent Sullivan, along with his team at Brisbane Water Local Area Command. The command is really helping to lead the fight against this scourge in our community. Superintendent Sullivan and his command remain committed to working with our community to help drive down the impact of domestic violence in our community. The command does outstanding work. The Brisbane Water Local Area Command has also embraced recent changes and development in New South Wales and, since 2015, has used the Domestic Violence Evidence in Chief or DVEC. This kit enables video footage relating to domestic violence charges to be admitted to the court as evidence and allows victims to record video evidence at the scene of an incident. I understand that these kits have assisted many officers of the Brisbane Water Local Area Command, and I commend the command for their commitment to this important issue.

I'd also like to pay tribute to my colleagues in the New South Wales parliament for the work that they continue to do on this issue. The New South Wales Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Pru Goward, announced earlier this year changes to the Apprehended Domestic Violence Order Scheme to better protect victims of domestic violence. To my colleagues on the Central Coast—the member for Terrigal, Adam Crouch, and the Hon. Taylor Martin MLC—I commend you also for standing up and speaking out against domestic violence in our community.

Figures from the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research indicate that between June 2016 and July 2017 there were 684 recorded incidents of domestic violence in the Gosford area, in my electorate—a reminder that there is much more work to do. I'm pleased to say that, this week, the coalition government announced that a new domestic violence unit will be established in Gosford with Legal Aid NSW. The centre in Gosford will partner with other service providers to deliver financial counselling, crisis accommodation and mental health support as well as other practical assistance.

Finally, I once again encourage the Central Coast community to join together next month for White Ribbon Day and also at Woy Woy Oval. With your help, we can send a strong message about putting a stop to domestic violence once and for all.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further grievances, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order for the next day of sitting.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:20