Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's International Women's Day on Sunday 8 March. I'll be celebrating with the women of Moreton on Friday with a morning tea. This year's theme is: 'An equal world is an enabled world. How will you forge a gender equal world?' We in this place have a responsibility to strive for gender equality. It's very important for all of us, particularly in the wake of the horrendous murder of Hannah Clarke and her children. This is an issue we need to tackle urgently.

Our Watch says that violence against women is primarily driven by gender inequality and is reinforced or exacerbated by a number of other factors. Men have a particular responsibility to stop violence against women. All of us can do better, but men especially, whether it's speaking out when you hear a sexist joke or another bloke say something demeaning about women or victim blaming a woman who has been subjected to violence. In an article in The Australian newspaper today the CEO of DVConnect said:

Our position in regards to working with men who use violence is … their use of violence is a choice … they can also choose not to use violence.

It's mainly men who need to change, not women. I know that when relationships go bad it can be a horrible thing. Sometimes we need to get help to see things clearly and to let the anger go.

As politicians we need to do whatever we can to support women leaving a violent relationship to make sure that there are support services like DVConnect for men who are scared of what they will do and who want to change. We need to make sure that the family law system is protecting families who experience family violence. I try to be a good man always and I hope all good men will join with me on International Women's Day in celebrating the women in our lives.