Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One Australian woman is killed every nine days by an intimate partner. Many more live their lives in fear of not just physical abuse, but of manipulative and controlling behaviour. The problem seems wicked and unsurmountable. Perhaps the answer lies in the old adage: 'How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.' You can't achieve something complex all at once, but small actions consistently applied can achieve positive progress. Last year I received a letter from Alison James. Alison had fled with her three daughters from her husband, who was the subject of an interim family violence order for almost a year and then a subsequent 6-month court order not to enter the family home. Presented to the court in support of the family violence order was evidence of her husband tracking her phone calls. Yet the landline in the family home remained in her husband's name, and Alison was unable to have it disconnected, despite appealing to the ombudsman. To add insult to injury, Alison then received a letter from the Child Support Agency deducting the cost of the telephone service from her child support payments, effectively forcing Alison to pay for a phone service she was too scared to use.

I wrote to Minister Fletcher, and I thank him for his thoughtful and proactive response. He put Alison in touch with a contact at Telstra, Mark Brown, who was able to resolve the immediate issue. I was very pleased to receive a letter from Alison recently with some heartening news but also a reminder that we still have so much work to do. Alison wrote: 'The positive outcome was that some six months later Mr Brown contacted me to advise that as a result of our communications Telstra has rolled out nationwide changes addressing family violence situations and in Tasmania has allocated a dedicated service person. My family and I have now moved into our own home, having had to give up the legal fight to stay in the family home simply because of the financial ability to employ legal representation. We are safe and settled and I'm now able to be a voice for change.'

Alison mentions areas needing reform as child support, firearms, insurance, Family Court and fair settlement and child protection. She says there is much to change, but, as with the Telstra battle, one issue at a time making incremental changes seems reasonable. To Alison I say, I am in awe of your courage and your resolve to drive change. I stand with you and I will walk with you, one step at a time.

I welcome the decision by ministers Payne and Ruston to refer a new inquiry into domestic violence to the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to sit on that inquiry as a supplementary member. I am hopeful that this new approach will provide an opportunity to hear the voices of survivors such as Alison, so we can tackle this together one bite at a time.