Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment, representing the Minister for Women. Will the minister inform the House on how the Morrison government's reforms are helping to prevent violence against women and children?

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lindsay for her question and commend her once again on her leadership on women and young people's issues in her electorate of Lindsay. Women and children have the right to feel safe and supported in their homes, in their businesses, in their communities and online. Sadly, the level of gendered violence within Australia is a national shame, and it's something we are absolutely committed to addressing. The goal and target of the next national plan to end violence women and children is clear. It is to end all forms of gendered violence. No level of violence is acceptable. The target is and must be zero.

At the Commonwealth level, annual funding for women's safety has increased significantly. In the last budget, the Morrison government announced a record investment of $1.1 billion over four years in new funding, and that is just a down payment on the next national plan. Of course, it's not just about funding, important though that is, but about meaningful reform. And it's not just about the women's portfolio but about a whole-of-government approach.

We're committed to improving our own workplace here in Parliament House through the Set the standard report and workplace reform bills before the House. This year our landmark Online Safety Act has come into effect and has introduced a world-first cyberabuse take-down scheme, because we are determined to unmask the trolls. We've increased maximum penalties, including up to life imprisonment, and have introduced mandatory minimum sentences for the most serious child sex offences. We've invested in establishing the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and have invested over $300 million to support a national strategy to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse.

Importantly, because we will not take our foot off the pedal with this, on Wednesday we will seek to pass legislation, the Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) Bill, to strengthen the government's powers to quickly deport noncitizens who commit violent or sexual offences, because right now, if a foreign criminal has been convicted of a serious criminal offence punishable by at least two years in prison but has received a sentence of less than that, we are powerless to deport them. These are very serious offences. They include stalking, domestic violence, breaching AVOs, concealing child abuse offences, date rape offences. They are not trivial offences. They are serious crimes by foreign criminals who should be kicked out of this country. I'll look forward to Labor supporting this bill, because the Morrison government will not take a step backwards when it comes to keeping women safe and keeping children safe.