Tracey Roberts (Pearce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to knowledge that 25 November marked the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and began 16 days of activism against gender based violence.

It saddens me that we have had so many women killed by acts of violence in Australia this year and that one in three Australian women have experienced physical violence perpetrated by a man. Globally, an estimated 736 million women have been subjected to physical and/or intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence or both at least once in their life. Too many women and children experience gender based violence in Australia. In WA, 63 per cent of all assaults are family violence related.

Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, and the immediate and long-term physical, sexual and mental consequences for women and girls can be devastating, including death. Violence negatively affects women's general wellbeing and prevents women from fully participating in society. Recent statistics paint a stark reality—gender based violence against women is pervasive in our country. It transcends socioeconomic, cultural and geographic boundaries. It is not merely a women's issue; it is a societal issue that demands a comprehensive response.

I commend the work of the family, domestic and sexual violence sector for delivering vital services for women, children and men. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the Patricia Giles Centre for Non-Violence, situated in my electorate of Pearce. The centre is named after former Australian senator Patricia Giles AM, a lifelong active and passionate advocate for community service and women's rights. For over 30 years, the Patricia Giles Centre for Non-Violence has been providing an expert range of services for women and children escaping and affected by family and domestic violence and abuse in Western Australia. The centre aims to build and empower families and communities to live free from gender based violence, by providing services to help break the cycle of violence, whether it be caused by physical, financial, sexual, social isolation or emotional and psychological abuse or by denying the woman her spiritual and cultural beliefs and values.

Violence against women need not be inevitable. I am proud to be part of a government working in partnership with state and territory governments across Australia to address the underlying factors that drive gender based violence. The Albanese Labor government has invested $2.3 billion in women's safety, including more than $325 million in prevention initiatives specifically, across our first two budgets. This includes funding for initiatives like our consent and respectful relationships education, sexual violence prevention pilots and funding to support the work of Our Watch, the leading national organisation for primary prevention of family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia.

The government is taking practical steps to support victims of family and domestic violence. We have reduced by 22 days the time it takes victims-survivors to access support under the escaping violence payment. We have secured funding for states and territories to deliver frontline services—funding that was due to cease on 30 June under the previous government. We committed to and are delivering new frontline community sector workers to support victims-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence, with funding to support the first tranche of workers now flowing to all states and territories. We also legislated 10 paid days of family and domestic violence leave for all employees, including casuals.

In conclusion, tackling gender and sexual violence against women is not just a moral imperative; it is a societal obligation. It demands our unwavering commitment both as individuals and as a nation. We can all play a role in violence prevention, whether it be at work, in our religious institutions or community groups or as parents, grandparents or friends.

Let us stand together to challenge the norms that perpetuate violence, amplify the voices of survivors and work towards a future where every woman can live free from fear. By confronting the issue head-on we can build a society that champions equality, respect and the inherent dignity of every individual that they so deserve.