Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Domestic and family violence remains one of the most pressing concerns in our community. Recently a young woman's life was tragically lost in my electorate of Hasluck in an alleged incident of domestic violence at the hands of her fiance. Today my thoughts are with her family and her friends and loved ones and with all those affected by domestic and family violence. Ending gender-based violence remains a national priority for this government. The Albanese Labor government has invested more in this than any previous government. Over $4 billion, in fact, has been delivered through prevention programs and frontline services.

While this important work is being delivered by dedicated professionals around the country, I was concerned to learn that, too often still, survivors are left feeling isolated, without safe ways to reach out for help or connect with their loved ones. To this end, I looked for a way in which I could help to make a tangible difference, and I'm proud to be championing the work of DV Safe Phone's initiative in Western Australia. DV Safe Phone is a national charity founded by the extraordinary Ashton Wood. It takes donated mobile phones, repurposes them into safe, untraceable devices and equips them with new SIM cards. These phones are then distributed free of charge through frontline services such as shelters, hospitals, police stations and community organisations, giving survivors a lifeline when they need it most. Since it began in 2020, DV Safe Phone has already delivered more than 14,700 safe phones across Australia, including about 1,600 in Western Australia. That means more than 1,600 people in our state now have a secure way to call for help, organise safe accommodation and stay connected at the most dangerous and vulnerable point in their lives.

When I discovered that 14 per cent of phones distributed nationally by DV Safe Phone are given to victims in Western Australia but only four per cent of phones are donated from Western Australia, I knew this was a gap that I could fill. Together with the fabulous team at DV Safe Phone—Nikki Firmin and Anna Gilbert—my office has now become a DV Safe Phone drop box location. Some 22 million phones are in desks and drawers around the country. If we can just get a fraction of those phones donated, that will obviously make a world of difference to those in need.

Working with local partner organisations, like Indigo Junction, a local accommodation, crisis-support service, these phones will then get repaired, if need be, cleaned up and provided to these service providers to give to people in need. For survivors like Akita, who has bravely shared with me the difference these phones make when someone's stalking them or trying to track them by tapping into their Facebook account and so forth, this is a way that gives them freedom and control back over their lives. So I encourage every single federal and state member of parliament to become a DV Safe Phone drop box location.

Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.