Sophie Scamps (Mackellar, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday marked the launch of the UN 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. In Australia in 2024, a woman was killed every four days, and intimate partner violence contributes to more death and disability in women aged 25 to 44 than any other preventable cause. This is simply astounding. And these are not just numbers; they are lives cut short. The ongoing ramifications of domestic and family violence are devastating. It rips families apart, and the ripple effect on our society is endlessly damaging.

In 2024 in my electorate on the northern beaches of Sydney we had the second-highest increased rate of domestic violence related assaults in New South Wales—and these are only the reported cases. This underscores the urgent need for government investment in prevention, culture change and more support and accommodation services, including in Mackellar.

The recent, shocking Guardian investigation into the response of Queensland police in the deaths of three women in that state lays bare just how much work there is still to do on changing the culture around domestic and family violence in this country, especially for our frontline responders.

In Mackellar, the Northern Beaches Domestic Violence Network brings together local providers and community organisations to support victims-survivors of domestic and family violence. On behalf of the northern beaches community, I extend the most enormous and heartfelt thankyou to you for your tireless care and compassion. These organisations include the Zonta club, the Women's Resilience Centre, Lifeline Northern Beaches, MoWaNa Safe Space and the Northern Beaches Council.

Other key members, the Northern Beaches Women's Shelter and Women & Children First, are trusted specialist providers of crisis accommodation for mothers and children fleeing violence. These charitable organisations have delivered thousands of nights of safety and support to those in need, and yet on average both organisations turn away between 40 and 50 families a month due to a lack of capacity. The wait for social housing for families in New South Wales can extend to 10 years. Despite this, across the northern beaches there are only 10 government funded crisis rooms available for women and children escaping domestic violence, and none at all suitable for mothers with boys over 12.

For many women and children, sadly, the approaching holiday season does not bring a sense of joy and relief. It brings a heightened sense of fear and a risk of abuse. The wish of many women and children this Christmas is simply to be safe from harm and to know that, if they do reach out for help, it will be there. Quite frankly, it does not seem like much to ask.