Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As White Ribbon Day approaches this coming Friday, 25 November, it is timely to reflect on the campaign to eliminate violence against women both in Australia and overseas. I seek leave to incorporate my speech on White Ribbon Day.

Leave granted.

The speech read as follows—

In Australia today one in three Australian women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15, and almost one in five have experienced sexual violence.

Gendered crimes such as domestic and family violence and sexual assault remain unacceptably high in our community and in communities in our region and beyond.

In Australia, our Indigenous women and girls are 35 times more likely to be hospitalised than other Australian women and girls.

What is most alarming is that for the majority of women who have experienced this type of violence, it has happened in their own homes, by men who are known to them.

In addition to the obvious personal costs to the women involved, this violence costs our community in a number of ways.

A 2009 KPMG report commissioned by the Federal Government found that violence against women and their children cost the Australian economy $13.6 billion per year.

The economic impact was expected to rise to $15.6 billion by 2021.

That report also found that domestic and family violence was the major cause of homelessness for women and their children.

Physical and sexual violence against girls and women is shaped by attitudes and social norms, gendered inequalities of power, and a wide variety of other social factors.

We know that one key factor in defining gender relations and norms are men's attitudes and beliefs towards women.

The bulk of the research and evidence about gender roles and relations suggests that men who do not hold patriarchal and hostile gender norms are less likely than other men to use violence against women.

It is also important that our social norms and practices do not tolerate violence in intimate relationships or against women more generally.

Further, we need to ensure that women in our community are not isolated and can access resources and systems of support.

Whilst we know that we have some way to go, there are many initiatives in our community and beyond that are aimed at ending violence and promoting equality.

White Ribbon Day is one example and represents Australia's only national male-led campaign to break the silence and take action to prevent violence towards women in our community.

On the 6 December 1989, a man walked into a Canadian university and massacred 14 of his female classmates. His actions traumatised a nation and brought the issue of violence against women to the forefront of our collective consciousness.

Following this tragedy, a group of Canadian men decided that they had a role and responsibility in speaking out about stopping men's violence against women. Their efforts led to the White Ribbon Campaign held annually between 25 November and 6 December.

Subsequently, in 1999 the United Nations General Assembly declared 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, with a white ribbon as its iconic symbol.

Here in Australia, White Ribbon Day began in 2003 and we now play a role in what is regarded as the largest global male-led movement to stop men's violence against women.

The campaign works to change the attitudes and behaviours that lead to men's violence against women, working to shift social norms, gendered inequalities of power, and other social factors.

The key part of the White Ribbon initiative is inviting men to swear an oath never to commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women.

This oath represents an active commitment to promote positive attitudes and behaviours towards women.

On 25 November each year, men and women across Australia are encouraged to wear a white ribbon as a symbol of this oath.

The wearing of the ribbon and swearing of the oath represents our commitment to the campaign, affirming the personal role that we all must play in challenging and changing the attitudes and behaviours which contribute to violence against women.

It is great to see thousands of male ambassadors swearing an oath and supporting the White Ribbon campaign.

Among the supporters there are sportsmen, celebrities, comedians, politicians and men from around Australia who have all made a personal and collective commitment to ending violence against women.

Of course it is also great to see women working alongside these men around Australia to promote the campaign.

And I believe that the campaign really is gaining momentum.

At last count almost 17,000 Australians had sworn their support.

In addition, around Australia there are events being held this Friday to mark White Ribbon Day.

In my home state of Tasmania there are a number of events state-wide with the official White Ribbon site hosted by Unions Tasmania, Zonta Women's International and the Department of Police and Emergency Medicine.

Just this weekend, I was pleased to see our major newspapers around Australia publishing articles about ending violence against women and the White Ribbon campaign.

One example was an article by David Penberthy which featured in the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun.

In his piece, Penberthy wrote about the role men can play in taking a stand on violence against women.

Penberthy also talks about the gap between the zero-tolerance rhetoric on violence towards women in the immediate personal setting and instances of violence towards women in the more distant context of friends and acquaintances, neighbours and work colleagues.

Penberthy's article helps highlight the need to break the silence—and foreshadows the work of Dr Michael Flood from the University of Wollongong in preventing men's violence against women.

Dr Flood's latest work is to be released on Friday to coincide with the 2011 White Ribbon Day campaign and I look forward to that report.

It is also important to acknowledge the work of the Australian Government in reducing violence against women and children.

The national plan to reduce violence against women and their children is an action plan and framework that has been endorsed by COAG.

The plan articulates the path towards achieving an Australia where women and their children live free from violence in safe communities.

It contains six key national outcomes to work towards from 2010 to 2022 to reduce the prevalence of domestic violence and sexual assault, increase the proportion of women who feel safe in their communities, reduce deaths related to domestic violence and sexual assault and to reduce the proportion of children that are exposed to their mother's or carer's experiences of domestic violence.

Overall, the plan highlights that whilst living free from violence is everyone's right, reducing violence is everyone's responsibility.

As women and men here in Australia, in our own homes, in our local communities, within our region and beyond we must continue to express and work towards a vision for a violence-free world.

We can all play a role in breaking the silence.

We can all work to ensure that we maintain strong networks of services by and for women who have survived violence.

The first and most basic step is having an open dialogue with the women and men in our lives about equality and respect.

In the lead-up to White Ribbon Day, we have an even greater opportunity to build awareness about violence against women.

We must continue to teach our daughters and our sisters to expect equality for themselves and others.

We need to teach our sons and brothers to question sexism and reject violence, to respect women as equals, and to change systems based on concepts of dominance.

We all need to support one another and protect ourselves.

We should do this with a sense of pride and empowerment as we continue the campaign to end violence against women at home and abroad.

Senate adjourned at 19:59