Wendy Askew (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Violence against women and children is not okay and we must never make excuses for behaviour of this type. The responsibility to end violence is one that we all share. Governments, communities, schools, workplaces, religious institutions and the media all have a role to play—we all have a role to play—in ending violence in our community. The violence we have seen in the past week with the deaths of Hannah Clarke and her three beautiful children at the hands of her husband, the children's father, is distressing and heartbreaking, and I hope to never hear of anything like this again. Our country has been deeply affected by these murders, and it is right that we examine what we can do to prevent such an incident being repeated.

The government's first priority has always been to keep Australians safe and secure. We have a strong history of standing up against family, domestic and sexual violence. We know it is a major health and welfare issue that affects people of all ages and from all backgrounds, but we also know it mainly affects women and children. Under the government's National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022, we've invested millions in providing safe places for women and children escaping violence, such as emergency accommodation; prevention strategies to stop violence before it occurs; funding for 1800RESPECT, which is the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service; and increasing frontline services to help deal with such violence. The Fourth Action Plan under this national plan, which was agreed with state and territory governments last year, will provide continued improvement to existing initiatives by identifying and addressing gaps from earlier action plans, and look at future policy areas as part of its review.

Since the national plan's implementation 10 years ago, there has been evidence of an increase in reporting of family and domestic violence. This indicates that the quality and availability of support services are increasing, as is women's trust in them. Community awareness of violence against women and their children is growing, and the stigma associated with being a victim and seeking help is decreasing. These are good signs. First response counsellors with 1800RESPECT answered over 163,000 contacts in 2018-19, an increase of 66 per cent from the preceding year. Despite this increase, the plan states that the prevalence of violence against women in Australia remains largely unchanged, but:

… the gap between prevalence rates and reporting rates is diminishing as more women than ever are feeling able to seek help and support.

This is a good start, but there is still much more to be done.

Our government has a strong record in this area, and we're committed to continuing to build upon this work. We have already banned the direct cross-examination of women by their alleged perpetrator during family law proceedings. We've introduced domestic violence leave, and we've extended the early release of superannuation on compassionate grounds to domestic violence survivors. We're providing no-interest loans to thousands of women experiencing family and domestic violence, and we have issued thousands of visas for women and children overseas needing safe refuge. Since 2013, we have invested more than $852 million to address the scourge of family, domestic and sexual violence. Further, we're committed to the ongoing improvement of the family law system to ensure that it helps families to separate in a safe, child centred, supportive, accessible and timely way. The establishment of a joint parliamentary committee of both the House of Representatives and the Senate will conduct a wide-ranging inquiry into the family law system. This inquiry will hear from families accessing the family law system and provide a greater understanding of the issues and barriers they encounter.

To stop violence against women, we need to counter the culture of disrespect towards women, as this is a precursor to violence. We need to change attitudes around violence by making sure that those who think violence is an option stop. The national primary prevention campaign, Stop it at the Start, encourages adults to stop and reflect on their attitudes and to discuss respectful relationships with children and young people. Evaluation of this program shows that the campaign is having an effect, and maintaining a continued focus on showing respect for others is vital within our community. I cannot stress enough to anyone who is experiencing family or domestic violence of any kind that help is available. I encourage you to act. Reach out to trusted family, friends or your doctor or simply contact 1800RESPECT—it's there for you. Domestic violence is a risk all women face; however, abuse can take different forms, none of which are acceptable.