Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Child Protection and the Prevention of Family Violence) | Hansard source

The next set of nationwide crime statistics, due in the next few days, won't tell Australians what they want to hear. Vulnerable Australians are fleeing their homes that have become less safe because of escalating aggression and violence. Crisis helplines are overwhelmed. Australians in all their diversity are in real crisis. Helpline DVConnect is called every four minutes in Queensland. The Albanese Labor government said there would be 352 full-time equivalent frontline workers on the ground today. They've delivered just 94. This was a 500-worker election commitment in 2022. Based on performance, it's not likely to be delivered by the next election. The Albanese Labor government continues to blame the states, but it's their election promise. They've led negotiations for national partnership agreements. It is the Labor government's failure. Yet they still intend to distribute more money to the states and territories, despite that appalling progress.

Frontline workers confirm that the lack of capacity for family violence response for regional, rural and remote areas adds to everyone's distress—more families couch-surfing or living in cars or tents: anywhere other than home because home is not safe. Strangulation is up. Sexual violence is up. In all its forms, it's underreported. In this epidemic, announcements are not good enough. Rewarding poor performance is not good enough. Community legal services turned away nearly 1,000 people a day last year, yet the Albanese government had no new money for them, just enough to cover indexation. Frontline shelters can't take any more in. Minister Rishworth has said every new worker employed will be able to make a difference for women experiencing violence. The minister, the Prime Minister and the Albanese government failed to deliver.