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

On Saturday, 22 November, I, along with over 100 other Tasmanians, including my federal parliamentary colleague the member for Denison, Duncan Kerr, and state MPs Lisa Singh and Nick McKim, attended an event hosted by Amnesty International to mark White Ribbon Day. Those present formed Tasmania’s largest human white ribbon in a show of unity and support for Amnesty’s Stop Violence Against Women Campaign. The event represented a creative means of drawing attention to what continues to be a serious issue, both here in Australia and overseas.

The sad reality is that many women, both here in Australia and overseas, remain victims of violence, whether it be physical, sexual, psychological or emotional. Indeed, as the federal Minster for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek, noted in her contribution yesterday to mark White Ribbon Day, violence against women remains the:

… greatest human rights violation in this country and the greatest human rights violation on the planet in terms of the number of people who are affected.

This is a statement that is likely to take many by surprise because of the silent nature of the issue.

White Ribbon Day was created by a group of men in Canada in 1991 on the second anniversary of the massacre of 14 women by a man in Montreal. The men started the campaign to encourage other men to speak out against violence against women. In 1999, the United Nations declared 25 November the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and the white ribbon was adopted as its symbol. White Ribbon Day activities have been conducted in Australia since the year 2000. Indeed, from 2000 the Commonwealth government’s Office for Women began running awareness activities and, since that time, the Australian branch of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, in partnership with various men’s and women’s organisations, has conducted a national campaign.

The aim of the White Ribbon Foundation of Australia is to eliminate violence against women by encouraging men to speak out about the issue and to provide positive role models. A number of high-profile Australian men have accepted the role of becoming White Ribbon ambassadors, including the foundation’s chair and television identity, Andrew O’Keefe, and the Prime Minster, Kevin Rudd. However, White Ribbon Day offers men all around Australia the opportunity, by wearing a white ribbon, to make a personal statement that they will not commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women. Indeed, if we are to make serious progress in reducing violence against women, both here and abroad, men are to play a pivotal role in taking the lead and providing positive role models for our young boys and men to shape attitudes towards women.

Statistics show that one in three Australian women will experience domestic or family based violence in their life and one in five will experience sexual assault. This equates to nearly half a million women in Australia suffering from some form of violence each year. Further, with Amnesty International reporting that domestic violence is the leading contributing factor to ill-health and premature death for women between the ages of 15 to 44, there remains a need for constructive action to be taken to combat the problem in Australia.

During its first term in office, the Rudd government has remained committed to its pre-election commitments in the area of social policy reform, pursuing a number of significant reforms in key social policy areas, including the reduction of violence against women. Indeed, it has been the government’s decisive action in such areas which I believe has provided the real hallmarks for its first year in office. In May, the government announced the formation of an 11-member national council charged with the responsibility of providing the government with advice on measures to reduce the incidence of domestic violence and sexual assault against women and delivering a draft of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, which is due to be handed to the government by the end of this year. Since then the national council has undertaken a period of extensive consultation with a broad range of stakeholders to provide insights and advice to form the basis for the draft national plan. This has included the hosting of three expert roundtables, inviting written submissions and the hosting of public forums right around the country, including in my home state of Tasmania.

On Tuesday the national council released a summary of the consultations, in the lead-up to the draft plan being handed to the government by the end of the year. According to the summary, the council received over 2,000 written submissions, the majority of which came directly from service providers and the general public. Further, 440 individuals participated in the 30 forums held around the country. The council noted that the consultations highlighted the need to improve support and services for those affected by domestic violence and sexual assault, to improve the legal system so that perpetrators are held to account, to increase primary prevention efforts so that more children and young people are educated about respectful relationships, and to increase research and set targets so that Australia can track its progress. In all, the draft report promises to draw on a range of expert opinion as well as personal experience to outline a clear way forward in reducing domestic violence and sexual assault in Australia and creating a safer, more supportive society in which to live.

Whilst awaiting the delivery of the draft report, the government, since coming to office, has also delivered $1 million to the White Ribbon Foundation to assist them in promoting and expanding their campaign in rural and remote areas, which is a constructive means of facilitating cultural and behavioural change in such areas, particularly for men; $2 million to commission a national survey to measure and compile community attitudes relating to violence against women, which will in time complement and strengthen the draft national plan; and $500,000 to the Australian Institute of Criminology to undertake further research into the tragic circumstances surrounding cases of domestic homicide. Currently, more than one woman per week has her life taken away by a partner as a result of domestic homicide. Obviously, I echo the sentiments of everyone in the chamber that that is one too many. The government hopes the survey will assist in determining just where the system is currently letting these women down and how we can better support and protect them to prevent such tragedies occurring.

The government has also put $500,000 towards 22 local projects that support victims of domestic and family violence. I am proud to say that this includes the funding of a project by the Huon Domestic Violence Service in Tasmania for a radio program that aims to target the attitudes and behaviours of young people. Once again, this represents very real and constructive action on the part of the government to ensure that it is addressing the issue at both a national policy level and a local, grassroots level.

Finally, representative of its genuine commitment to moving forward on this issue, the Rudd government formally moved that Australia become a party to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The government’s announcement, on the eve of White Ribbon Day, made for a powerful statement that this country will no longer tolerate violence against women in any form. Under the optional protocol, women in Australia will be granted the right to make a complaint to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women about alleged violations of Australia’s obligation. Whilst this can occur only after domestic legal options have been exhausted, it demonstrates that the government is serious about promoting gender equality and that it is prepared to be judged by international human rights standards.

Whilst admittedly we have a long way to go if we are to eliminate the perpetration of violence against women in all forms, the government has made a constructive start. I would like to believe that we as a country would be well on the way to actively combating the problem by the time my daughter reaches her teenage years; however, there is a lot of work yet to be done. Yesterday, the formal proceedings to mark White Ribbon Day were participated in by the Attorney-General, the Hon. Robert McClelland, and the Hon. Joe Hockey, who are both White Ribbon ambassadors. I was at the launch, as were a lot of members and senators from all parties. Senator Bilyk, my colleague from Tasmania, was in attendance, as was Senator Furner, both of whom are in the chamber this evening. I understand Senator Furner signed up on the spot to be a White Ribbon ambassador.

As part of these formal proceedings to mark the day, the Chair of the White Ribbon Foundation, Andrew O’Keefe, presented the Minister for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek, with a copy of the foundation’s most recent report, An assault on our future: the impact of violence on young people and their relationships. The report highlights that indeed there remains a lot of work to be done, revealing that one in seven girls between the ages of 12 and 20 have experienced sexual assault or rape and that half a million teenagers admit they live with violence in their home. Such findings ensure that the government’s commitment to tackling this is essential, not only in supporting current victims but also in preventing and protecting our young girls and women from falling victim to the same cycle of violence. (Time expired)