Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The 23rd of May this year was a mild, sunny day in Santa Barbara, California. Shoppers were out buying their groceries. University students from the University of California were catching the warm spring sun. The Californian tranquillity was broken by a killing spree, with six people dead and 13 injured at the hands of 22-year-old Elliot Rodger before he turned the gun on himself.

This incident is remarkable in a number of respects. Firstly, it is shocking that a young person with their whole life ahead of them would commit such an atrocity. Mental health is a significant issue for young adults worldwide. It is also appalling that Elliot Rodger had such easy access to Glock and SIG Sauer pistols, but that is an issue for my colleagues in the United States congress to consider. What is most deplorable is the bigoted, chauvinistic, prejudiced contempt shown by Elliot Rodger towards all women for no reason other than the fact that they happen to be female.

Elliot Rodger, though, I have to say, was not alone in his hatred of women. On the contrary, Elliot Rodger was one of many young men who are united in their violent thoughts, abusive comments and sadistic outlook towards women. The events of 23 May exemplify the horrendous and degrading treatment that many women, particularly young women, are facing in the modern world. This gives me food for thought as I reflect on the prevalence of domestic violence.

Domestic violence and violence against women do not just happen in the home. Domestic violence is not limited to hitting, kicking, pinching, punching or even, dare I say, shooting a woman. Elliot Rodger felt that women needed to be punished for refusing to sleep with him. He spoke of women as objects to possess, to acquire, to dominate or even to control. The disturbing events of 23 May highlight more than ever the imperative to recognise the objectification and degradation of women as a form of domestic violence. Women should never be punished for seeking to control their own lives, their own destinies or their own sexuality. Male entitlement is a challenge to all societies and communities, whether they are in boardrooms, classrooms or offices, on sporting fields or in the realms of cyberspace.

Society needs to do much more to identify and manage misogyny. The consequences will be enormous if we fail at this task. Friends, families, mental health professionals, GPs, coworkers and colleagues are all responsible for identifying and recognising misogyny and domestic violence and calling it out when it exists. We all need to take more responsibility for encouraging young boys and girls to respect each other in the professional, recreational and personal spheres.

The media has a vital role in ensuring that misogynistic comments are not considered the norm. I can think of one recent occasion where I turned on breakfast television to see a male co-anchor turn to his female colleague and tell her: 'Hug it out, b-ch'—and I think you can use your imagination. Regardless of how hip or trendy these turns of phrase are, they can do lasting damage to the younger members of our society who see media personalities as idols or people worth emulating.

It is the same misogynistic approach that has fuelled the rage and hatred that claimed the life of Jill Meagher—someone whose sad loss of life I have spoken of at length in this place—and encourages men to see rape as a tool of assertion, self-projection, domination and alpha masculinity.

This may seem radical—and it is—but fanatical haters of women are much more commonplace in our society than we like to think. They can range from people like Elliot Rodger, who sought to physically harm and punish women for being female, to people who claim that women become pregnant to get paid or have children so they can access a paid leave scheme from their workplace. We have actually heard this in the commentary here not so long ago.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey provides a snapshot of the prevalence of domestic violence in Australia, covering physical violence, physical threat, sexual assault and sexual intimidation. Just under 20 per cent of Australian women aged 18 years and over have experienced violence from a partner since the age of 15. These statistics are shocking, especially when we factor in those who do not wish to disclose this information in a public survey. We can take the liberty to presume that the real numbers may be somewhat larger, particularly given that one Australian woman will die each week at the hands of her partner.

I would like to briefly touch on the importance of ensuring that children bear witness to our best behaviour and best attitudes as adults. In the ABS survey, the majority of women who had experienced physical and/or sexual abuse had children in their care at the time of the abuse. A number of women reported it likely that children had seen or heard the violence. International research has shown that infants, children, adolescents and young adults have suffered developmental, social, psychological and emotional damage from seeing or hearing domestic violence. Children copy what they see. They follow what we do, not just what we say.

Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has described violence against women as 'the most shameful human rights violation [which] knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth' and that it has significant repercussions for global development, equality and peace. I am sickened that one in three young girls today will suffer violence, because she happened to be born female. Kofi Annan has likened gender-based violence to:

… a pandemic as HIV/AIDS or malaria. But is generally downplayed by the public at large and by policy makers

who fail to create and fund programs to eradicate it.

Domestic violence, misogyny and gender harassment are not just women's issues: every man has a mother; some have sisters, wives and daughters. We all have the power to prevent violence against women.

According to the White Ribbon Foundation, most perpetrators of domestic abuse are 'respectable men who are very much in control'. There is absolutely nothing—zero, nada, zilch; however you want to put it—that is respectable about domestic abuse. We must blow this perception out of the water at every possible opportunity.

Violence against women is the biggest cause of death or serious injury for women between the ages of 18 and 45. Let me just say that again: it is the biggest cause of death—domestic violence kills more women between 18 and 45 than anything else in the modern world. We need to ask ourselves as concerned citizens and policymakers what more we can do to ensure that women grow up with the freedom to choose who they marry, who they associate with and who they sleep with.

It is not that we are failing. Organisations like the Australian Muslim Women's Centre for Human Rights are making vast progress in identifying and educating women from different backgrounds and with different language requirements about domestic violence and what they can do to support women in their communities. I want to put on the record my commendation for the work that they do, because they work in incredibly difficult and tight circumstances and cultural situations and they do tremendous work.

Today I use this forum as a call to arms for all Australian men, because it is men who should be listening today. Australia needs a champion of domestic violence so that we start thinking of violence against women as a male issue—and it is—not just as an issue about women by women for women. We need a male champion.

And this is not to say it is a purely male problem either. Just as Jeff Kennett and my colleague the Hon. Andrew Robb have become the public faces of male depression—and we know the wonderful book that Hon. Andrew Robb wrote in relation to his 'black dog'—and Danny Green has become the public champion of drunken violence, we need a champion of domestic violence who can make a compelling case for men like Elliot Rodger to reconsider their actions and think twice before they commit heinous acts of terror against and abuse towards women.

Domestic violence, violence against women—however you want to label it—violates a number of fundamental human rights. As a very proud member of the Liberal Party, I believe in freedom as the best equaliser and means to provide opportunity. All individuals should have the right to freedom of association, freedom of communication, dignity, the right to live safely in their own home, freedom of speech, freedom of thought and freedom of religion. Just because an individual is born male or female does not mean that they have the right to dominate, abuse or sexually mistreat those of the opposite sex.

It is vital that we do all we can to tackle the issue of domestic violence internationally but also here in Australia. A lot of conversation happens in this chamber and the other place at times about women's rights issues overseas, but we do not give enough attention to it in our own country.

Women should never be objectified or degraded. We should never be punished for wanting to control our own destiny. This is not just an issue of fundamental, moral and ethical right; it is an issue of national importance to our productivity, our economy, our way of life, our democracy. Every one of us needs to champion women's rights and every one of us needs to stand up and be counted and be a champion against domestic violence.