Senate debates

Monday, 24 February 2020

Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers

Domestic and Family Violence

3:45 pm

Photo of Pauline HansonPauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Today, a question was put by Senator Waters, this morning—

Photo of Sue LinesSue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | | Hansard source

Senator Hanson, it's a question to the government that arises out of question time.

Photo of Pauline HansonPauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | | Hansard source

It was. I have to preface—

Photo of Sue LinesSue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | | Hansard source

To which minister? It's a question from Senator Waters—

Photo of Pauline HansonPauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by Senator Payne to a question without notice asked by Senator Waters today relating to domestic and family violence.

Senator Waters said:

This morning, Senator Hanson said, on national television, that Hannah Clarke's ex-husband—and I won't name him—was driven to it and that these things happen. These abhorrent attitudes are offensive and they undermine efforts to prioritise children's safety in the family law system. Will this government now accept that Senator Hanson's attitude puts women and children at risk, and will you remove her as deputy chair of the family law inquiry?

I did go on national television this morning, and I'd like to state what was said. I said:

You know, this has been for a week we have been in the news nearly every day about this horrific tragedy. But we don't hear much about it when a woman has murdered her children by driving a car into a tree—she threw out a suicide note. Or the woman who doused her husband with fuel and set him alight and said she was possibly driven to it.

These are my words:

A lot of people are driven to do these acts for one reason or another. Hopefully the Family Law Inquiry will get to the bottom of it. But don't bastardise all men out there, all women for that matter, because these things happen. Let's get to the bottom of it, why it is happening, and hopefully find the answers so it never happens again.

They were my words.

I have never said that he was driven to it. I seek an apology from Senator Waters for her comments today in this chamber. I have no intention of stepping aside from being the deputy chair in this family law inquiry—an inquiry that I feel that I've got some great committee members working with me and the chair, MP Kevin Andrews, on. I think it's very important that we have this inquiry. It's a voice for the people to have their say. We need to get to the bottom of it. We know we've got a broken family law system. We need to hear what the people have to say.

We will never stop the murder of innocent children or women or men taking their lives, unless we find the reasons behind it. You can't sugar-coat it. You can't just ignore what is actually happening, and you can't blame one group or another. I know this. You needn't think that I don't have any idea of what domestic violence is. You have no idea of my previous life and what I've been through. You sit here and say that you need me off the committee when the fact is that I'm on the committee because I was the one that was driven to have this family law inquiry. What are the risks you've ever done? How many years has Senator Waters ever been in this place? What have you ever done to really care about the women or the children being murdered. This is why we definitely need the family law inquiry: to get to the bottom of it so people can get on with their lives and not destroy each other's lives or innocent children's lives.

I have been absolutely horrified and distressed over those innocent children's lives being taken and their mother. So I would like an apology from Senator Waters for her comments today, or I want them withdrawn, because they were not said by me and it's misleading this chamber and the people of Australia.

Question agreed to.

3:48 pm

Photo of Larissa WatersLarissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

With a minute and four seconds available to me, I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given to my question by Senator Payne on behalf of the Attorney-General.

I asked her where the money was for frontline services to protect women and children fleeing violence. Her answer was that that was a politicisation of this issue. It was kind of a bit ironic that she then went on to detail the funding that she says the government is in fact providing, but that wasn't politicisation.

In any event, that funding is absolutely pitiful. It is miniscule. It is not what's required. We know a good $5 billion and a 10-year funding commitment is what's required. But apparently it's all too complex. The minister said the issue is just too complex; it can't be fixed with funding. It would be a good start if crisis support services didn't have to turn women and children away because they don't have the resources to help them when they reach out for that help. The beds are full and some of the phone calls can't be answered because there are simply not enough resources. The government could fix this today and they should do so.

Question agreed to.