International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Social Services) (09:01): Today I rise to acknowledge the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which we marked on Monday, and to acknowledge the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which continue through to 10 December. This time allows us to reflect on and highlight our shared commitment and resolve to end family, domestic and sexual violence. All people have the right to live free from fear of violence. However, we know violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread and longstanding human rights violations across the globe. This is a sobering reality and one which we are, sadly, not immune to here in Australia. Every day across Australia, women and girls are being subject to family, domestic and sexual violence. Gender based violence and its impacts ripple through communities – countless lives destroyed and lives lost as a result of this senseless abuse and violence.

Sadly, there are too many names that we know of women who have been slain by someone who professed to love and care for them. There’s Lilie James, a 21-year-old water polo coach, who was found brutally bashed in the gym of the school in which she worked in Sydney. She had ended her relationship with her murderer just days before he wickedly took her life. There’s Kumanjayi Haywood, who, just hours before her death, texted a loved one, saying:

[He’s] going to kill me tonight, love you so much …

Kumanjayi died with horrific burns to 90 per cent of her body after her former partner doused the house in petrol and set it on fire. Seven calls were made seeking help for the 34-year-old, whose murderer had been her partner for 20 years. Both these women, and many others, had their lives extinguished in brutal acts of abuse. One death due to family, domestic and sexual violence is one too many. The devastation caused by this epidemic of abuse ripples across our communities. Lives are destroyed, terror is inflicted on victims-survivors for years and years, and the impacts can be, and often are, felt long after someone escapes a violent relationship.

This is why ending gender based violence has been a national priority of the Albanese Labor government. It is an issue that cannot be allowed to fall off anyone’s radar. This issue is above politics. I echo the words of the Prime Minister on Monday as we marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women: we must be energised and united to continue to take action so we can achieve the much-needed change we all want to see. We must recommit ourselves to the consistent and persistent action required to achieve our shared goal of ending gender based violence in one generation. We must look ahead with hope to the lives that can and will be changed as a result of all the work that we are doing together. All women and children in Australia deserve to be safe at home, in the workplace, at school and in daily life. This is a shared goal, along with states and territories, that we are committed to progressing.

I would like to acknowledge all the victims-survivors who may be listening or watching today. I am in awe of your resilience and bravery. I want to acknowledge all those who are living with the impacts of gender based violence in their daily life: women who deal with threats and stalking, who have to check their cars, phones and even their children’s toys for hidden tracking devices; children who are struggling to learn about what healthy respectful relationships look like because it hasn’t been modelled at home; boys and young men who are being bombarded with online messages that disrespect women. I also want to acknowledge all of those who are no longer with us as a result of gender based violence. You will not be forgotten.

Because of the generosity, resilience and courage of victims-survivors who have shared their stories with us and are using their voices to create change, we now have a better roadmap on how we will end violence. More than 3,000 people lent their lived experience, wisdom and expertise to the development of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children and its action plans. This important source of information, which continues to expand through ongoing input from victims-survivors, has informed the development and implementation of 113 Commonwealth funded initiatives currently being delivered to address gender based violence. And this is on top of the initiatives and funding made by states and territories that also helped to implement the national plan, which is, of course, a shared document between the Commonwealth, states and territories.

These initiatives are driving action both at the systemic and individual level: addressing the underlying drivers of gender based violence to prevent it before it occurs at a societal level and a local level; intervening early and preventing further escalation; responding appropriately when violence is used; and supporting the recovery and healing of victims-survivors in ways which put them in the centre. The voices and experiences of victims-survivors have been at the centre of our work, particularly through the establishment of the first-ever National Lived Experience Advisory Council. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the council for the work they’ve been doing and for elevating the voices of victims-survivors. As we listen to those voices, we think about all those who will be sorely missed by their loved ones, children, families, friends and communities.

Importantly, I want to make the point I have made for some time: gender based violence is not a women’s issue to solve. This is an issue for all of us, and one that everyone in this place is dedicated to addressing. But more broadly, it’s not just an issue for governments but for all of society. Communities, businesses, organisations and individuals all have a role to play. Change on this issue is within our reach. The work that’s occurring every day by our frontline workforce is changing and saving lives. There is hope and there is help.

As Minister for Social Services, one of my greatest privileges has been meeting the many victims-survivors who have shared their experiences of gender based violence and abuse with me. They’ve articulated how even seemingly small changes can have a profound impact, particularly for our children and young people. One change I’m particularly proud of in this portfolio, which we’ve acted to make a reality and was one of our first pieces of legislation as a government, was our first 10 days of paid domestic and family violence leave for all employees.

This change gave mental health nurse, Susan—not her real name—the economic certainty to map out leaving an abusive relationship. With paid family and domestic violence leave, Susan no longer had to choose between her economic security or her safety. Susan made a call on her break, during a shift at the hospital, to organise crisis accommodation where she went after her shift finished. The next day she commenced her 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave. She was also able to access the $5,000 escaping violence payment to set up her new home.

The Leaving Violence Program is a very important program that our government has made permanent. We know that, for many people who access this payment and program, it may be the first time they have reached out for help. For young mum Bella, the payment literally saved her life after she lost her job and was left homeless as a result of her partner’s violence. Bella, who was pregnant at the time, was able to secure accommodation for herself and her kids with the payment, as well as purchase a new baby seat in preparation for the arrival of her baby. Bella told frontline workers that she was assisted at a time of need and that she was so thankful for the ability to access vouchers for food, groceries and household items to support her family’s transition into their new property.

Then there’s the experience of Josie, who reached out for help to the new 1800RESPECT SMS channel, launched last year. Josie had been married to her husband for more than 40 years, but she noticed that she had slowly been isolated from her friends and family. Also, her husband strictly controlled her finances and only offered her a small allowance each week for items around the home. By texting 1800RESPECT, Josie began to understand the signs of coercive control, and to understand that they may have been present in her life, and she was able to connect to the support services near her.

These are just some of the people who, every day, are receiving support and having their lives changed by the important work of frontline workers—frontline workers who are dedicating themselves to ending violence and delivering support when needed. I want to take this opportunity to recognise and celebrate every single frontline domestic and family violence worker who has dedicated themselves to helping people who are experiencing violence. It really is life-saving work. The skills, experience and advocacy that these people bring have driven the action and change we’ve already seen, and will continue to drive action to address gender-based violence.

Along with the important investments I’ve mentioned so far, we’re also sharpening our focus on prevention so that we can end violence in a generation. We’re doing this by investing in respectful relationships education and consent campaigns, supporting the work of Our Watch, the national primary prevention organisation, and addressing exposure to online harms for children and young people. We’re also supporting the important work of the frontline sector through funding to states and territories under the national partnership agreement and through initiatives like our 500 additional frontline workers.

As a result of the second dedicated National Cabinet meeting on gender-based violence, our government committed an extra $350 million for funding under a renewed national partnership agreement on family, domestic and sexual violence responses for frontline services. This funding will be indexed by the Commonwealth and matched by states and territories.

As we all know, however, our work will not be complete until every woman and child in Australia is safe. We will not have finished our task until we’ve eradicated the corrosive and devastating impacts of gender-based violence. It is through collaborations between governments, frontline workers and the whole of society, including victims-survivors, that we can achieve our shared goal of ending violence against women and children. These 16 days of activism are an opportunity to reaffirm our shared commitment to creating the change we all want to see.

We know that achieving this change will require our focus each and every day of the year. It will take time and an unwavering commitment from us, but together we can achieve the change we want to see. Let’s work together to end gender-based violence and no longer have women and children subject to the devastating evil that is family, domestic and sexual violence.