Legislative Council, Tuesday 29 October 2024
MOTION - Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission's Yearly Report - Consideration and Noting
Mr GAFFNEY (Mersey) - Mr President, I move -
That the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission's Yearly Report on the progress of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 be considered and noted.
Ms FORREST (Murchison) - Mr President, I thank the member for Mersey for bringing this motion on. It is bit of a heavy day today talking about these matters, but in any event, that is how it flows sometimes. It is a really appropriate report to note and to understand the implications of.
Before speaking to this motion as a fresh motion that we are debating, I do wish to warn those listening or reading this at a later time that we will be mentioning matters related to sexual, psychological, physical, emotional, financial, technological abuse and coercive and controlling behaviours. This may be triggering and I note there are a number of organisations that can be contacted for support. These are all available on the Services Australia website but I will mention a couple of key supports before I begin, particularly 1800RESPECT, which is a free and confidential service for those experiencing sexual, domestic and family violence. That is available 24 hours day, seven days a week on 1800 737 732; Full Stop Australia, a similar service, on 1800 943 539; Men's Referral Service, 1300 766 491; The Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline on 1800 497 212; the Sexual Assault Support Service and Laurel House on 1800 697 877; Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14; A Tasmanian Lifeline on 1800 984 434. For Aboriginal people, there is 13YARN, which is 13 92 76. I reiterate that anyone who is in the immediate danger should call Triple Zero.
I say that particularly today because again we have seen another woman being murdered in Victoria and her partner has been arrested for her murder. Her name is Nikkita Azzopardi. I do not know what else to say here. It is shocking; it is more than one woman a week being murdered by a current or former intimate partner. I was listening to the member for Mersey when he was speaking about the role of men in addressing this issue and there is a role for men to play and I will get to that. But the reality is, from what I have read - I have read a lot about this and I am sure other members have too - what men fear most in these sorts of areas is being laughed at or embarrassed. What women fear most is being murdered. There is a vast difference, even though the impact can be lifelong, of being embarrassed, humiliated, made fun of and the shame that goes forward into that man's life, but they get to live. The women on the other hand are worried about being murdered and are murdered; some of them are seriously injured to the point of brain injury but continue to live.
We need to focus our particular effort where the greatest harm is, so I make those points. I recognise Nikkita Azzopardi. We should say her name. We should remember her name. We should remember the name of every woman who was killed by a current and former intimate partner, as well as those who are harmed by them because until we start naming all these women more regularly, this just becomes another number.
Nikkita is not another number. Anyone who has seen the media today would see her brother, who found her after forcing his way into the house to be confronted by her partner, who said she was sick and in bed. She was dead and in bed, allegedly, at the hands of that person. That is yet to be proven. It is so easy to talk about numbers, but these are people. This is a sister, a daughter. I am not sure about all of the family connections, but she is one who I am talking about today because of her very recent death. We know that every week, at least every week, one or more women are murdered by their current or former intimate partner. So, I would like to, having made those comments, speak about what domestic and family violence actually encompasses, as well as the incidence of these abhorrent crimes.
Domestic and family violence is any behaviour that is violent, threatening, controlling or intended to make you or your family feel scared. Family and pets can feel scared and unsafe too, and this can be considered family and/or domestic violence. This can include some of the following forms of violence:
• controlling behaviour
• physical violence
• sexual violence or sexual assault
• emotional abuse
• stalking
• technology-facilitated abuse, including putting tracking devices on people's phones, or in their handbag
• financial abuse
• legal abuse, using the legal system to abuse a person further
• reproductive abuse.
Have we not seen aspects of this playing out writ large just recently? You do not have to go as far as America. We have seen a very real threat of reproductive abuse in South Australia that was narrowly defeated; and now in Queensland, and who knows what is going to happen there if Robbie Katter has his way, for example.
• threats to the person in their relationship, their children, their belongings or their pets.
In a previous motion, you will recall one of the young women I spoke about who was covering her puppy for comfort and the puppy was kicked as well as she was.
Family and domestic violence can affect anyone in all types of relationships. Although it may be more prevalent in low socioeconomic communities, it is not limited there. We have seen it right across the spectrum and it is sometimes easier to hide in well-off families and it is often much harder for those women and victims to seek support because they often are less likely to be believed, 'What have you got to complain about?'
Family and domestic violence can occur in past or current intimate relationships, including relationships where the couple are dating, living together and regardless of their gender or sexuality; relationships involving carers of people with a disability or medical condition or older people; relationships with relatives and guardians; culturally recognised family groups.
As I said, it can happen to -
Ms FORREST (Murchison) - Before the break, I was talking about the prevalence and the occurrences of domestic and family violence. I said it can happen to anyone, regardless of country of origin or residence, religion, sexuality, gender, social background and socioeconomic status, age or culture.
It is important to note some key points that are often not well understood. These include the fact that family and domestic violence is not always physical. It can happen to anyone, no matter their age, gender or sexual orientation, and it can continue after you have left a violent relationship. Family and domestic violence is always the fault of the person causing the abuse. It is never the fault of the person experiencing abusive behaviour. Coercive control is almost always an underpinning dynamic of family and domestic violence.
Perpetrators who use coercive control exert power and dominance over their partner by using patterns of abusive behaviours over time that create fear and deny liberty and autonomy. Perpetrated behaviours can be subtle and specific to the victim and not necessarily be easy to observe by others.
Domestic and family violence is a national crisis and I agree with the member for Mersey that it should almost be treated in the way terrorism is and called domestic terrorism, such is the frequency and incidence of family and domestic violence - with over one woman a week being killed at the hands of a former intimate partner. One would think, if you lined all those women up in a row and said 'This is the number of women who have been murdered this year' at the end of the year, surely that would elicit that sort of response. We would not accept it if a terrorist were killing people that indiscriminately.
Domestic and family violence is a national crisis with high numbers of women and children harmed and murdered. In Australia it is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men against women. The member for Mersey also referred to a recent Anglicare report, Unsafe and Unhoused. I will refer to that as well because it makes for disturbing reading, especially for victims of family violence on the north-west coast, which is sadly also a hotspot for family violence.
This is my community. This is where I live. I will refer to some detail in this report. The impacts and costs of domestic and family violence include pain and suffering experienced by victim/survivors, including long-term impacts on physical and psychological health and premature death. The associated costs include the costs of moving, debt default, replacement of damaged property, absence from work; and costs of the justice system and violence prevention programs; costs have lost taxation revenue, increased social welfare payments and other associated government-funded services as many of these women exit the workforce; costs to the public and private health systems that are treating the effects of violence on victim/survivors.
Second generation effects on children witnessing and living with violence: Children's exposure to domestic and family violence causes trauma and can adversely impact a child's development as well as the parents' caregiving capacity. Childhood trauma or adverse childhood experiences, including family violence, are identified, as I mentioned earlier in my motion today, in the Social Action & Research Centre's (SARC) report, Young, in love and in danger, as risk factors increasing the prevalence of domestic violence in intimate relationships of young Tasmanians. Breaking the cycle of domestic and family violence is vitally important to reduce persistent disadvantage.
As I mentioned, rates of family violence in Tasmania's north-west are higher than in other regions of the state. In 2024, there were 35 per cent more family violence instances per capita reported by Tasmania Police in the north-west than in the south and 13 per cent more than in the north. The Anglicare report notes the proportion of people reporting domestic or family violence as a reason for seeking housing assistance through Housing Connect is significantly higher in north-west Tasmania compared to other regions of the state. Analysis of Anglicare Tasmania's Housing Connect data for July 2024 found that per capita people in the north-west of the state are twice as likely to cite domestic and family violence as the reason for seeking assistance as people in the north. When compared to Housing Connect clients in the south, north-west housing clients are almost four times as likely to be experiencing domestic and family violence. I think if we are going to fix the housing problem, we need to fix the domestic and family violence problem first.
Research has found that support programs for women and children affected by domestic and family violence cannot compensate for the absence of affordable and appropriate housing. Frontline domestic and family violence services may be unable to provide effective support to a person if they cannot be housed in a place of safety. Frontline domestic and family violence practitioners work closely with accommodation services and advocate strongly for victim/survivors to be housed.
It is not just a victim/survivor in a house. Often it requires modifications to create a safe room in the house or other security measures, because if you do not do that, we know that perpetrators of family violence are not necessarily stopped by a police family violence order. The only safe place is a safe room, which is completely secure and locked in a way that cannot easily be broken into.
This is from the practitioners working on the frontline:
They cannot always assist [these victims] to a place of safety because there are insufficient short- and long-term housing options for women in the North West, especially for people on low incomes. For example, if a person is homeless following a significant domestic and family violence incident, the practitioner can arrange urgent contact to Housing Connect to assist with applying for all available housing options. These include shelter accommodation, social housing, assistance into private rental, and Rapid Rehousing for family violence. Shelters are regularly full and there can be lengthy wait lists for longer term options. Housing Connect aims to ensure they have best possible chance of being housed and in some cases can broker funding for short-term accommodation. However, a long-term housing outcome may not eventuate for that person for months or years due to a lack of affordable homes.
As we know from the previous debate, and I think the member for Mersey mentioned this, they then find themselves back in that relationship because they have nowhere else to go. People will say: why did they go back? It is not a question that should ever be asked. These people are left with no choice or no choice they can live with.
There are consequences for the safety and wellbeing of women and children. Women remain living with the perpetrator of violence to keep themselves and their children housed, or opt for sub-standard housing options such as caravan parks or free camps.
Which are hardly safe housing if you have a perpetrator who wants to find you.
We know that women and their families will hide in some of our more remote communities to try to escape family violence, and I know there are many situations like that around my electorate, in the more vast reaches of my electorate. It is a shame that people have to run to an area with basically no services to feel a modicum of safety because there is nowhere else.
Sometimes women and children move in with family and friends. This can cause overcrowding and place strain on relationships and informal relationships and friendships. It is wonderful that people will do that, but it is not sustainable in the long term.
An inability to leave a violent situation due to having nowhere to go can exacerbate the stress and trauma experienced by victim-survivors. Without being housed in a safe home, the person may not be able to engage further in their recovery and meeting their goals.
As long as domestic and family violence is occurring, access to crisis accommodation is needed to ensure people can safely leave a violent situation.
I have said in this place before, and I am pretty sure most members are aware of it, the most dangerous times for a victim of family violence, particularly a woman seeking to leave a violent relationship - whatever form of violence it is - is the time when they make the decision to leave and are still there, before they actually leave, and then when they physically leave. The chances of being murdered at that point are higher than at any other time in that woman's experience.
Sometimes the physical violence or the murder is the first physical violence that has been used. If you need an example of that, look at the Clarke family in Queensland, who were doused in petrol by the partner she was escaping from with her three children, and they were burnt to death. I do not think anyone can forget those images, if you saw them - the most horrific of things. As we understand from the coverage of that case, that was the first act of physical violence - there was plenty of other violence - but that can be the case.
Whilst victim-survivors should not be the ones uprooted from their home or community wherever possible, often women and children must leave for their safety. This means there is an ongoing and permanent need for the provision of specialist crisis accommodation services.
As noted in the Anglicare report:
Currently in the North West there are two facilities that can provide crisis accommodation for women and children. Between the two facilities there are a total of 15 self contained crisis units specifically for women.
The women's shelter has 10 self contained crisis units and capacity for 4 women and their children in shared accommodation. The second facility has 5 crisis units for women and children, 3 units for men with or without children, and 4 transitional units for families. They report that family violence remains the major reason people seek accommodation in their crisis units (33.73 per cent).
The report goes on to add that women's crisis accommodation in the north-west is not actually suitable for all.
In addition to capacity concerns, the North West crisis accommodation options are located close to population centres. That means those in more remote areas such as the West Coast may have to fund increased petrol bills or rely on goodwill of others to transport them, if they are willing and able to leave their community and uproot children from school.
Again, it is the victim who pays the price.
Suitable crisis accommodation is self-contained, accessible for people with disabilities, and safe, with staff on site 24/7 … There are often as many or more children than adults in shelters so safe spaces for children and appropriate supports are important for breaking the cyclical nature of family violence.
I will digress for a moment. I know I have spoken about this in the past, but I remember speaking to a principal in one of the schools in my electorate. He was recounting to me a situation we have with some young children in a primary school in a low grade - low being from grade one to three. There had been an incident in the classroom or in the playground, I am not sure exactly where, where a little boy had physically assaulted a little girl. There had been calls to both families to report this incident.
When school pick up time came, the mum of the little girl came to the office to meet with the principal. The principal told her what had happened, and the mum's comment was, 'Oh, she will just have to grow up knowing she is going to be hit'. My reaction was something that I will not say on the record. The principal said that was their reaction as well. This is the intergenerational impact, for that little girl to grow up expecting to be hit. We have to change that.
Importantly:
No new units specifically for women and children have been built in the north west in the last five years. The Tasmanian Government reports that in the four years to June 2023, 91 additional units of crisis and transitional accommodation were completed. This included 35 additional units for women in the North and South, 25 units for men in the south, and 31 units for young people in the North and North West.
Now, those 31 units for young people in the north and north-west are terribly welcome but we have not built any new ones for women and children in the last five years in the north-west. And there is no report of new units for women being built in the north-west at this stage. So, I think you get the picture here. It is hard enough for women to leave a violent relationship and almost impossible if they have nowhere to run to.
So, this is a disturbing report and whilst the Rapid Rehousing for Family Violence is welcome, it is certainly not always rapid, nor is it always safe. Family and domestic violence and abuse continues to be a crisis for our community. We have been talking about this for years. I know that the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence indicated that she had a meeting that she could not get out of at this moment. She will have people watching in another place, but I know this is a matter that she cares deeply about and has only just got the portfolio back. So, she is aware of this and she knows, as we all do, that it is not an easy problem to fix. There is no simple fix.
The other thing is that it has taken years to have all forms of violence recognised for what they are and we are slowly recognising financial abuse, emotional abuse, legal abuse, reproductive abuse.
Those were just things that women put up with in the past but now we recognise them, particularly when they are a pattern of behaviour and a pattern over time when different
forms of abuse are either included in the abusive relationship or escalated during the time to become more evident and then possibly evident to other people outside. But often it is very subtle to start with - that is what gaslighting is all about, making you think you are going mad, that it is not real. It must be me. It has to be me.
Legislative change in Tasmania has been very welcome and in many of these areas, Tasmania has led the way and the study is to be commended for that. This is not a criticism of that, it is just acknowledging the very wicked problem that we have here that we do need to address.
In spite of those changes though, we are not making the impact needed with the rates of family violence and the number of women being murdered at the hands of their current or former intimate partners not reducing. It is clear that a greater focus on prevention is needed.
It would be much better to prevent these, rather than have to pick up the pieces at the end. The cost of family violence is far reaching and whilst it should never be reduced to matters of economics and money, it is important to note that the cost of violence against women and children is estimated at $26 billion a year. I will just repeat that. The cost of violence against women and children is $26 billion a year.
Women who experience partner violence during pregnancy are three times more likely to experience depression, with all the personal and financial costs of that. Children exposed to domestic and family violence may experience trauma symptoms including PTSD and possibly long lasting effects on the child's development, behaviours and wellbeing.
Violence represents 10 per cent of the burden of disease for Indigenous women.
Intimate partner homicide is the most prevalent homicide in Australia. In 2019 20, there were 4706 hospitalisations of young people aged 15 to 24 due to assault.
For women aged 18 to 44 years, violence against women is the single biggest risk factor contributing to their disease burden. This is greater than the risk of smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity.
They spent a lot of money trying to prevent people - encourage people not to smoke, to have moderate alcohol consumption and try to reduce obesity. We need to focus it equally or more on preventing violence against women because that is the single biggest risk factor contributing to the disease burden for women aged 18 to 44.
Before commenting on the first yearly report on progress, which is actually the subject of this motion, I will just reiterate some detail from the plan itself because we need to understand what the plan says to look at - what the review says. The plan includes a prominent statement from victim/survivors, whose voices must be heard, believed and learnt from. I will read this statement from the victim/survivors. This is in the front of the report.
It is time to transform our pain into action. There can be no more excuses - that it is too hard, we don't know what to do, it's too complex.
It is everyone's responsibility to end the perpetration of violence against women and children, and all victims of gendered violence.
We are your mothers, your sisters, your brothers, your aunties, your uncles, your cousins, your children, your partners, your colleagues, your friends, your family, your kin, your community.
Do not continue to shame us for what other people have done to us. We did not ask for abuse. We have resisted violence or done what we needed to do - to protect ourselves, our families. To survive.
Stand with us, do not look away when we show you our pain. See what is happening all around you every day, from the sexist comment or homophobic joke, to the excuse 'boys will be boys'.
Discard the intuition that just because you know someone, they could not possibly hurt or abuse another. The people who use violence and abuse against their families, partners, children, colleagues, friends or dates are people you already know. People like you. People you love.
The people who have abused us are the people we knew; people we liked; and most often people we loved.
Too many of us are being re traumatised trying to engage with systems that are meant to 'protect' us but fail. Systems that create barriers to access and have costs beyond our means because services are not designed for the realities of our lives. Instead, they perpetuate the same dynamics of power and control as our abusers. Systems that wait until the worst has happened before they respond, then blame us for not reporting or leaving.
We should not have to die to get your attention.
We should never be forced to choose between violence in our homes or being homeless and facing violence on the streets, or having our families torn apart in ways we never wanted and that cause further harm.
This is not safety. The time is now to remove the inequalities that allow perpetrators to exercise power over others because our society:
• does not believe women
• does not value all women equally
• does not hear the voices of First Nations women and learn from their diverse experiences
• does not reward women equally for work
• does not value women's unpaid labour
• does not believe children can be trusted to tell the truth about abuse
• does not view people with disability as equal or able
• punishes those who do not conform
• creates disadvantage and poverty as a problem of individuals.
It is time to stop people and institutions choosing to use violence, feeling entitled to control and dominate to degrade others' values based on their sex, gender, sexuality or perceived 'rights'.
We are not damaged goods. We are not incapable or less than you because we experience trauma. We are survivors. We will not be silenced, pushed into the shadows nor spoken for any more.
We hold knowledge and answers that others simply do not.
We are diverse but galvanised by a common cause. We know what needs to change. No meaningful solutions can be made about us without us.
Stopping our suffering depends on all of us choosing to do something differently. We cannot repeat more of the same and expect to achieve change.
Abuse and violence is a problem for victims but it is not the victim's problem. Genuine change begins with a willingness to listen. We must stop protecting perpetrators with our silence and through inaction. We must be willing to sit in discomfort. It is time to be brave.
I am sorry, I appreciate that was a long quote, but that is the voice of victim/survivors, and I think it is important that it was read and reflected in full.
The plan has laudable aspirations, but the evidence we read in the media and see in our communities tells us we are not making the progress we want and we need. The plan itself tells us it:
is our commitment to a country free of gender based violence - where all people are free of fear and violence and are safe at home, at work, at school, in the community and online. This is a human right for all people and we commit to ending violence against women and children in Australia in one generation.
Violence against women and children is a problem of epidemic proportions in Australia. One in 3 women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15.
That is one in three. How many women in this place? Do your sums.
On average, a woman is killed by an intimate partner every 10 days. Rates of violence are even higher for certain groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. A woman is also more likely to experience violence at particular life stages, such as while pregnant or while separating from a relationship. In 2021, girls aged 10 to 17 made up 42 per cent of female sexual assault victims.
Forty-two per cent of the female sex assault victims were girls, aged 10 to 17.
These are not just statistics. They represent the stories of real people, and everyday realities.
The impact of this violence ripples out across Australian families, communities and society as a whole. Intimate partner violence is the main preventable risk factor that contributes to illness and death in women aged 18 and 44. It is the leading driver of homelessness and incarceration for women. Children exposed to violence experience long lasting effects on their development, health and wellbeing.
Violence against women and children is not inevitable. By addressing the social, cultural, political and economic factors that drive this gendered violence, we can -
and this is what the plan seeks to do
end it in one generation.
which is a lofty and a laudable goal, but we need to do it. We need to achieve this.
The plan says:
While our focus for this National Plan is the next 10 years, we know that we need to continue to prioritise ending violence against women and children as we strive to build a community that is safe for all.
To achieve this, we must reshape the social, political and economic aspects of our society that allow gender inequality and discrimination to continue. Across Australia - in cities and regional, rural and remote communities alike - every individual's humanity and worth must be respected and valued, regardless of their age, gender identity, sexuality, sex characteristics, disability, race and culture.
It is an ambitious vision, but we do need to work together to achieve it and we do need to address gender inequality and rigid gender norms. The member for Mersey spoke about this and some of the gender norms around what healthy masculinity looks like. We need to address discrimination that can prevent these this form of violence.
Gender inequality, compounded by other forms of discrimination, including racism, is at the heart of the problem.
We need to focus on advancing gender equality and that must be central to the solution.
Everyone has a meaningful role to play - as families, friends, work colleagues, employers, businesses, sporting organisations, media, educational institutions, service providers, community organisations, service systems and governments.
I will come back to the point that the member for Mersey made around sporting clubs and the role they can play.
Mr President, the National Plan to Reduce Family Violence against Women and Children in 2010 2022 was established to coordinate efforts across all levels of government to address this matter. According to the new plan document, over the past 12 years, the 2010 22 National Plan has:
- helped bring family, domestic and sexual violence to the nation's attention
- demonstrated the collective commitment by the Commonwealth, states and territories to address family, domestic and sexual violence
- supported increased collaboration, including between organisations, government departments and services, including services that respond to groups disproportionately impacted by violence
- supported the development of a world-leading approach to prevention, including the development of Change the Story.
These are good measures that have been taken, but it is just starting the journey, sadly.
Since the 2010 22 National Plan, evidence shows, positively, that fewer Australians hold attitudes that support violence against women. That is a positive thing and most Australians support gender equality - not all, but most. Women also report, in broad terms, that they are increasingly feeling safer in private and in community settings. The plan notes that:
Despite this progress, the 2010 22 National Plan did not succeed in its goal of reducing violence against women and children. The prevalence of violence against women and children has not significantly decreased during the last 12 years and reported rates of sexual assault continue to rise. While increases in reporting may be due to women feeling more supported to come forward and seek help, we must reduce the prevalence.
A point worth noting is that sometimes when you make it safer for people to come forward and report, you will have an uptick in reports of violence or whatever it is that you are making it possible to report. That is a good thing if that is what is happening, that people are reporting this violence and so they have a chance of actually understanding the full scope and scale of it and be able to support these people so they are not further harmed.
The new national plan commits to 10 years of sustained action, effort and partnership across sectors and levels of government toward our vision of ending violence against women and children in one generation. So how are we doing? Micaela Cronin, the Domestic and Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, stated in her foreword in the report:
As I consider the year in view, I am profoundly aware of the sense of urgency, anger and distress that many people across the community feel at the scale and complexity of the problem we face - and our lack of progress in addressing it.
The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) report that in 2023 24, 43 women were victims of intimate partner homicide, compared with 34 in 2022 23.
That is one-year difference between those two years. It went from 34, which is still horrific, to 43.
While we have seen a decline in homicides over the past three decades, the AIC reported 28 per cent increase in the rate of women killed by intimate partners in 2022 23, and a further 25 per cent increase in the rate in 2023 24...
We know that these numbers do not show the full extent of lives lost and harm done. Many more women and children are living with the terrible impact of gender-based violence every day. We know from research that publicly available data is likely to underestimate the true extent of domestic, family and sexual violence. Every life lost is one too many. Every person who lives with the ongoing impact of domestic, family or sexual violence requires us to strive to do better.
This is not the progress we are needing.
The report goes on -
We are witnessing the first generation to grow up exposed to violent pornography and misogyny online in a way that has never been seen before.
The member for Mersey addressed his mind to some of this. I read some time ago a book called QAnon and On by Van Badham. I do not know if anyone else has read it. It is a pretty compelling and disturbing read. She went undercover and went in to join some of these groups that were living and breathing on the Dark Web, and a number of their chat groups. It is worth a read to understand the traps and the depth of it and the impact it has on people, and particularly on young men who get drawn into these groups and they become what they call 'incels' ''involuntary celibate' guys who have been rejected by women as sexual partners usually. They then congregate on the Dark Web and build basically a hate platform for women because of the rejection they have suffered in some part of their lives. I note the member for Mersey's comments about how do we help men to be good, healthy men. We need to keep men out of these places, that is for sure, which is much easier said than done, and help them to learn to deal with rejection too. It is not their right to have a sexual relationship with a girl because they like the look of her or whatever.
Ms O'Connor - But it is a biological programming thing; they think they should.
Ms FORREST - That is right, there is a bit of that, but we can change that.
Ms O'Connor - Yes, it takes time, though.
Ms FORREST - We can change the software, the system that runs the operating platform.
The one-year progress reports that:
Participants at the crisis talks convened by the Commission in May raised the importance of acknowledging the role of factors such as alcohol and other drugs, gambling, and pornography in promoting violence.
Again, the member for Mersey raised some of these.
While these factors do not in themselves cause violence, there is strong evidence that they may contribute to reducing inhibition and result in more serious violence. There are now calls to have serious, evidence-based discussions about the role these factors have on violence and what levers the government can use to mitigate them. We must diligently reassess our approaches to prevention and response to ensure they are effective and adapting to the changing world around us. We cannot afford to waste the opportunity presented both by this National Plan and the commitment from governments and leaders across the country to 'do better'.
It goes on:
Within the term of this ten year plan, all Australians should expect to see changes that bring us closer to the goal of eliminating gender based violence in one generation. This report highlights key areas for opportunities to accelerate, amplify and drive impact.
It goes on:
Serious concerns have been raised that government systems, including the family court and child protection systems, are causing harm, and that police too often misidentify women as the primary aggressor - with terrible consequences - when they are the person in need of protection.
These are things we can absolutely work on and change. We have known about some of the challenges of the family court and our child protection systems for some time. This is not news to us. Neither is the misidentification of the victim as the primary aggressor. The report goes on:
These outcomes are the result of systems and processes that can be changed with the necessary commitment and inputs, and with the sense of urgency that the current situation demands. And if we are bold and determined to achieve the goal of the National Plan - to end domestic, family and sexual violence within a generation.
Australian Government reporting on the National Plan is yet to commence. The availability of this data in the coming year will enable a clearer focus on assessing the outcomes of the National Plan.
Clearly, there is some more work to be done in terms of the data collection.
The key findings? There must be more options for those at risk of, or using violence, to get help. The member for Mersey spoke about men's behaviour change programs, and these do -
remain the most used and commonly understood intervention for men who are using violence.
There are currently no agreed national standards for these MBCPs (men's behavioural change programs).
While some jurisdictions have standards in place, given the importance of MBCPs in the service response, developing national standards and guidelines should be strongly considered.
We do need to work with these men, but we need men who are not perpetrators to also be on the front foot here, working with this.
The second point:
We must equip mainstream service providers to respond to gender based violence. In addition to men's behaviour change programs, the Government must also look to mainstream service providers as additional opportunities for intervention for men who use violence.
General practitioners, nurses, medical staff in hospital, mental health and alcohol and other drug practitioners are key personnel who can engage with people where violence is known to be present.
Workers in these settings could benefit from training and skills to identify and respond to men who may be using violence in their relationship.
The third one is:
Working with men who are, or are at risk of, using violence must acknowledge experiences of trauma. The Australian Childhood Maltreatment Study shows that a significant number of people in the community experienced domestic, family and sexual violence as children. That exposure has previously been found to have significant, long lasting developmental impacts...
While exposure to domestic and family violence alone is not seen as a factor in future perpetration of violence, there is a link between childhood experience of violence with adult use of violence…
The next one is:
Governments must prioritise the development of new and better data on men who use violence. There remains a lack of evidence on people using violence, the pathways in and out of violence, and what works to reduce violence…
• Prevalence data on who is using gender based violence. While there is an understanding about the extent to which women experience violence and the various risk factors that lead to and result from violence, more data and research is needed around the prevalence and risk factors for those using violence.
• Understanding the pathways into, and more importantly, out of, using violence. ANROWS has been allocated an additional $4.3 million to further build the evidence on perpetration pathways...
• Further understanding is needed about what works to engage non violent men to become allies and adopt more non violent forms of masculinity. This includes the individual, community, and societal factors that lead men to adopt or reject certain versions of masculinity and, by extension, certain attitudes to gender based violence.
This is where we have a really important body of work. We need good men to stand up and not accept their mates making sexist jokes, their mates hitting or pushing around - or any form of abuse of - their partners, particularly if they see it.
The member for Mersey talked about the value of sporting clubs. What is indisputable is that the night of the AFL Grand Final, the night of the Rugby League final, the night of any of those major male sporting events, the family violence statistics go through the roof.
Any woman who has had any experience of family violence knows to get out of town and hope like hell he has cooled down by the time she gets back, particularly if his team loses.
It is horrific. The police know but we do not talk about it enough. This should be a warning on the TV screen, on the big screen at the footy saying 'Do not abuse your partner when you get home'.
Ms O'Connor - Real men do not hit women.
Ms FORREST - Yes, real men do not. Give the helpline numbers, put the numbers up there, the 1800RESPECT number. Put up the men's referral line, put that information out there. Let these people see it because we know what goes on and just turning a blind eye, because it is great to be at the footy, is no excuse.
I cannot think where I was the day of the Grand Final. I must have been speaking publicly to someone and I made this point, that 'tonight there will be a significant uptick in family violence right across the country', and that is the truth. It is a shameful truth.
We need to make it really visible so that maybe these men who, sadly, use violence, all forms of it, can be more visible to their mates who might stop them - some of those good mates who might stop them.
The report provides extensive commentary on all areas related to the key findings and there is a lot of detail on the plan and acknowledgement that it will take time. We do not need further reviews, however, what we need is real action. What we do need is to see results and a real reduction in the incidence of family violence and genuine, measurable progress to true and real gender equality.
These are the many challenges facing members of our community. Financial and other societal pressures can add to the risks, but we do need to have some hard conversations about the factors that contribute to disrespect of women and increased use of all forms of violence.
We need effective bystander support and action and safe places for victims to go. And there are some really helpful and effective bystander programs that anyone can engage with. It is not easy making sure that when the bystander intervenes, it is safe to do so for them and for the person they are trying to protect, but it is crucially important that we do it and we do it in a safe way.
We must address the underlying contributing factors and men must be part of the solution - not just the men who do not perpetrate violence against women and children, but the men that do.
We need evidence based, effective programs that perpetrators are required to complete or mandated to complete, as we do with drug diversion programs, et cetera. We need to teach and role-model healthy, respectful behaviour towards women and children in our homes, in our schools, in our community. We need people of courage to call out disrespectful, sexist, misogynistic behaviour and comments. We need to help young men of today to avoid the traps of toxic masculinity and understand and embrace positive masculinity, acknowledging the pressure on them, and that many of them have not had positive role models.
We need to focus on prevention as a priority, whilst we also need the real support of the current victims. We also need to believe those who have lived experiences. It is not too hard. I will finish by echoing the words of the dedication of the National Plan and it says here:
We thank the victim-survivors who have spoken out and shared their stories. Their work to share their experiences continues to inspire us and drive us to do more.
We mourn those who have been murdered and the children we will not see grow up. We recognise those with lived experience who continue to recover from violence and manage the life-long impacts of trauma. We acknowledge the life-long disabilities and impairments that many live with as a direct result of violence against women.
We acknowledge and thank all the people and organisations who work tirelessly every day to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against women and children, and whose advice and advocacy, have informed this plan.
I read the statements from the victim/survivors at the beginning of my contribution. I just want to finish by reiterating the latter part of that statement put together by victim/survivors. They state toward the end of their contribution:
The time is now to remove the inequalities that allow perpetrators to exercise power over others because our society:
• does not believe women
• does not value all women equally
• does not hear the voices of First Nations women and learn from their diverse experiences
• does not reward women equally for work
• does not value women's unpaid labour
• does not believe children can be trusted to tell the truth about abuse
• does not view people with disability as equal or able
• punishes those who do not conform
• creates disadvantage and poverty as a problem of individuals.
It is time to stop people and institutions choosing to use violence, feeling entitled to control and dominate to degrade others' values based on their sex, gender, sexuality or perceived 'rights'.
We are not damaged goods. We are not incapable or less than you because we experience trauma. We are survivors. We will not be silenced, pushed into the shadows nor spoken for any more.
We hold knowledge and answers that others simply do not.
We are diverse but galvanised by a common cause. We know what needs to change. No meaningful solutions can be made about us without us.
Stopping our suffering depends on all of us choosing to do something differently. We cannot repeat more of the same and expect to achieve change.
Abuse and violence is a problem for victims but it is not the victim's problem. Genuine change begins with a willingness to listen. We must stop protecting perpetrators with our silence and through inaction. We must be willing to sit in discomfort. It is time to be brave.
I thank the member for Mersey for bringing on that report. I will just repeat that 1800 number for anyone who may be listening or watching, it is 1800 737 732. For anyone in immediate danger, please call 000.
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