The Hon Justine Elliot MP
Assistant Minister for Social Services
Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence

Statement on a significant matter
House of Representatives

Mr Speaker, today I rise to reaffirm our government’s commitment to ending gender-based violence.

Growing up, so many young girls and women have always had to think and act differently. 

It may mean walking on the other side of the street, so you avoid walking past someone bigger than you.

If you’re on the bus, it may mean turning the volume down on your music so you can hear behind you.

You may decide to leave work before it gets dark or catch a taxi or ride-share– making sure you let someone know – just in case.

And when you get home, you look behind you before opening the door, which you then promptly lock.

For some women, Mr Speaker, once they get home and lock the door, they still aren’t safe.

For too many women, home is the most dangerous place.

You see Mr Speaker; the life of a woman is different.

We’ve had to see, think and act differently throughout our entire lives - out of fear of violence.

Fear of violence should not be a normal nor accepted part of womanhood.

Speaker, one death is one death too many.

These deaths are not numbers. These were women with lives, families, jobs. These women were part of our community, until a man decided to take that away.

As many know, I’ve served as a frontline police officer and I’ve stood in the living rooms of homes where the most confronting, devasting and vile acts of violence have taken place.

Tragically, these are the same stories that I hear each and every day in my current role as the Assistant Minister for Prevention of Family Violence.

And unfortunately, we know that calls to police are more than 5000 per week.

Many have been advocating for change for years.

One of the first times I ever spoke in this chamber was on International Women’s Day, 2005.

In speaking about gender-based violence, I said: “these are not just women’s issues; they are also community issues. Women make up more than half the population. It stands to reason that issues affecting us affect the entire community.”

I look back on those comments and – at one level – I find it disheartening to think that I’m still standing here today speaking on the same issue.

But a stark difference between then and now is that eliminating violence against women and children is a national priority - backed by immediate action and driven by a generational goal.

Proof that this Government – and this Parliament – understand that violence against women is not a problem women should have to solve alone.

Mr Speaker, since coming to Government, we’ve worked tirelessly to help end violence against women and children and drive towards gender equality.

We’ve placed a particular focus on tackling economic insecurity – because poverty is not just a factor in violent relationships - it’s something that traps women in violent situations.

That’s why we legislated 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave.

We expanded the single parenting payment, which is benefiting more than 91,000 Australians.

We’ve established the permanent Leaving Violence Program, because we know that 57% of recipients under the trial reported they would not have left the violent relationship without that financial support.

We’re investing in housing – so women know they have a place to go – building 4,000 social and affordable homes for women and children escaping violence – and delivering a further 720 Safe Places of emergency accommodation nationwide.

We’ve strengthened our justice system’s response to gendered violence, making the family law system safer for women and children, and harmonising sexual assault and consent laws.

We’re implementing all recommendations of the Respect@Work report, including enforcing positive duty compliance in the workplace.

With states and territories, we have set a goal to end violence against women and children in a generation. This goal sits at the heart of our National Plan.

In May of this year, our Prime Minister convened a National Cabinet alongside all First Ministers, to bolster the efforts of all governments to address gender-based violence.

First Ministers committed to clear actions, and they will report on their progress later this year.

Commitments included strengthening accountability and consequences for perpetrators, building on prevention work through targeted, evidence-based approaches, and maintaining a focus on missing and murdered First Nations women and children.

Following the National Cabinet, the Albanese Government announced it would undertake a rapid review of approaches to prevent gender-based violence, led by an expert panel, and co-convened by the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, Micaela Cronin.

We’re listening to the experts, identifying where the gaps are, and acting with urgency - because an opportunity missed, can mean a life lost.

Our commitment to the change that is needed has been significant and backed by more than $3.4 billion in our two years of government.

It’s important that all governments face up to where we fall short and look for ways to do it better.

This is a whole of government, whole of country effort.

Today, Australia’s inaugural Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner will table her Yearly Report to Parliament.

The report reflects the progress we have made two years into the ten-year National Plan and sets a clear path forward for continued action and improvement.

I thank the Commissioner for this report.

I would also like to acknowledge the work of the Lived Experience Advisory Council who contributed to this report, and of course all victim-survivors - it’s your voices and experiences that have been and continue to be central to policy change.

And I’d like to acknowledge our brave frontline community sector workers and thank them for their tireless and enduring commitment to helping women and children.

We know that we must continue to push for generational change, otherwise this problem will never end.

If we’re going to get anywhere, we need our whole community – including men – to step up.

Of course, I acknowledge those men who have already stepped up, and who are working with us to lead the change that is needed.

Protecting our daughters is not enough – generational change depends on educating our sons.

Our young boys are being targeted by a wide variety of misogynistic online content.

And as it stands - 1 in 4 teenage boys in Australia look up to social media personalities who perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes and condone violence against women.

These misogynistic voices that permeate the social media pages of young boys often go unchallenged. That’s why earlier this year, we launched the next phase of the government’s award-winning and evidence-based Stop it at the Start campaign to encourage early conversations.

Our government’s Consent Campaign, along with our funding for Respectful Relationships education in schools, will work to ensure children and adults have a better understanding of consent, so they can have informed conversations with young people.

Social media, influencers, pornography, AI and deep fakes are all influencing the attitudes boys have around sex, consent and relationships.

That’s why the Government has also announced a suite of online safety measures, including a pilot of age assurance technology to protect children from harmful content, and legislation to ban the creation and non-consensual distribution of deepfake pornography.

Traditional media of course have a part to play in this also, and whilst I commend the media for the increased reporting and attention family, domestic and sexual violence now gets in our news cycle – the attention it has always deserved – I take this opportunity to remind them that words matter. 

Reporting must shed light equally, because too often the plight of missing and murdered First Nations women and children does not receive the same national attention.

Reporting must be accurate, safe and respectful.

Violence against women is ultimately both a symptom and cause of gender inequality.

We understand that ending gender inequality is an essential part of ending violence against women. Our government’s ground-breaking ‘Working for Women’ strategy to achieve gender equality is central to helping drive this generational change.

Of course, whilst we are making significant strides when it comes to gender equality, we also recognise that this alone does not safeguard against the perpetration of violence. We need to take every opportunity available to intervene early and stop violence from occurring.

Part of that is a sharp focus on perpetrators of violence.

Perpetrators are criminals, and they must be held to account.

Men who perpetrate violence need to fear the consequences for doing so.

And what has been resounding, from experts, the sector and of course the voices of those with lived experience, is the need to concentrate our efforts onto perpetrators.

Because intervening early to stop violence, including when there are other drivers present – whether that be financial stress, or problems with alcohol, drugs, and gambling – is critical to saving lives.

This means working with men who use violence, which our government is doing through the Innovative Perpetrator Response trials. The trials have been rolled out around the country and focus on crucial interventions to minimise risk of reoffending.

In my role as the Assistant Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, I have met with victim-survivors around the country who have so bravely shared their story with me, in hopes it may help others.

I’ve heard of the countless ways in which perpetrators inflict their violence on women they say they love.

With many perpetrators, their violence may not be physical, but it is planned, orchestrated and in every sense, malicious.

The problem of violence against women and children is complex.

And in a year where too many women have been killed by violent men, it’s difficult to reconcile that there has been progress towards ending this national crisis.

Commissioner Cronin notes in her report that there are no quick fixes to turn this around.

But when we look at the long-term picture, we can see significant improvements in community attitudes that reject and challenge this violence. More men and women stand with us today than ever before.

Mr Speaker, I am proud to be part of a government that is taking action on this issue.

The Albanese Labor Government is absolutely committed to achieving our shared vision of ending violence against women and children in one generation

We’re taking action today, here and now.

All of us have to do more – all of us must do better.

Together we can, we must and we will.

The time is now.