Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2026-2027

Ms THWAITES (Jagajaga) (17:06): The Albanese government is committed to ending violence against women and children. Within this portfolio, support for victims of gender-based violence who have to interact with the courts and the justice system is particularly important. The prevalence of domestic and gender-based violence in our country is still too high, and the barriers and burden of proof too often still prevent victims-survivors from reporting these crimes.

When victims-survivors are brave enough to report their experience and bring about charges, they can sometimes be retraumatised through the legal process. I want to acknowledge that in May the Albanese and Allan Labor governments announced joint support for the expansion and extension of the specialised trauma-informed sexual violence legal services pilot in Victoria.

This completes the national rollout of these services and builds on announcements of the establishment of new pilots across New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania and the extension and expansion of existing pilots in the ACT and WA. These pilots are aimed at creating and expanding a legal service delivery model that is trauma informed, victim- and survivor-centric, culturally safe and accessible.

I'm really pleased to see the Albanese government build on this investment in the 2026-27 budget, with the item 'support for specialist family violence legal services' providing $11.7 million to support victims of family violence from being cross-examined by their perpetrator in family law proceedings. This will be very important for those people who are facing courts and justice systems as part of their process.

I note this funding is in addition to approximately $2.5 million per annum ongoing funding provided to support solutions for domestic and gender-based violence. I want to acknowledge all the people who work on the front line in this very important area, and I want to acknowledge how important this funding is. In concluding my remarks, I'd like to ask the Attorney-General to outline some of the key measures in the budget which strengthen frontline responses to family, domestic and sexual violence to keep women and children safe.