STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator O'SULLIVAN (Western Australia—Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) (13:40): Earlier this month, the Australian Institute of Family Studies released a report on the adverse childhood experiences of men and their long-term mental health impacts. It found that 33.6 per cent of Australian men experienced physical abuse as children, 37.9 per cent experienced emotional abuse and 25 per cent lived with someone who struggled with mental illness.

These are not just statistics; they are childhoods. If we want to understand family violence, we cannot ignore the childhood experiences of so many that often sit in the background. While these experiences do not determine a person's future, they can profoundly shape it.

Family violence is rarely an isolated event. Trauma, fear and unhealthy coping mechanisms can pass quietly from one generation to the next, shaping lives behind closed doors. Prevention means more than responding after harm has occurred.

It means helping people address trauma early, strengthening mental health support and ensuring men have the tools to cope, to communicate and to seek help before problems escalate. But there is hope. University of New South Wales research published last month found that many people who experienced childhood trauma still showed resilience, maintaining moderate to high wellbeing as adults.

As Professor Gatt observed, childhood adversity can be traumatic, but it doesn't have to determine a person's whole life. That is why prevention matters. Family violence prevention begins long before violence occurs.

It begins with helping people heal, building resilience and developing healthy relationships. Every child deserves to inherit safety instead of fear, and every generation has a responsibility to leave the next one better than they found it.