MOTIONS

Ms STEGGALL (Warringah) (09:01): I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Warringah from moving the following motion immediately—That the House: (1) notes that: (a) femicide, family and domestic violence, and sexual violence, are at crisis point in Australia; (b) Australian Femicide Watch records 45 women and 19 children killed by violence this year; (c) the 27-year-old Brisbane woman killed on 12 August had reportedly sought police assistance days earlier and had a temporary domestic violence order in place; (d) the NSW Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, in its 16 June report, found the police response to the fatal assault of Lindy Lucena inadequate, identified systemic failures and made eight recommendations, with no formal NSW Police response yet published; (e) two high-profile allegations of sexual assault matters are currently being investigated by police and while due process and the presumption of innocence must be respected, these instances are not isolated and allegations must be taken seriously by all institutions, in a way which prioritises victim safety and wellbeing; (f) research links disrespectful attitudes towards women with violence against women; (g) Australian women feel angry about violence against women, institutional failures and a culture that leaves women and girls feeling and being unsafe; and (h) governments have failed to implement a multitude of recommendations arising from numerous reviews and inquiries into domestic and family violence conducted in recent years; (2) calls on the Government to acknowledge that violence against women remains a national crisis despite government efforts to date, and: (a) empower the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner to compel information and more consistent public reporting, and to examine the failure of governments to implement previous inquiry recommendations; or (b) establish a Royal Commission into femicide and domestic and family violence to examine, among other matters, whether police, courts and services have adequate powers, systems and information-sharing arrangements; and (3) further calls on the Government to: (a) establish a national domestic violence offender register, including appropriately safeguarded disclosure; (b) work through National Cabinet to strengthen bail, sentencing and protection-order enforcement, improve monitoring of high-risk offenders, and properly fund frontline services and safe housing; and (c) affirm that responses to sexual violence allegations must use accurate language, avoid minimisation, and centre the safety, dignity and wellbeing of alleged victims, not institutional reputation or sporting prospects.

We are at a crisis point, and I urge the government to take note of, and to allow debate on, this very serious issue. I have moved that standing orders be suspended because this is something the House should confront. It is a national crisis—the violence against women and girls and the repeated failures of institutions to keep them safe.

In moving to suspend standing orders to have this debate, I acknowledge it's an exceptional step, but these are exceptional circumstances. Australian Femicide Watch records 45 women and 19 children killed by violence, already, this year. These numbers are not an abstraction.

Each represents a person, a family and a community shattered. This has been a deeply disturbing week for Australian women. As is set out in the motion, another young woman, a 27-year-old Brisbane woman, was killed last week.

Whilst this matter is still under investigation and criminal allegations need to be determined and the legal process followed, and while we should not be prejudging, we can't ignore some of the reported circumstances. This young woman had reportedly sought help from police only days earlier, and a temporary domestic violence order was in place. This compels urgent questions again and again as to why it is that this is still not keeping women safe.

Police, courts and services knew. What did they know? Are risks being escalated?

Is it being identified appropriately? What protective actions were taken or could have been taken? How are we going to act to address these systems failures, because ultimately women and children are still not safe in Australia?

Of course, this week we've also been rocked by high-profile, serious allegations of sexual assault involving both private-school boys—so, at one end of the spectrum, very young men—and professional AFL players. Again, those involved can't be treated as guilty before legal processes are complete, but what has been concerning has been the response from powerful institutions.

Again, when serious allegations of sexual violence emerge, these issues need to be raised. They're important. The first instinct should not be to minimise or distance institutions from allegations or manage reputational fallout.

Serious allegations should be described accurately. They should not be softened into euphemisms, treated as public relations inconveniences or reframed about consequences for the institutions or the persons. It's really important that respect for women starts in how institutions respond to these events.

Of course we must also make sure that the alleged victims at the centre of allegations are at the centre of the response. This motion calls on the government to act with urgency on so many issues that remain outstanding. Too many inquiries have urgent recommendations that have not been actioned, and there is no real rational explanation as to why that has not occurred to date.

Much work must be done in this space by the government, including establishing things like a DV offender register for national actions. We need to get to a process of elevating this issue to ensure women and girls are safe. These numbers are unacceptable.

I urge the House to consider this in relation to the motion, because women are tired. They are tired of facing on a weekly basis these crises and these allegations. They're tired of seeing institutions fail to respond with the adequate seriousness.

So I urge the government to consider this. The SPEAKER: Is the motion seconded?