STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator FARUQI (New South Wales—Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens) (13:48): Forty-nine women have been killed this year. In the past few weeks, two groups of teenage boys have been charged over the gang rapes of young girls. A 16-year-old girl died following a suspected sexual choking act.

Sydney Swans players are being investigated over allegations of sexual assault. The coalition's response—'we can't make boys feel bad'. Matt Canavan and Angus Taylor have decided the real crisis is boys being taught to respect girls.

Women are being assaulted and murdered left, right and centre, and these men are concerned about respectful relationships curriculum. The scale of the gender based violence crisis cannot be overstated. New research from the University of Melbourne found that young people are significantly more likely than older generations to hold hostile attitudes towards women.

Almost a quarter of boys aged 13 to 17 believe feminism is damaging to our society and should be resisted with violence if necessary. Boys are being funnelled into an online sewer of misogyny that harms us all. Teaching boys about consent and equality is not antiboy.

Telling boys they are not entitled to women's bodies is not an attack. Raising young men who are respectful, sensitive, kind and feminist makes everyone safer. The coalition is upfront about its contempt for women.

Labor says all the right words, wrings its hands and then sits on them. While the coalition whines about boys being taught respect and Labor fails to take action, women and girls are paying the price with their bodies and their lives.