MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (11:36): I approach this discussion about the issue of domestic, family and sexual violence with very mixed feelings because I know we've made changes that improve the lives of women and children escaping violence and that we're taking actions to rein in the digital harms that are pervading society and impacting this current generation of adolescents and children.

But I also know that all of us are still not doing enough to protect children and women from violence in a multitude of forms. I know too many stories of strong, capable women like Jacquie and Linda who, in their 40s and 60s, found themselves victims of violence that they would never have anticipated at the hands of a man they loved. I know too many stories of women who have recognised that what they thought was love was actually coercive control.

I also know that there are many who have not yet recognised that or are still to find their way out. And we all know too many stories of women who have suffered sexually at the hands of men, because we read about their deaths and their injuries in the papers far too frequently. I want to acknowledge all the women who have shared their personal stories with me.

They know that they can't change what they experienced themselves, but they want to try and prevent others from the same experiences by improving the legal and administrative systems that are meant to punish the perpetrators and support the victims but don't always do so. We all have the responsibility at this level of government, at other levels of government and across the community to ensure that we make the changes that are needed.

To that end, I want to acknowledge the groups in my electorate who are working in this space. There are many of them, from the Blue Mountains Women's Health and Resource Centre and their youth led domestic violence prevention project, EViE 'Ending Violence, improving Equality'; organisations like DV West and Platform Youth Services, who provide safe places for women; to the Penrith Women's Health Centre, which is a domestic and family violence support service that supports my Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and Nepean communities.

There is the Rotary Club of Windsor's 'STOPDV' campaign, which is part of a broader move by Rotary to really tackle the issue of violence against women and children. They have raised funds, but, more importantly, raised awareness. It includes Rotary clubs like Windsor.

I particularly want to commend the 'Love Bites' program of the Women's Cottage in Richmond. The program which has been piloted at Richmond High School. This is a program that contributes to strengthening young people's understanding, attitudes and behaviours related to safe and respectful relationships and has reached already more than 500 students across years 7 to 11 at Richmond High School.

It is very generously supported by Bendigo Bank. There are several key findings from just that one pilot program. It led to strong improvements in attitudes and awareness of violence.

It gave students the ability to have a more-nuanced understanding of violence, including recognising coercive control, understanding how gender stereotypes drive violence, and recognising how pornography can influence expectations about sex and relationships. It also showed increased behavioural and interpersonal skills, so people were more likely to seek help and to support peers who were experiencing disrespect or harm and in communicating consent and boundaries.

All of these groups working on the ground in Macquarie are part of making a difference. But ending gender based violence is a national priority for us that goes beyond just one level of government, and I thank those community groups who have realised that every one of us has a role to play. The Albanese Labor government has invested more than any Australian government ever in tackling this issue: $4.4 billion to take action to end family, domestic and sexual violence.

This includes funding for 1,400 organisations that have directly helped almost half a million people across Australia who are experiencing violence. Of course we're seeing progress, but too many women and children continue to be killed, and too many people continue to live with violence every day. We know that one in four women and one in 14 men have experienced violence by an intimate partner since the age of 15.

That's why our government recently conducted a major consultation to shape the next phase of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children, which will be our second action plan, and that's what I'll refer to it as. That will guide our collective efforts over the next five years. That includes agreement nationally that the second action plan needs to focus on improving support to victims-survivors so they can leave violence safely and recover.

It includes intervening earlier to stop violence across health, education and community services, because that is where people will most likely reach out for help sooner. I commend the GPs in Macquarie who are part of programs to help identify violence and help women find a pathway. Finally, the plan includes enhancing supports for children and young people who've experienced violence.

These are some of the priorities. But that doesn't mean we haven't done things already, and I want to turn to some of the things that we know are making a difference and give us hope that there are things we can do that will save women's lives. One of those is the Leaving Violence payment, and making that payment permanent.

That $5,000 in financial help, as well as safety planning for women, saves lives. We've taken world-leading action to address the impact of online harms, including our social media ban for under-16s and restricting access to predatory technologies like 'nudify' apps and undetectable stalking tools. And there is our recently announced Digital Duty of Care, which will protect our under-18s from harmful content that promotes shocking ideas about women, gender equality and pornography.

I think people will look back at this moment, at this government, and recognise how important it was that we led the world in many of these steps we're taking to rein in what has been unfettered access for young people to some terrifying content. The government has also launched Australia's first ever standalone plan to address family, domestic and sexual violence for First Nations women and children, backed by an additional $218 million.

We've boosted funding for the 500 Workers program by more than 70 per cent, to support essential frontline services that support women every day. In Macquarie that means there are more workers on the ground every day. We've boosted funding for 1800RESPECT by 40 per cent to keep pace with the demand.

We've spent $183 million to make the child support system safer and to help more children get the child support that they are owed. We've legislated to make sure our social security can't be weaponised by perpetrators of abuse, and we will always look to identify any way in which that is happening and make further changes. We've funded programs that intervene earlier with men who want to change their behaviours.

We've provided a record $3.9 billion in legal services, with an extra $800 million for family violence legal services, which is often the pathway for women to re-establish themselves. We've reformed the family law system so it's safer, simpler and more accessible, but I don't for a minute think that there won't be more changes needed going forward. We've invested $82 million to deliver innovative new approaches to better identify high-risk perpetrators and share information about them across systems and state boundaries.

We've legislated 10 days of domestic violence leave so women can keep their jobs while they find safety. These are just some of dozens of steps we've taken. We agree though that there is more to do.

We must lead and the community needs to come with us, as does every other level of government, so we can tackle this terrible situation.