STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms MASCARENHAS (Swan) (13:52): Power and control. You might think that I'm talking about politics; I'm not. What I'm talking about is financial abuse.

Imagine a partner who is so controlling, they control every single dollar. Now imagine that partner denying their own wife the money to buy sanitary products. That is what financial abuse looks like.

It is really disgusting. There are so many different ways it can look. It can look like taking out debts or directorships in someone else's name.

I met a woman, Shenane Hogg, who was beaten to a pulp and went into a nine-month coma. She woke up with a $56,000 debt. Sixteen grand in interest was earned while she was in the coma.

It took her 18 months to learn how to walk. It was really disgusting. Do you know what?

This parliament, in 2024, initiated a financial abuse inquiry, and today we announced that we are supporting 58 out of 61 of its recommendations. This government is acting. We are making progress on directorships.

We are making progress on whether superannuation gets paid to perpetrators and we are fixing the child support system. Five ministers are working across this. I commend this work.