SAFE AT HOME PROGRAM

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (15:24): As a supplementary question, will the minister indicate whether the government also recognises that 35 per cent of domestic violence is perpetrated by women? What steps are being taken to protect men in such circumstances?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (15:25): Both sexes are involved—women and men. Certainly my advice is that, unfortunately, significantly more women are victims of domestic violence, and I am pleased to say that our Family Safety Strategy deals with not only women but also men. It deals with all individuals who are at risk of domestic violence and, had the member listened, she would have heard that I talked about victims and those most at risk—and that includes men and women. The same model applies to anyone who is a victim of domestic violence. It is not a strategy that applies only to women.