VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:38): I have a supplementary question. I am bemused. How can the target highlight the government's commitment and promote transparency, and for that matter scrutinise and track performance—all the words you used—if it is unquantified, given that so many other targets have at least aspirational targets? You are not even willing to commit to a number.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:38): The Hon. Stephen Wade is being churlish, Mr President, completely churlish. We have indicated what the data will be. It will be the Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey and the National Community Attitudes Survey, and it will either indicate an increase in violence against women or not.

So the data will be there. It is completely an objective measure and we will see that attitudes—we have seen public attitudes around violence towards women, an unacceptable level of public tolerance for violence towards women and that has shown up in that attitude survey—and we will be able to see objectively—not subjectively, objectively—whether, using those figures, there is an improvement in public attitude or not or whether there is an improvement in violence perpetrated against women.

We are not afraid to put ourselves under the microscope. The former Liberal government did not articulate any of their objectives in any form of a target whatsoever and as yet, because they are a policy void, have not indicated whether they are going to be brave enough to set themselves objective targets like this government has. So my question to them is: are they going to set themselves some clear objective targets for when they want to become a government? Let's see them—

The Hon. Carmel Zollo: We don't want any violence.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: That's right; no violence is acceptable. But let's see them put their money where their mouth is.