White Ribbon Day

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (15:53): On 25November, I attended the Department of State Development's national White Ribbon Day afternoon tea. It was a well attended event, the purpose of which was to highlight the positive role men can play to stop domestic violence and other forms of men's violence against women. The event included several inspiring addresses, including White Ribbon advocate and domestic violence survivor, Stacey Nelan. Stacey shared her story and I have to say that I personally, and everyone, was very moved by her courage and strength.

White Ribbon Ambassador Ivan Phillips also gave an inspiring address at the event, and today I would like to publicly recognise his courageous effort in raising awareness of domestic violence. On 22 January 2007, Ivan's stepdaughter Tash was murdered by her partner. This act was the culmination of ongoing abuse which was perpetrated in a most horrendous way. Tash had a son who was seven when she was murdered. It goes without saying that this cruel act left Ivan and his wife with ongoing pain and suffering as they tried to move forward in life. However, Ivan's wife has since passed away from brain cancer—yet another tragedy for him.

After the trauma and loss that Ivan suffered, he made the decision that his life required a purpose. This led him to become a White Ribbon Ambassador. The message of White Ribbon reflected Ivan's want to represent his lost stepdaughter and wife in the fight against domestic violence. After becoming a White Ribbon Ambassador, Ivan jumped on a motorbike and did what he refers to as 'a Forrest Gump' and rode the circumference of Australia to ensure that Tash's legacy would be preserved and he could tell people her story to raise awareness of the White Ribbon objective.

Riding Free of DV saw Ivan ride the circumference of Australia, an epic ride of 15,800 kilometres, which he tells me is the distance from Adelaide to Stockholm. Ivan visited regional and remote communities where access to domestic violence services can be quite challenging compared to cities to share the White Ribbon message and Tash's story. There were undoubtedly a number of setbacks along the journey. After 13 days straight on the bike, Ivan had a minor incident in country New South Wales which left him with a fractured ankle. However, this did not deter him as he insisted that his riding boots were as good as a moon boot for a fractured foot.

Amazingly, the doctor agreed and allowed Ivan to leave if Ivan guaranteed that he would not take his bike boot off for two weeks, day and night. Ivan shared with us the breathtaking, eye-watering moment due to the odour when he finally removed his bike boot. The trip, as you could expect, also resulted in some amazing stories for Ivan to share. On one occasion, after setting up his tent, Ivan learnt that a three-metre crocodile was already residing nearby and after an attempt at moving him on, Ivan, weary from the day's ride, simply gave up and zipped up his tent and went to sleep.

Ivan shared with us some of the people he met and was inspired by, as he made his trip. He shared the story of a man he met after completing a radio interview with ABC Shepparton. Ivan, having stopped to go to a public toilet, was interrupted by a man who asked him if he was the chap he had just listened to on the radio. Ivan said that, yes, it was, and the man gave him $50 with a tear in his eye and said, 'We got our daughter out two weeks ago, otherwise I am sure she would have ended up like yours.'

This interaction was just one of many amazing experiences that cemented his resolve to go on. As can be imagined, the trip had a great toll on Ivan's body and emotionally. He rode six hours, often on uneven surfaces, steep corrugations, in the heat and completely alone. While Ivan experienced an emotional rollercoaster from vulnerability to fearlessness, he stuck to his plan and kept on the route, always with his stepdaughter and wife in mind.

For his efforts, Ivan Phillips was recognised as this year's recipient of Kornar Winmil Yunti's Flame of Change Unifying Support Ambassador of the Year Award, nominated by the White Ribbon Committee South Australia. I commend and congratulate Ivan on his ride through which he was able to raise approximately $17,000 in cash. There were accommodation, food and fuel donations for his public awareness campaign; I thank those people. There was undoubtedly significant value in the conversations that he had around our country and for the communities that Ivan was able to touch. I am sure he will go on doing that and I am sure those discussions will continue. I also recognise those who donated and supported Ivan. Without you, his ride would not have been possible.