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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-04-03 Daily Xml
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Domestic Violence

Mrs POWER (Elder) (14:42): My question is to the Attorney-General. Can the Attorney please update the house about the steps being taken—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: If the Leader of the Opposition keeps talking while a question is being asked, he will also be ejected, and I know how much his party members dislike that. Member for Elder.

Mrs POWER: Can the Attorney please update the house about the steps being taken by the federal government to address domestic violence, and how this adds to the work the Marshall Liberal government is already doing?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (14:42): I thank the member for Elder, as Assistant Minister for Domestic and Family Violence Prevention, for the extraordinary work she has already done in the first year of this new government in working with us to deal with this shocking situation.

I was immensely pleased to hear the federal Treasurer last night announce that all Australians have a right to feel safe in their community and, in particular, in their homes. The significance of his understanding was to place money on the table; that is, the federal government is prepared to put its money where its mouth is and add a package of funds of $328 million, bringing a total of $840 million under their government to deal with the protection of women in relation to this scourge on our community. The commitment specifically includes $60 million to build crisis accommodation and $18 million to support women's safety packages to keep them safely in their homes.

These are important aspects at the other end, but prevention, response and recovery are key initiatives for this important milestone funding and align with the work that the Marshall Liberal government has already begun delivering. I welcome, as Attorney-General, the focus on prevention and early intervention seen in this federal budget, this work to stop the scourge of domestic violence and to start protecting victims and family sooner rather than later.

There is $62 million being provided over three years to support and expand the 1800RESPECT helpline to assist the timely response to domestic violence incidences. This helpline adds to the Marshall government's work on expanding our own local domestic violence hotline to a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service, and I know that the assistant minister has played a continuing role in the rollout of that initiative.

In many circumstances, victims utilise our legal systems to seek support for themselves and their children, and this budget last night announced $11 million over three years to protect at-risk people by providing greater cohesion between our family law, family violence and child protection systems in our federal courts. Beyond these commitments, the changing attitudes and the insistence by our own community that we stop violence are absolutely critical, and I appreciate the federal government's contribution in this regard.

If members in this house have any doubt about the need for this to occur, I invite them to read state Coroner Mark Johns' report from last week on the death of Serina Amos. She was a 34-year-old woman who was bashed to her death, with 56 injuries to her body, over a prolonged period—suspected several days—in 2015.

The person who perpetrated this has been brought to account, has been charged, has been convicted and is in custody, as he should be. But what is important is that every one of us in this house recognises the importance of not just the legal protection that is necessary but the support for people who are in a vulnerable circumstance, particularly women and children, not to have this situation repeated. I urge every member to read that report.

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