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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-11-29 Daily Xml
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Gender-Based Violence

Mr FULBROOK (Playford) (15:31): I rise to speak in support of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. This is a sensitive matter, and I give warning that some may prefer to avoid this topic. When I think of the many campaign events running across the planet, it is fitting that on day 5 we bring this message to the very same chamber that has previously shown the world how it can be better in improving the rights and conditions for women.

The message behind the campaign will be heard loudly and frequently around the world until 10 December, concluding on Human Rights Day. Sadly, this follows the week when we mourn the deaths of four women in South Australia, allegedly as a result of violence from a partner or former partner, reiterating that we still have much more work to do.

While we think we have it good in Australia, we have alarming statistics that tragically delineate that this is not the case for everyone. When I say 'everyone', I refer specifically to women and girls. To our shame, on average one woman a week is murdered by their current or former partner. In the year 2021-22, 5,606 women were hospitalised due to family and domestic violence and one in three has experienced physical violence since the age of 15.

I could go on with more alarming statistics, but it sickens me talking about these horrendous acts as numbers and inadvertently overlooking that we are actually talking about someone's mum, sister, grandmother, wife, cousin, neighbour or friend. Therein is the tragedy of these awful numbers: they become the bleak substitute for individuals with potential to be nothing short of amazing.

I am sure there are other ways to look at this tragedy, but hopefully I have illustrated that it cannot be and should never be seen as just a problem for women but, rather, a disaster we must all come to grips with. For every wonderful person who becomes a voiceless statistic, we all lose. This is where we men must step in and take ownership of what we are facing.

While there are always exceptions, we must because the numbers show that although we stand against gender-based violence of any kind, we know that overwhelmingly the perpetrators are men and that the victims and survivors are women. We therefore cannot escape that, regardless of how we think we behave, each male has a role in turning this catastrophe around.

To me, this begins through introspection, plenty of hard listening and a willingness to change. Along the way, there is an obligation to call things out and an overwhelming desire to stand with everyone capable of breathing to assert respect and zero tolerance for gender-based violence. As lawmakers, the onus is on us to go further.

We have the option shortly to support a bill on the criminalisation of coercive control, a form of domestic violence where an abuser seeks to control a victim's behaviour. If we do not, we will be turning our backs on a pattern of behaviour intended to cause apprehension, fear and/or a loss of self-worth. As I have said here many times before, there is so much work that needs to be done also on public housing. I apologise that the time limits me on the paths we must take, but needless to say there is no room for complacency.

I also want to recognise the work being done locally to raise awareness, not just for this campaign but for improving the conditions of women and girls on a broader scale. In the north, we have RoZSI's Voice, an acronym of the key initials of the Para District Zonta Club, Rotary Mawson Lakes and the Torrens Soroptimists. It is only day 5 and I have been proud to stand with them for the Walk for Respect last Saturday, and I look forward to hopefully attending the candlelight vigil in Mawson Lakes on 10 December.

In between, there will be information stalls at the Mawson Lakes market, birthing kit assembly at the Tea Tree Gully library and seminars at Innovation House, also in Mawson Lakes. It has been my pleasure to host local organisers and friends of the campaign, along with brave victim survivors of gender-based violence.

It is normal political style to drop as many names as possible into a parliamentary speech but, in heeding the advice of one member of RoZSI's Voice, these words are offered today for the victims and victim survivors, and I end by sadly pointing out that it would be impossible to name them all.

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