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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-07-29 Daily Xml
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WOMEN'S SAFETY

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (16:44): My question is to the Minister for the Status of Women. Will the minister inform the council about this government's commitment to the safety of women and the key issues in the area of family safety?

Members interjecting:

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) (16:44): Mr President, you can see that members opposite have no interest in the safety of families. The Rann government continues to demonstrate strong and clear leadership in relation to the safety of women in South Australia. Recent examples of our government's action and commitment include the rape and sexual assault laws which have been reformed and which are soon to be proclaimed. the Criminal Law Consolidation (Rape and Sexual Offences) Amendment Bill 2008 and the Statutes Amendment (Evidence and Procedure) Bill 2007 were passed on 9 April 2008, following a comprehensive consultation process.

The budget in June saw a commitment of $868,000 over four years to drive community awareness and change community attitudes and behaviours in this important area. The Women's Safety Strategy Community Awareness Campaign will utilise the South Australian government's law reform agenda as the catalyst to achieve attitudinal and behavioural change across the South Australian community. It will focus on messages about respectful relationships between young people and the community. Domestic violence laws are currently undergoing a thorough review, with wide community consultation and an opportunity for us to use the best examples from legislation across Australia.

The ongoing trial of the Family Safety Framework is an example of this government's commitment to making fundamental changes to the way in which we deal with systemic issues of family safety. The Family Safety Framework seeks to ensure that the services to families most at risk of violence are dealt with in a more structured and systematic way through agencies sharing information about high-risk families and taking responsibility for supporting these families to navigate the services system. Trials of the Family Safety Framework have been implemented in three regions across South Australia: Holden Hill; Noarlunga; and Port Augusta policing boundaries.

The federal Rudd government also has a strong focus on increasing the safety of our families. The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Status of Women, announced the members of the National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children in May this year. South Australia's Women's Safety Strategy will provide a strong foundation for the work to be undertaken at a national level through this newly-appointed national council and the development of the national plan to reduce violence against women and children. Certainly, I look forward to working with my federal colleagues to ensure that women and children are safe in our communities.

The Women's Safety Strategy is led by an across-government reference group which reports to me as Minister for the Status of Women. The whole-of-government reference group brings a strategic perspective to the way in which the government is delivering women's safety services in South Australia.

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