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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-04-30 Daily Xml
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ANTI-VIOLENCE COMMUNITY EDUCATION

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:41): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question about anti-violence community education strategies.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Community awareness and education can make an important contribution to changing community attitudes on a variety of issues, as we well know. Will the minister provide more information to the chamber on the anti-violence community education strategy?

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) (15:41): I thank the honourable member for his important question. The 2008-09 state budget committed $868,000 over four years to the anti-violence public awareness campaign. The campaign aims to inform, educate and ultimately reduce rape, sexual assault, domestic and family violence in South Australia.

On White Ribbon Day, 25 November 2008, I announced the anti-violence community education grants 2008-09 as part of that anti-violence public awareness campaign. The anti-violence community education grants give organisations the opportunity to receive up to $10,000 towards anti-violence education programs. These grants are aimed primarily at organisations that are unlikely to be reached through other mainstream community education campaigns, and particular target groups include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, young people living in rural and remote communities, and young people from newly emerging communities and refugees.

Grant applications closed on 27 February this year, and today I announced the first round of recipients. The five anti-violence community education projects equally sharing $50,000 in grants include:

'Changing the Face of Consent', YWCA of Adelaide, which uses young cultural experts from diverse communities as peer educators, using creative outlets;

'Expect Respect', Legal Services Commission, which trains educators to co-deliver drama-based community legal education to develop legal knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that promote respectful relationships;

'It's All About Respect', Multicultural Youth SA, which raises awareness through consultations, group workshops, individual support and resource materials delivered in cooperation with the Legal Services Commission, Muslim Girls Kollective, schools, and diverse community groups;

'Raising awareness of changes in legislation', Central Northern Adelaide Health Service, which creates art media that expresses an understanding of new laws and respectful relationships that will be exhibited in public places. It also has young people create radio advertisements specific to their culture that address the priority areas; and

'Vietnamese Anti-Violence Community Education Project', Vietnamese Community in Australia, SA Chapter, which builds on Vietnamese community capacity to prevent, identify and respond to violence amongst young Vietnamese people and their families, involving Vietnamese media outlets, youth groups, educational programs and bilingual resource development.

I had the pleasure today of presenting in person the cheque to the Vietnamese community. It was wonderful to meet this group, which is working to combat violence in the community, and also a large group of young Vietnamese people who were really delightful. Applications will open for the second round of grants later this year.

The Anti-violence Awareness Campaign and associated grants program complements the government's reformed rape and sexual assault laws which were passed on 9 April 2008 and which, along with upcoming reforms to domestic violence legislation, provide an opportunity to reinforce anti-violence messages to the community while informing people about the changes.

The campaign also complements the work of the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, which yesterday released its major report and recommendations for a national plan titled 'Time for action'. The report makes recommendations designed to tackle the unacceptable levels of sexual assault and domestic and family violence in Australia, and gives all governments and the community clear directions about helping Australian women live free of violence within respectful relationships and in safe communities.

The Australian government has welcomed the report and has agreed to immediately progress 18 of the 20 recommendations and is considering the other two within the context of developing the national plan. The Australian government has announced that it will immediately invest $12.5 million for a new 24 hour, seven day week national telephone and on-line crisis service, and invest $26 million for primary prevention strategies, including $9 million to improve the quality and uptake of respectful relationship programs for school-aged young people and $17 million for a public information campaign focused on changing attitudes and behaviours that contribute to violence.

The government also announced the investment of $3 million to support research on perpetrator treatment and nationally consistent laws, and asked the Australian Law Reform Commission to work with state and territory law reform commissions to examine the interrelationship of laws that relate to the safety of women and their children. Finally, it will establish the Violence against Women Advisory Group to advise on the national plan to reduce violence against women.

The Australian government will also work with the states and territories to enforce domestic and family violence orders across state borders through national registration, improve the uptake of domestic violence coronial recommendations and identify the best methods to investigate and prosecute sexual assault cases.

Australia must adopt a zero tolerance attitude to violence against women and children. I look forward to working with the Australian, state and territory governments to prevent violence and abuse perpetrated against women and children.

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