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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-27 Daily Xml
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WHITE RIBBON DAY

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:10): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question about White Ribbon Day.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: As members would know, Tuesday 25 November was a United Nations day for the elimination of violence against women—White Ribbon Day. It is a day for the community—and men in particular—to say 'no' to violence against women. Will the minister inform the council of the work the government is doing to educate the community about violence against women?

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) (15:10): I thank the honourable member for his most important question and his ongoing interest in these very important policy areas. In 1999 the United Nations General Assembly declared 25 November the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the white ribbon has become a symbol of that day. The campaign is increasing in profile as time goes on and as more and more men become involved in the elimination of violence against women in our community.

The state government is dedicated to ensuring the safety of all South Australians, and that is why we have committed $868,000 over four years to the Anti-Violence Public Awareness Campaign. The campaign aims to draw attention to legislative changes, change community attitudes, increase awareness for workers who respond to perpetrators and victims, encourage a culture of perpetrator accountability and highlight the important work being undertaken by the South Australian government.

I am pleased to announce the Anti-Violence Public Awareness Campaign community education grants. The grants will offer organisations a chance to receive up to $10,000 per organisation towards an anti-violence education project. Grants will be awarded this financial year and in 2009-10, with up to $100,000 to be awarded in total. The community education grants are targeted at those groups who are unlikely to be reached through a mainstream community education campaign. This may include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, young people living in rural and remote communities or young people who are new arrivals and refugees.

Organisations eligible for grants include groups such as not-for-profit incorporated foundations, service clubs, schools, sporting bodies, Aboriginal groups, ethnic communities, church groups, youth organisations, local government bodies and other sections of the general community. These grants build on the momentum of tough new rape and sexual assault laws which came into effect in South Australia just last week. We are also progressing legislative reform to domestic violence legislation and developing a community awareness campaign in which we can use these reforms as a catalyst to change community attitudes—particularly those of young men—about violence towards women.

Violence against women, as we know (and I am sure that every member shares the same view), is completely unacceptable. Women still suffer from relationships which destroy their lives, and violence continues to cause physical and mental anguish in the homes of South Australian women. I understand that violence against women is one of the highest health risk factors to women—apparently it is even higher than health factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and smoking. It is a significant health risk for women.

Some of the other statistics I want to share with the council include the fact that one in three women experience physical violence in their lifetime and violence towards women costs Australians around $8.1 billion a year. As I have said, violence towards women is identified as the single biggest health risk for women aged between 15 and 44 years. Also, 60 per cent of women who are murdered are murdered by an intimate partner.

I am sure members will agree that these things are appalling and totally unacceptable—and they do not even take into consideration what we believe to be an extremely high rate of under reporting in relation to domestic violence. The antiviolence public awareness campaign community education grants will enable the wider community to become aware of this vital issue and, no matter what form violence takes, obviously it should not be tolerated.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

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