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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-07-27 Daily Xml
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (14:57): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question about the domestic violence conference held in Mount Gambier.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: I was the only one who was there.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: I am pleased the honourable member was there and I am sure she will get a mention. The minister is obviously committed to working to reduce violence against women; however, this is an issue that cannot be tackled by governments alone. Non-government organisations, interest groups and individual citizens all have a role to play. My question to the minister relates to the domestic violence conference held recently in Mount Gambier: can the minister inform the chamber of some of the outcomes and complementary initiatives relevant to the recent conference?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (14:58): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. I am advised that in July 2009 Soroptimist International Mount Gambier, in partnership with sector representatives including the Limestone Coast Domestic Violence Service, Victim Support Service and UniSA, facilitated the very successful United Against Domestic Violence—For the Sake of the Children conference.

Feedback from that conference highlighted the need to address the prevention of domestic violence and, particularly, the need to engage men in its prevention. The United Against Domestic Violence—Engaging All Men in Prevention National Conference was held in Mount Gambier from 13 to 15 July this year in response to that particular feedback. I personally was very disappointed that I was not able to attend the conference, but I was pleased to be able to send a representative along, and obviously I have been very interested in making sure that I receive the feedback and a progress report about the outcomes of this really important conference. I also would like to acknowledge that my colleague the Hon. Michelle Lensink attended the conference.

The conference included speakers and presenters showcasing a range of programs, initiatives and approaches to help those in the field improve their capacity to address men's role in domestic violence and their role in preventing it. Too often, domestic violence is seen as a women's issue. We know that we will never succeed in significantly reducing domestic violence until the whole of the community sees domestic violence as a community-wide problem, not just a women's problem. Keynote speakers included the Commissioner for Victims' Rights, Michael O'Connell; the 2010 White Ribbon Ambassador of the Year, Nick Mazzarella; and Chief Executive of the White Ribbon Foundation, Libby Davis.

I understand that the three-day conference also included concurrent sessions from those working in the field. The final day of the conference included a one-day workshop facilitated by Dr Michael Flood, a researcher and educator based at the University of Wollongong. He is also a trainer and community educator with a long involvement in community advocacy and education work focused on men's violence against women.

The workshop, 'Let's stop the violence before it starts,' provided information on using primary prevention strategies to engage men and mobilise communities. The conference provided a mechanism for those working in the domestic violence sector with tools and also information on how to address men's violence against women.

The Office for Women presented an overview of the Women's Safety—South Australia's Reform Agenda and one of its key initiatives, the family safety framework, which I am very pleased to say is being rolled out to Mount Gambier at the moment and to the Murray Mallee in the very foreseeable future. This work is also supported by the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children, which seeks to achieve a significant and sustained reduction in violence against women and their children through four three-year action plans.

In this place, members may recall that I have provided funding to the Coalition for Men Supporting Non-Violence to support White Ribbon Day activities. The coalition has a proven and very strong track record in this area and is highly regarded by the domestic violence and sexual assault sectors. I understand that there is no other equivalent group in South Australia. I was delighted to hear that coalition members also attended this conference.

I understand that the coalition will continue the tradition of coordinating the Men in the Mall event for White Ribbon Day, which is on Friday 25 November this year. Members of the coalition are liaising with White Ribbon Day ambassadors in the metropolitan area, as well as regional and rural communities, to support them in establishing events and programs relevant to their communities to highlight the issues and to get the message out there.

We know that, with White Ribbon ambassadors, we try to recruit those men in our community who are in leadership-type positions, men who are well respected in their communities, to use them as advocates and role models for other men. We seek to engage men across a wide range of different age groups and backgrounds in an attempt to provide strong role modelling and advocacy right throughout our community—and, indeed, they do a wonderful job.

We know that a number of members in this chamber are White Ribbon ambassadors, and I congratulate them, and I encourage those who are not to consider taking on this role. Unfortunately, most of the members of the media have gone, but I also encourage those members of the media who are still here to do the same.

The coalition will also be undertaking awareness-raising activities, targeting men's groups in the community, such as men's service clubs, cultural groups, sporting clubs and young men's groups. The activities will focus on promoting the Don't Cross the Line campaign message, which we know is about respectful relationships for all men and women.

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