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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-07-02 Daily Xml
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White Ribbon Day

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:05): I move:

That this council recognises White Ribbon Day and encourages all men to swear an oath to never commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women.

In moving this motion I note that the member for Stuart in another place will also, in the near future, move exactly the same motion (as I understand it) about White Ribbon Day, and I acknowledge that, like myself, he is an ambassador for White Ribbon. I also put on record that the member for Stuart also recently moved a motion in the House of Assembly recognising Domestic Violence Month.

White Ribbon is a male-led campaign to end violence against women. The vision of the campaign is that all women should live in safety, free from violence and abuse. The organisation came to Australia in 2003 after starting in Canada in 1991. I suppose the establishment of the organisation was a response to the 1989 massacre at Montreal University, where one male attacker killed 14 female classmates.

The organisation runs as part of United Nations Women through the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and White Ribbon Australia is a registered company under the Corporations Act 2001. Members of the White Ribbon board are independent, non-executive directors who volunteer their time and skills to the organisation.

The meaning of White Ribbon certainly does not imply purity or perfect relationships, but instead a perfectly clear belief that violence against women is unacceptable. White Ribbon observes, and asks its ambassadors to observe, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November each year. I think, sir, that you and many others know that the response to the celebration of that day has lifted enormously in recent years, and proceeds from White Ribbon Foundation merchandise sales go towards high impact media campaigns aimed at changing community attitudes.

My first involvement with White Ribbon was when I went to a briefing at Hindmarsh a number of years ago along with my colleague the Hon. Mr Wade. I acknowledge the fact that two of the hosting members at the function that evening were the Hon. Mr Gazzola and the Hon. Mr Hunter. As a result of that briefing I became further involved and became an ambassador for the White Ribbon campaign in 2008.

In the nomination form that I filled out I said that I am passionate in my opposition to violence against women and am able to convey that message in my work right around South Australia. I think that is something that all of us in this place can do. It is certainly something that we need to talk more about and, in common with my passion of talking about suicide in the community, I think the reality is that domestic violence is something that, unfortunately, we have, on many occasions, turned a blind eye to and that is not something we should continue at all. We need to make sure that we get the message out there that we do not condone violence against women and we also do not condone silence about violence against women.

As well as the annual breakfasts on White Ribbon Day, the Men in the Mall events have grown in popularity. Certainly, myself and a number of others at those events have signed a pledge to not condone violence against women. There are many other ambassadors for White Ribbon in this parliament now and I was pleased last year to sign a nomination form for the Leader of the Opposition, Steven Marshall, and I know that many other colleagues on all sides of parliament are involved.

While it is a group of men being ambassadors for this message in the community, of course there is great support from women for this work, particularly through a number of women's organisations. Zonta International is highly involved in that work and one of the earlier functions I went to after becoming an ambassador was run by the Zonta Club of Gawler. So, I congratulate those groups for the support they give to White Ribbon Day and their encouragement for men. I must say that many more much younger men have been signing up as ambassadors in recent times, and I think it is very important that we get those younger men involved because they can put the message out to other younger men.

In conclusion, I will put some statistics about violence against women. Three-quarters of those who experience violence at the hands of a current and/or previous partner are women. Almost half of Australian adult women have reported experiencing violence. In women aged 15 to 44 intimate partner violence is the leading contributor to death. While these statistics can only rely on reported incidents, it is safe to assume the figures would be much higher if they included unreported violence against women. Almost 70 per cent of women assaulted by a male do not report the assault to police. In 2012 alone, it was estimated that 51,000 or more women aged 18 and over were victims of sexual assault, yet less than a third reported the event (and that was in Australia).

It brings us back to the fact that so many of these incidents are not reported or not spoken about in the community. We need to make sure that that changes. I commend all others who are prepared to be ambassadors for White Ribbon and to make sure that the message gets out into the community that violence against women cannot be condoned in any sense. I commend the motion to the council.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (16:14): I also rise to speak in support of the Hon. Mr Dawkins' motion, and I thank him for his ongoing leadership on social issues that are important to the lives of many South Australians. Violence against women affects us all: men, women and children. Men can take a stand and refuse to accept violence against women by taking the White Ribbon oath. As half of our community, the support of men and their influence as role models to young men and boys in ending violence against women is essential.

The community does look up to people in positions like ours, especially the young, so I think it is very important that we promote this day so that violence against women can be reduced or end. We are a government that has prioritised the prevention of violence against women. Changes to legislation in recent years have given additional rights and protection to victims of rape and sexual assault, and family and domestic violence. From early intervention work focused on preventing violence, through to community education and awareness and improving service responses to women experiencing violence, a Right to Safety reaffirms our commitment to reducing violence against women.

We have also introduced a target in South Australia's Strategic Plan to have a sustained reduction in violence against women and we have introduced A Right to Safety, the next phase of South Australia's Women's Safety Strategy. A fundamental part of A Right to Safety is the recognition that men can and must take a role to respond to and prevent violence against women. Men can be role models. They can show boys and young men how to live without violence. They can prevent violence from occurring where they can see or hear it.

A Right to Safety includes a focus on improving systems through the Family Safety Framework. This framework, as an initiative, endeavours to harmonise services to families most at risk of violence so they are addressed in a structured and systematic way, through agencies sharing information about high-risk families and taking responsibility for supporting these families to navigate the service system. The model contained in the framework has been so successful that it has been adopted interstate, with Family Safety Meetings being established in Alice Springs and a similar model proposed for New South Wales.

By completing the rollout of the Family Safety Framework and continuing the focus on A Right to Safety, we can keep on working towards ensuring South Australian women live free from violence. I commend the motion to the house.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (16:18): I too rise to support this motion and, in doing so, I think it is worth congratulating you, Mr Acting President, on bringing this motion to this house. I know that you are very passionate about a number of issues, and I hear from people who are involved in this area about your passion for this and also suicide prevention. If you can be known for a number of things in your time in this parliament they are two very worthy things and I congratulate you on your work in those areas.

This is an area that has been important to me in my early life. In Mount Gambier my mum was a social worker and then administrator for the Mount Gambier Women's Shelter. Particularly in regional areas, where there is often less support around, domestic violence takes a massive toll on families and really excludes people from involving themselves in society as everyone else would have a chance to.

I am glad that the South Australian government has taken a strong stance on this issue and particularly on primary prevention. The establishment of the Violence Against Women Collaborations is one of the key strategic priorities for a strong stance on primary prevention, and given some of the underlying causes of violence against women, the primary purpose of the Violence Against Women Collaborations is to build community capacity to prevent and reduce the incidence of violence against women in local regions through cultural and attitudinal change within a community.

Each of these collaborations identifies the key issues and priorities in their own region. For example, the Western Adelaide Violence Against Women Collaboration held successful White Ribbon Day events in 2012 and 2014 and have now developed a relationship with Adelaide United Football Club and will work in partnership to deliver White Ribbon activities throughout 2014. The first activity was at the Adelaide United final home game on 4 April 2014. The game had a theme of White Ribbon and collaboration members attended, provided White Ribbon promotional materials and were able to talk to people attending the game.

Many other sporting clubs are doing commendable things in this area. Last year, I had the honour of attending the Port Noarlunga Football Club's White Ribbon round on 24 August, along with the now member for Reynell Katrine Hildyard and the federal member for Kingston. Before the A-grade game started, players and supporters all took the White Ribbon oath and also the club's Sit Up Stand Up Shout Out mosaic project was unveiled, where 10 local southern community groups had made mosaics about what they are doing in their community to stop violence against women. This is a great initiative by the Port Noarlunga Football Club and I congratulate all those involved and look forward to my continuing involvement in this event in future years.

The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, which was released in February 2011 following the endorsement of the Council of Australian Governments, is another important commitment that this government is involved in. The national plan brings together government efforts across the nation to make a real and sustained reduction in the levels of violence against women. The national plan was developed in response to the Time for Action report of the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. The report made recommendations designed to tackle the unacceptable levels of sexual assault and domestic and family violence in Australia and to provide clear directions about helping Australian women live free of violence with respectful relationships in safe communities.

Women experience violence in public places, at work and at home. As part of its commitment to a safer community, the South Australian government believes we need strategic and comprehensive approaches to violence against women and to make the best use of resources to guide our future action. As has been stated by previous speakers, I encourage all men to take the White Ribbon Oath and to never commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. S.G. Wade.

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