Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety

The Hon. T.T. NGO (14:56): I seek to leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question about the launch of Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS).

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.T. NGO: The Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that 5.5 per cent of South Australian women have experienced physical or sexual abuse in the previous 12 months. My question is can the minister tell the chamber about the launch of ANROWS?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:56): I thank the honourable member for his most important question and I am sure that all members will join me in passing my condolences to all families—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Can we please let the minister answer the question.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Thank you, Mr President. As I said, I am sure that everyone in this chamber would join me in passing on condolences to all the families who have lost mothers, daughters, sisters and aunties to acts of family violence. As I said, I am sure that everyone would join me in sharing those condolences. Sadly, way too many women and families are still affected by violence against women and children. Sadly for women, physical and sexual violence too often occurs. The ABS Personal Safety Survey shows that, in South Australia in 2012, around 41,600 women or 5.5 per cent of South Australian women experienced physical or sexual violence in the previous 12 months. That is why I was very pleased to attend the official launch of Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS) in Canberra last Friday, along with other state ministers for the status of women and the federal minister assisting the Prime Minister for women.

ANROWS stems from the national plan to reduce violence against women and children which brings together government's efforts across the nation to make a real and sustained reduction in the levels of violence against women. Underpinning the national plan is the shared belief that involving all governments in the wider community is necessary to reduce violence against women in the short and longer term. One of the most significant issues facing our country is reducing violence against women, and that is why we have committed just under $115,000 annually to ANROWS and it is part of a $3 million per annum total contribution from all governments over three years to enable the organisation to establish and begin its research.

The research will study a range of topics including the impact of violence on specific groups of women such as disabled, rural and Aboriginal, the economic costs of domestic violence, interventions targeting perpetrators, and links between domestic violence and gender inequity. The research undertaken by ANROWS will not only enhance policy and program delivery across a range of government departments but it will also provide an opportunity to tackle the gender inequity and sexism that are still too often barriers for women in Australia. Of course, we know that those acts of inequity and sexism make the ground ripe for disrespectful attitudes towards women and violence towards women to grow and flourish. I am pleased to advise the chamber that ANROWS is chaired by Emeritus Professor Anne Edwards, the former co-chair of the South Australian Premier's Council for Women. She is an incredibly wise and competent woman, and I think she will make an excellent chair of this new body.

This government is committed to addressing violence against women and already has a whole of government women's safety agenda that complements the national plan to respond to violence against women and their children. This includes A Right to Safety, a 10-year initiative launched in 2011, and this builds on reforms undertaken by the Women's Safety Strategy to improve legislation and services to strengthen community understanding of the effects of violence against women. It also has a strong focus on early intervention and prevention to stop violence against women occurring in the first place.

The Family Safety Framework has been implemented in 19 areas across the state. It works to combine services to high-risk families by sharing information and working closely with the families to guide them to services that can help them. There is effective new intervention orders legislation that I have spoken about here before and a research position in the Coroner's office to examine domestic violence related death.

It is my hope that if all governments share their research resources, successful policies and outcomes, we can successfully significantly reduce incidents of violence perpetrated against women and children. I look forward to working with the rest of the nation through this organisation on strategies to help keep women and children safe. This government will work tirelessly towards a time when we see fewer women harmed, fewer women fearing for themselves and their children, and fewer women feeling isolated and powerless.