Domestic Violence Inquiry

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (14:33): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for the Status of Women about the Senate domestic violence inquiry.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: On average one woman a week is murdered in Australia as a result of domestic violence. This is both a national tragedy and an actual emergency. Last week the Australian Greens, under the auspices of Senator Larissa Waters, put a proposal to the Senate for an inquiry into domestic violence. It passed that chamber with tripartisan support. The matter has now been referred to the Finance and Public Administration References Committee, to report back by October this year, with submissions due in by the end of this month.

That committee will look into the prevalence and impact of domestic violence in Australia, with particular regard to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women living with a disability and, indeed, the policy responses regarding housing, legal services, women's economic independence, the ability of women to escape domestic violence and how the federal government can best support, contribute to and drive social culture on behavioural shifts required to eliminate violence against women and their children. Senator Waters noted at the time:

With the input of women's refuges and victims, we will find out how the federal government can best work with states, territories and the community to eliminate domestic violence.

My questions are:

1. What level of participation will the South Australian government have in this inquiry?

2. Will the government make a submission to present to this inquiry and, if so, specifically what department or agency will lead the South Australian government response and, indeed, which departments and agencies will be a part of our government response to this very important inquiry?

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) (14:35): I thank the honourable member for her most important questions. Indeed, this government is very committed to addressing violence against women and children in this state, nationally and also internationally, and that is why we have had such an active agenda to roll out a range of reforms and initiatives to help eliminate violence against women and children in this state.

South Australia has been a key and fundamental player in the national arena in relation to the second phase of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children; I think I spoke about that in this place yesterday. Indeed, South Australia has been, as I said, at the forefront in participating both in the first and now the second phase of that national strategy. As I outlined yesterday, there are a range of initiatives in that strategy, both in terms of service interventions and primary prevention initiatives, and education and research initiatives. Especially vulnerable groups have been identified, including the disabled, Aboriginal women and some other groups that are particularly vulnerable to violence against women and children in their particular communities. We will continue with our commitment at a national level. We will continue with our commitment to foundation Australia, the group that Natasha Stott Despoja has been given—

The Hon. T.A. Franks interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Well, we have given them money. That's absolute nonsense; it is just incorrect information. We continue that commitment too, as well as rolling out initiatives at the state level. In our last budget, we announced a number of important initiatives, including additional money for a repeat offender database, a program to assist particularly young women to improve their body image and to have greater confidence and self-esteem around their body image and ideas of beauty and being treated as objects, or objectification. They are some examples of those commitments.

In relation to the national inquiry, I am not familiar with the terms of reference of that inquiry. I am happy to look at the detail of that and then to consider the best way for South Australia to contribute to that and, if that is deemed to be appropriate, the government will coordinate an across-government approach to that because there are a number of quite important different policy and agency areas that are responsible for different aspects of addressing the elimination of violence against women and children in this community.