Sexual assault
Cindy McLEISH (Eildon) (09:49): The ABS released statistics last week which revealed a disturbing trend. Incidents of sexual assault in Australia increased by 10 per cent from the previous year. Most alarming, though, is that this increase was 13 per cent in Victoria. That is an additional 805 victims, 87 per cent of whom were females. The offenders were known to the victims 69 per cent of the time. These are not just numbers; they represent lives shattered and families torn apart. We need to do more.