Wednesday, 29 July 2026

 Sarah CONNOLLY (Laverton) (19:04): (1740) My adjournment is for the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, and the action I seek is that the minister update me on our government’s efforts to address the scourge of family violence, including in my community of Laverton. Last week I was absolutely shocked – appalled – when I heard that Pauline Hanson went on radio and said that family violence is ‘a two-way street’ and that women who experience family violence should just get up and leave. This language minimises the culpability of perpetrators and puts the blame on women for men’s violence. Let us be clear: whilst we know that men and boys can be victims of family violence, the statistics show us that the overwhelming incidence of family violence is men committing violence against women. Statements like this from One Nation are not new. Pauline Hanson’s rhetoric on this issue over the years has been influenced by so-called men’s rights activists. She has accused women who have reported family violence of lying and said that male perpetrators are victims of a Family Court system that will not let them see their kids – I mean, seriously. This is at a time when we have seen women, even girls as young as 13 years of age, allegedly murdered by teenage boys. We have this kind of rhetoric from someone who wants to be Prime Minister and someone whose party wants to govern in coalition with those opposite here in Victoria. We know on this side of the house the Liberal Party cannot govern here in Victoria without doing deals with One Nation.

Here in Victoria we have set the standard for how states should address family violence. Labor did the work. Labor transformed our system to better respond to violence against women and children. Labor have invested in services that give them the support that these people need. There is, of course, more to do; we must do more. I am keen for the minister to update me on the progress our government has continued to make in this space since we delivered each and every single one of those landmark reforms from our royal commission.