Thursday, 5 March 2020

Ministers statements: family violence

Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier) (11:08): I rise to update the house on the progress that the government is making in implementing the recommendations of Australia’s first and only Royal Commission into Family Violence. This month of course marks four years since Justice Neave handed down her findings, and we have made very substantial progress—very significant progress. One hundred and forty-three of the 227 recommendations made by the royal commission have been acted on, and we have invested around $2.9 billion—that is more than every other government combined across our nation. It ought to be a source of pride for every Victorian that we are taking this issue seriously. We are taking action and we are changing lives, and through all of our dedicated partners—those who provide services, those in law enforcement, and the list goes on and on—we are saving lives.

Tragically it is still the case that a woman a week loses her life to a current or former partner across our country, and all of us as members of this place and indeed as parents and partners—all of us, I think—have been terribly affected and impacted by shocking events in other parts of the country. The deaths of Hannah Clarke and her three children, Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey, are a tragic reminder that despite the progress that we have made there is so much more that we must do. Each and every member of the government and, I would hope, each and every member of our Parliament and the community more broadly would know and understand and sign up to the fact that we have to change attitudes towards women if we are going to change outcomes for women. The Gender Equality Bill 2019 that passed this Parliament is a big step in the right direction. Funding services properly so that literally tens of thousands of women and their children can get the support they need—that is the most important work we can be doing and we are doing and we will continue to do.