Page 1221 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 11 May 2021
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Suburban Development, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Women) (10.06): It is my pleasure to be making a statement in the Assembly today on the commitment made by the government to take action on the prevention and reduction of sexual assault in the ACT.
The ACT government has acknowledged that this is an issue that affects everyone in our community and is an issue bigger than politics. That is why I am proud to be making this statement today and to be working closely across party lines to deliver a tripartisan approach. We are the only jurisdiction in Australia to have made this shared commitment.
The ACT government is committed to doing the work required to address this issue, but first we need to listen carefully to our local experts, and to victim survivors and their advocates, and we need to look at what the evidence shows us about what is already working well, where the gaps are, and where we need to invest and build new programs of work.
Early findings from the Women’s Health Matters survey on women’s experiences of seeking help following sexual assault demonstrate that women need tailored responses that cater to their diverse and unique circumstances. Survey results indicate that many of the women who have experienced sexual assault never sought help, out of fear of disclosure, stigma and victim blaming. One woman involved in the survey commented:
The system is rigged against victims of sexual assault. Instead of support it feels more like hoops to jump through. A survival of the fittest … if we can convince people that our case deserves to be heard … that we deserve justice. That if we want to protect other women from the men who assaulted us we have to put ourselves on the line.
Madam Speaker, this listening is critical. As Australian of the Year Grace Tame has said:
Many people didn’t know how to respond. That said, the ones who listened, the ones who were eager to understand, even when they couldn’t, made all the difference.
Responding and preventing sexual assault and sexual violence require a whole-of-government integrated approach. That is why it is critical that the right governance be put in place to guide us with this work. I am establishing a steering committee and three working groups to focus on prevention, response and legislative reform.
The working groups will be inclusive and intersectional about experiences of sexual violence across the community, including for people with disability, young people, the LGBTIQ+ community, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, and communities that are culturally and linguistically diverse. We know that there are many different experiences and that our response must provide more than just one pathway.
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