Page 3703 - Week 12 - Thursday, 25 November 2021
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
During these 16 days I want to firstly pay my respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, whose struggle is also bound up with continued injustice of colonisation and dispossession. I also want to acknowledge the work of generations before us who have fought in the campaign for gender equality that continues today.
This year for the 16 days I have written to Senator Michaelia Cash as Minister for Industrial Relations, with support from the domestic and family violence sector, women’s support services and other advocates, including unions, calling once again for 10 days of paid domestic and family violence leave to be included in the national employment standards. Domestic and family violence can affect anyone and it can happen anywhere. It impacts all aspects of our society and it needs to be publicly acknowledged rather than continuing to be kept hidden.
The ACT government has already acknowledged this and has introduced 20 days of paid domestic and family violence leave, which is a formal entitlement in the ACT government’s enterprise bargaining agreements. We have also implemented training for ACT government public service employees to ensure they understand their role in supporting people in their community around domestic and family violence. These are just a few examples of some of the activities the ACT government is engaged in in the next 16 days.
DR PATERSON: Minister, what other activities and events will community organisations hold during these 16 days?
MS BERRY: There is a calendar of events and online campaigns are being held during these 16 days. Today I was lucky enough to be on a panel with the Domestic Violence Crisis Service with the question asked: whose job is it to eliminate domestic and family violence? The answer is it is all our jobs. Governments can lead the way by implementing gendered policies to ensure domestic and family violence is front and centre of our decisions we make to ensure our community remains safe, but members of our community can also get involved in the 16 days of action.
On 30 November an online education session is being held by the Domestic Violence Crisis Service. You do not need to pay but you do need to register for that one. That is a really important initiative by DVCS for people who want to know what they can do in their community, their neighbourhoods and their homes to support people who might be experiencing domestic and family violence.
On 7 December there will be a conversation entitled “Ending domestic and family violence—what role do men’s behaviour-change programs play,” again, a really important subject for people to be involved in. And also do not forget to keep a close eye on social media posts from organisations like the YWCA, who will also be publishing different content focusing on the 16 days.
The 16 days is a great opportunity for Canberrans to get involved, to understand and to listen with kindness and empathy and understanding to the experiences of people to learn what we can all do together to eliminate domestic and family violence and violence against women.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video