Page 3698 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 23 November 2022
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MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I think Canberra parents can have confidence in our paediatric services. They support thousands of children and families every year, who receive excellent care. Of course, there will be some circumstances, as there are in every hospital, where things do not go to plan. That is always a terrible thing for those people who are involved, and there are always lessons learned in any health system when things do not go to plan.
Of course, in any health system and in any workplace, there will be people who think that improvements can be made. I am sure that if you surveyed people in this workplace, there will be people who think there are improvements that can be made. That is why it is so important that we continue to engage with the frontline staff who are delivering services, to ensure that those voices are heard. We will be doing that through the work to implement the paediatric organisational and services planning and the territory-wide child and adolescent clinical services plan.
Domestic and family violence—16 days of activism
DR PATERSON: My question is to the Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence. Minister, can you please update the Assembly on the 2022 campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence?
MS BERRY: I thank the member for this really important question. 16 Days of Activism is an annual campaign which begins on 25 November, this Friday, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and it ends on 10 December, International Human Rights Day. This year the theme of the campaign is “Ending Femicide”—the gender-related killing of women and girls.
Violence against women and children is one of the most persistent violations of human rights. The 2022 theme also aligns with the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032, which was launched by all states and territories last month, with its ambition to end violence against women and children within a generation.
DR PATERSON: Minister, what actions is the ACT government taking to end violence against women and children?
MS BERRY: In the ACT we have continued to lead the national conversation on perpetrator accountability. Perpetrator accountability has been a key part of our response to domestic and family violence. In partnership with stakeholders, a set of ACT practice standards for men’s behaviour change programs has been developed. This will ensure that programs focus on the safety of women and children, as well as holding perpetrators to account, and will build an evidence base to inform future policy decisions.
We have funded the Domestic Violence Crisis Unit to deliver Room4Change, which is a therapeutic residential men’s behaviour change program. As at December 2021, 39 perpetrators were still involved in that program. In addition, the 2022-23 budget funded a number of initiatives, which included a million-dollar investment in the development of a long-term strategy for the prevention of sexual violence, as well as to change behaviours.
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