Page 1369 - Week 05 - Thursday, 26 April 1990
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community groups and police. It would have been nice to be able to negotiate the terms of the new police force, but the Chief Minister has made it clear that there will be no negotiation in relation to that; that it will be looked after.
Ms Follett: He will tell us when he has decided.
MR BERRY: Yes, he will tell us when it is all decided. It will all be conducted behind closed doors. I wonder whether Mr Collaery supports that view. We have to ensure that information on domestic violence is displayed as widely as possible. It has to be displayed in doctors' surgeries, clinics, churches, schools and shopping centres. The practice of hiding the issue of domestic violence must cease.
Mr Collaery: Hear, hear!
MR BERRY: I am glad that you agree with me on that, and I hope that in the future, Mr Collaery, we can see some action that will ensure that it goes a little further than mere agreement.
Mr Collaery: You're getting a bit sharp these days.
MR BERRY: You are dealing with some pretty blunt edges over on that side. The review of the Domestic Violence Act in 1987 yielded recommendations to improve the Act, and it is good to hear that there are changes in the pipeline. The Government should move quickly to ensure that those recommendations are implemented. It should also move to implement the Labor Government's budget initiative to fund another domestic violence refuge. I do not want to hear any more excuses about the funding. I want you to get on with the job. Do not talk about what you are going to do.
The lack of accommodation for those in crisis has led to the placement of victims in motels, where support services cannot be adequately delivered. Mr Collaery, you would agree with that. There needs to be another crisis centre. It is not enough to take women out of their homes; they must have access to the full range of support services in this time of crisis. Motels are just not good enough; we need another centre, and we do not want excuses about the funding.
This really boils down to the empowerment of women in society, and that should be the fundamental aim of improving services to women. When the Follett Government attempted to improve women's services, some Liberal members attempted to prevent money flowing through to those women, and they will continue to do it. I think the greatest evidence of their lack of commitment to women's issues in this Territory is the number of them in this house. There is only one Liberal member. The Minister responsible for women's affairs in the Territory, the Chief Minister, Trevor Kaine, has not been in the chamber since the debate started.
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