Page 4042 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014
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My commitment is to see this data incorporated into the criminal justice statistical profile, the quarterly reports of which are tabled in this place. I am looking forward to receiving the advice of the Domestic Violence Prevention Council, who have already commenced work on this area. I think that that will be a very valuable development when it is achieved, hopefully, at the beginning of next year.
With that, Madam Deputy Speaker, I commend Mrs Jones for bringing this matter forward. I commend her for her ongoing interest in this matter and, indeed, so many members in this place. It is very comforting to know that members across the political divide are committed to addressing the very serious problem of violence against women and children that exists in our community. I trust that my amendment to Mrs Jones’s motion will be supported, because it will bring up to date the steps already being taken by so many good people in our community to incorporate and improve data collection, consistent with the spirit of Mrs Jones’s substantive motion. I move the amendment circulated in my name:
Omit paragraph (3), substitute:
“(3) notes:
(a) a review of the Family Violence Intervention Program (FVIP) in 2012 resulted in additional data on family violence being made available by agencies that participate in the FVIP for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 years; and
(b) the Domestic Violence Prevention Council has formed a data sub committee which will consider and identify possible approaches for the Council in relation to developing and establishing a data gathering and analysis strategy for the ACT. This work will lead to the collection of frequent, meaningful data about domestic and sexual violence in the ACT.”
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Disability, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Racing and Gaming, Minister for Women and Minister for the Arts) (11.16): I thank Mrs Jones for bringing this motion on today. It is an important matter. It is something that members here, and indeed the whole community, should be aware of, and we should do all we can to stop violence against women. As the motion has noted, one in three women experience violence at the hands of someone they know and one in four children are exposed to domestic violence. As Minister for Women, I am committed to tackling these issues and reducing violence that happens in the ACT community.
Madam Deputy Speaker, this government is strongly committed to the prevention of violence against women and children and supports the White Ribbon foundation in its work to promote the role of the men in speaking up to prevent violence against women and their children. White Ribbon must be commended for its work in helping to raise awareness of the issues. Those who saw the two RAF Hercules transports thundering over Canberra suburbs on Tuesday could not have missed the 4.6-metre white ribbon painted on the tail of one of the aircraft. The very fact that people came
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