Page 702 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 17 March 2015
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contribute so much, as we have seen, tragically, in our own city in recent times. Unfortunately, recent events in Canberra are not isolated. Domestic and family violence does not discriminate and it does not define itself by class, by age, by race or, indeed, by sexuality. This insidious and extremely damaging violence claims the lives of more than 100 people in Australia every year and undoubtedly causes long-term effects for many more. The vast majority of victims are women and children.
The statistics are alarming. Since the age of 15, almost one in five women has experienced sexual violence, one in three has experienced physical violence and one in four has experienced emotional abuse in their lifetime. These are simply unacceptable figures in this country. It is, unfortunately, a shameful reflection of what we, the Australian community, have been previously willing to accept. But we must no longer do so.
As the attorney has outlined, the cost of family violence in our community is measured, completely inadequately, frankly, in the billions of dollars. Violence against women has been estimated to cost the Australian economy $13.6 billion each year, derived from health costs, pain and suffering, loss of productivity, law enforcement and court costs. Without effective action, these costs, simply the economic costs, will increase to around $16 billion by 2021.
Such figures pale into insignificance when you think of the overwhelming pain caused by losing a friend or a family member in such circumstances. Dollars do count, of course. However, having the structures and ongoing support in place to help combat domestic violence—and, as the attorney explained, reducing the incidence of domestic and family violence and effectively responding to such violence when it occurs—requires strong and ongoing commitment from both levels of government and from the community acting as a whole.
That is why it is important to be clear today that this task is not simply the task of one minister in government. Every member of this executive has a job to do to support victims, to tackle family violence at its source, to address the root causes of dysfunction and violence in our community and to deal with perpetrators in a way that minimises recidivism. Indeed, it is the job of every member of this Assembly to do what we can to address this issue. Therefore, I warmly welcome the opposition leader’s commitment to a bipartisan approach.
We know that the tragic cases that have come to the attention of the police or the media in recent times are really only the tip of the iceberg. We need to ensure that victims are better able to access the help they need without official processes inadvertently making their lives harder. That is why I am also very pleased with the attorney’s announcement today of a fundamental reworking of the victims of crime financial assistance scheme, to focus first and foremost on the needs of those who experience family violence.
The current scheme is outdated and puts the victim into an unnecessary round of court-based litigation to have their injuries recognised. Now, the Victims of Crime Commissioner will administer a new scheme and provide supportive case management for the applicants. As Minister Corbell outlined, victims of family
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