Page 777 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 18 March 2015

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Wednesday, 18 March 2015

The Assembly met at 10 am.

MADAM SPEAKER (Mrs Dunne) took the chair and asked members to stand in silence and pray or reflect on their responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory.

Domestic violence

MR HANSON (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (10.01): I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) notes that:

(a) about 130 000 women around Australia have suffered violence in one form or another from their current or former partner in the past 12 months alone;

(b) the recent tragic death in the ACT has seen a spike in calls for support to the ACT’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service, which is already struggling with a 40 per cent increase in total contacts in five years and a near doubling of crisis visits in two years; and

(c) the system’s future will be shaped in a crucial Council of Australian Governments meeting in July that will look at a national domestic violence order scheme, better and more integrated support for women, and stronger ways to target the perpetrator;

(2) calls on the ACT Government to establish a roundtable supporting a bi-partisan approach to tackling domestic and family violence in the ACT; and

(3) notes that the roundtable would:

(a) bring together the Domestic Violence Prevention Council, police experts, support workers, section leaders, and government;

(b) allow victims to speak directly or through written submissions about their experiences; and

I rise today to discuss an issue that is at the forefront of public consciousness and the awareness of this place, and that is the issue of domestic violence. I have been reflecting on this issue for a little while now, and it is, I think, a very good thing that in this place we have had unison, 17 voices all speaking together with the same message. I am sure that there will be ongoing debates about particular messages and initiatives, particular funding measures and so on, but I think the fact that we have come to a point in this place where we had a motion moved by the government yesterday and we have a motion moved by the opposition today calling for action,

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