Page 797 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 18 March 2015
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I know that there have been recent announcements federally around a COAG meeting; the appointment of Rosie Batty to a council leading discussions on how we actually combat domestic violence; announcements by the Attorney-General on increased funding; and events and activities in our community which are garnering support not just from organisations that already know so much about this terrible issue, as Minister Berry said yesterday, but from people across our community.
It has really affected us. One of the things that Canberra does so well is bring people together. As sad as it is, I do hope that we see the policy development continue; the legislative frameworks debated in this place and supported; and funding provided to those organisations that need it.
The private sector is talking about this issue. As many members have noted, this is not an issue defined by poverty, class, race or location; it is everywhere. The victims, the offenders and the perpetrators work in the public sector and in the private sector. We all have a role to play. Our community has a role to play. As community representatives, we are doing our job today, as we will when we leave this place to talk to our community about the scourge that is family and domestic violence—how it affects women, men, and particularly the children, who not only most often lose their mother but will likely lose their father as well.
So I stand to support both the motion and the amendment. I look forward to the Assembly continuing to work together on this important issue.
MR HANSON (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (11.17): Thank you very much, members, for your contributions, all of which have been valuable and added to the debate. As I said, I will be supporting Mr Corbell’s amendments, which I think are good; they go to the heart of the motion.
As I think we all agree, there is no panacea. This is not the start of the conversation or the end of it, but it is an important conversation to have. I welcome the fact that we will now have an important meeting, getting everybody together and inviting MLAs to talk about this issue, at some stage in April. That is good, and it is reflective of the bipartisan approach that is being taken to this issue.
I commend the Attorney-General on a number of initiatives that he has taken in recent times, including funding, changes to victim support, the work that he is doing on making sure that DVOs can cross borders, and the other work that he is going to be doing in this area. And I thank those in government services and community services, many of whom are represented by ministers here, that are doing work in this area, often on the front line, be it the police, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service, representatives of all the members who are on the preventative council or all those others who really are at the forefront.
Mr Rattenbury, thank you for your comments. It is true that sometimes we are quick in this place to apportion credit and to apportion blame. In this instance, there may be credit and there may be blame to be apportioned, both locally and federally. It is good that this has not been the focus of this debate. Credit is due in some areas; regardless
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