Page 3655 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 27 October 2015
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services—all of these issues affect communities and all of them require a community to muster resources to demand answers from this government.
Nothing is forever, most especially this government. All governments need to be accountable; all governments need to be transparent and honest with their electors. This government are not, and they will pay the price.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for Disability, Minister for Racing and Gaming and Minister for the Arts) (4.38): Very briefly, I refer those opposite to the ETD website, where they will find significant information that is in the public arena around the incident in one of our schools. I will quote, in the very brief time that I have left—(Time expired.)
Discussion concluded.
Crimes (Domestic and Family Violence) Legislation Amendment Bill 2015
Debate resumed.
MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Minister for Housing, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Community Services, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Women and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Social Inclusion and Equality) (4.39): The Crimes (Domestic and Family Violence) Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 confirms the ACT government’s commitment to protecting women and children in the ACT. The bill reinforces the ACT government’s position that domestic and family violence will not be tolerated by improving the way in which our justice system recognises and addresses acts of violence in domestic and family contexts.
We know that domestic and family violence comes at an extraordinary cost to people in our community. We know we can improve our response to domestic and family violence and reduce this cost. This bill is one step towards that goal.
This bill has come from ongoing engagement with a number of stakeholders, and the outcomes of the extraordinary meeting of the Domestic Violence Prevention Council on 2 April 2015. The aim of the extraordinary meeting was to identify key issues and provide advice to the Attorney-General on how best to address domestic and family violence, including sexual assault, in the ACT. Over 55 participants attended the meeting and engaged in an open conversation about how to strengthen our response to domestic and family violence.
The Attorney-General received the DVPC’s report on domestic and family violence, including sexual assault, in the ACT on 16 April 2015. On 11 August, the Attorney-General tabled the government’s response, agreeing to all 33 recommendations of the DVPC’s report. In their report, the DVPC recognised that many domestic and family violence related issues are complex and meaningful progress will take time and sustained effort.
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