THE HON. MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
THE HON. SHAYNE NEUMANN MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR AGEING
MEMBER FOR BLAIR
SENATOR CLAIRE MOORE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR WOMEN
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CARERS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMMUNITIES
SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND
LABOR WELCOMES WORDS BUT DEMANDS ACTION
Labor welcomes the Prime Minister's strong support for action to end the scourge of family violence on our nation.
However unfortunately the Prime Minister's conviction on this issue has not been met with corresponding action.
In two years, the Abbott Government has cut vital legal and community services that support women escaping family violence, including:
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$270 million cut to community services;
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$44 million cut to homelessness services;
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$22 million cut to community legal centres; and
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$15 million cut to Legal Aid.
In addition, the Government's $534 million cut to Indigenous programs and frontline services has seen services like the Nhulunbuy office of the North Australia Aboriginal Justice Agency close its doors.
Vital services such as the Family Violence Prevention Legal Service were forced to compete in an open tender for funding, while other services missed out entirely under the Government's Indigenous Advancement Strategy.
This is particularly concerning because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of family violence.
It is time for the Prime Minister's actions to meet his rhetoric on this matter.
Labor urges the Prime Minister to join Bill Shorten in hosting a bipartisan National Crisis Summit on Monday, 12 October 2015.
The shocking events in Queensland and Victoria in the past week have once again highlighted the need for urgent and meaningful action to tackle the scourge of family violence in Australia.
Domestic violence is one of the most distressing and clear illustrations of the continuing unequal treatment of women in our society with at least one woman murdered every week in Australia.
A National Crisis Summit will ensure the voices of survivors, victims families, as well as services, law enforcement and experts are heard before the COAG meeting in November.
For more detail on Labor's plan to address family violence visit www.alp.org.au/familyviolence.
SUNDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2015
