Domestic Violence
In the September sittings, I was honoured to host the Prime Minister and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth alongside my co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Ending Violence against Women to mark National Survivors Day.
This is a day where we recognise and commemorate the bravery and journeys of survivors of sexual abuse and institutional betrayal.
It was moving to hear survivor of child sexual abuse Nicole Meyer and the CEO of the In Good Faith Foundation Clare Leaney about the importance of this day.
Later in the week, Senator Katy Gallagher and I took the opportunity to visit the Women’s Legal Centre ACT to discuss the Government’s landmark agreement with the states and territories to invest $3.9 billion to support the crucial frontline legal services that keep women safe and save lives.
It was great to talk to the lawyers, social workers and other staff who support women who are going through some of the toughest experiences of their lives.
The Women’s Legal Centre ACT has also received funding to establish the Sexual Violence Legal Service. I attended the launch of the service alongside Senator Gallagher and the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.
This service provides independent advice and representation for women, trans people and non-binary people who have been subjected to sexual violence. It also provides assistance throughout engagements with the police, and support at trial and after sentencing. I’m proud that our Government has invested more into legal assistance than any previous Government.
|
|
 |
| With Senator Dean Smith, Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, sexual abuse survivor Nicole Meyer, In Good Faith Foundation Board Chair Joe Stroud and Board Member Clare Leaney. |
|
Affirmative Action
In September the Parliamentary Labor Party celebrated 30 years since affirmative action was introduced to boost the number of women in our parliamentary caucus.
Back then we set a target of having 35% of our elected members be women by 2002. Today I am proud to be a member of Australia’s first ever majority female Government.
Labor has always been a leader when it comes to women in politics. Rosemary Follett was the first woman to lead a state or territory right here in the ACT. Julia Gillard was our first woman Prime Minister. Senator Nova Peris was the first indigenous woman elected to Federal Parliament and Linda Burney was the first Indigenous woman to serve in the Federal Cabinet.
The Labor Party knows that our diversity is our strength and we’ll keep promoting women and people of diverse backgrounds to ensure that all Australians are represented in our Federal Parliament.
|
|
 |
| With Penny Wong and Joanne Ryan at the 30 years of Affirmative Action celebration in September. |
|
Scams
Later that week, I was pleased to join the Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones to announce the Federal Government’s next phase of our action to combat scams.
We announced tough new codes of conduct which will put obligations on banks, telecommunications companies and social media companies to do more to combat these insidious criminals targeting Australians.
Our new mandatory codes will have bespoke arrangements which apply to companies in each sector. I took the opportunity to talk about this issue earlier in the week, which you can watch here, and to question the CEOs of the big 4 banks about this topic in House Economics Committee Hearings at the end of August.
|
|
 |
| With Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and Member for Boothby Louise Miller-Frost, launching public consultation for the Scams Prevention Framework. |
|
|
Launch of the the Deadly Choices Program
I joined Winnunga Nimmityjah CEO Julie Tongs along with Minister Katy Gallagher and Senator David Pocock to launch the Deadly Choices program here in Canberra. Deadly Choices delivers a health check incentive program for First Nations people across the country, with Winnunga Nimmityjah receiving funding to conduct this program in Canberra. It’s a critical health promotion tool that has been so successful around the country, and great to see it launched here in the ACT.
|
|
 |
| With Senator Katy Gallagher, Senator David Pocock, Winnunga Nimmityjah CEO Julie Tongs, NRL Ambassadors Petero Civoniceva, Shaylee Bent and Tyrone Roberts at the Deadly Choices launch. |
|
Keynote Address at the Catholic Social Services Australia Dinner
I had the honour to give the Keynote Address at the Catholic Social Services Australia dinner on the topic of ending child poverty. Child poverty persists in Australia with one in six Australian children living in poverty.
In 1987 Prime Minister Bob Hawke made the commitment that by 1990 no Australian child would live in poverty. While the quote is often ridiculed, what is less talked about is the success of the changes he introduced. Hawke announced a package of measures—including a family supplement linked to wage growth, uniform rent assistance for social security recipients with children, and a new child disability allowance—and, for the first time, used the tax system to collect child support payments from non-custodial parents. These measures immediately cut the number of children living in poverty by a third. By 1994, poverty rates for children of jobless couples had reduced by up to 80 per cent and by 50 per cent for jobless single parents. (Thanks Professor Peter Whiteford for this analysis). It is a good example of how the social security system is a powerful tool for Governments to address poverty. I’m proud that our Government has expanded access to Parenting Payment Single, which will have made a significant difference to the lives of many families with children.
I will always advocate for us to continue to strengthen the social system to keep Australians out of poverty. We also know that there is a strong link between economic insecurity and domestic and family violence, with women bearing the financial cost of leaving a violent situation. Child support payments can also be used as a way to continue financial abuse, placing women into precarious financial situations. Our government is working to make the child support system fairer, and it was a pleasure to discuss this work with CSSA’s members from around the country. |
|
 |
| With Ron Johnson, Acting Executive Director of CSSA and Peter Monaghan, Chair of CSSA. |
|
Canberra Seniors Morning Tea
I was honoured to host a Seniors Morning Tea with my good friend the Assistant Minister for Ageing, Social Security and Women, Kate Thwaites at Canberra’s Seniors Centre in Turner.
We had the opportunity to hear from older Canberrans about the issues that matter to them, and also to talk about our Government’s commitment to ensuring all Australians age well, feeling financially secure and with the access to the quality services they need. Thanks again to all who attend and the Canberra’s Senior Centre for hosting us! |
|
 |
| With Seniors at our Canberra Seniors Morning Tea. |
|
Parliamentary Speeches
Over the last few sitting weeks, I spoke on:
- Congratulating Australia’s Paralympic Athletes
- The Universities Accord (Student Support and Other Measures) Bill
- Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence
- World Suicide Prevention Day
- The launch of the Australian Brain Cancer Foundation
- The Government’s ongoing work to tackle scams
- Paid Parental Leave (Adding Superannuation for a More Secure Retirement) Bill
- The Government’s wage rise for early childhood educators
- Immigration MPI
|
|
ACT Election
This Saturday is the ACT election, a very important day in the future of our great city. I’ll be voting for the re-election of progressive, practical and proven Barr Labor Government! The Labor team have delivered so much for our city and will continue with plans for:
- 800 new health care workers
- Free three-year-old preschool
- Fare free Fridays on public transport across the city
- 30,000 more homes to build, buy and rent by 2030
To do the same please vote 1-5 for the brilliant Labor Candidates in your electorate, in order of you preference. You can find out more here: Our Plan (actlabor.org.au)
|
|
|
If there’s anything you’d like to raise with me, you can get in touch via email at [email protected] or phone at 02 6247 8475. |
|
|
