The Greens welcome passage of the Bill to give employees access to 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave. It is a long overdue reform that will save lives. 

But a lack of new funding in last night’s Budget means frontline response and prevention services will struggle to meet the expected increase in demand. 

Lines attributable to Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Women

The Greens welcome the release of the new National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032, but without additional funding or meaningful targets the ambitious plan is just words. 

Lines attributable to Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson for Women, Senator Larissa Waters

“The Greens have been fighting hard for progress on a National Plan for decades alongside victim-survivors, activists and women’s organisations.

The Greens welcome the comprehensive In One Generation report from the National Women’s Safety Alliance today, and are proud to support its 20 priority actions. The Greens are calling on all other parties to match their commitment to fully fund frontline services, eliminate violence against women and deliver economic security.

The Greens say the Morrison Government has bungled its last chance to show it takes women’s safety and economic security seriously with an underwhelming budget of half-measures and spin.

Lines attributable to Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters:

“With an election looming it’s little wonder that the Morrison Government is desperately trying to improve its standing with Australian women, who have been abandoning the Liberals in droves.

The Greens support the Safety. Respect. Equity. campaign and call on all other parties to match that commitment to the nine policy asks of that campaign, which would eliminate violence against women and deliver economic security.

Quotes attributable to Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters:

“The Greens are proud that our election policy platform already backs the policy asks of the Safety. Respect. Equity. campaign and we call upon all other parties to commit to those policies too, because women deserve it.

As women and allies across the country take to the streets again demanding change, the Greens have released a comprehensive plan to fully fund domestic violence services, invest in consent education and prevention programs, and trial initiatives including a national domestic violence disclosure scheme and a trauma recovery centre for victim-survivors.

The Greens say today’s tabling of the Final Report of Pauline Hanson’s toxic family law inquiry marks the welcome end of more than two years of political grandstanding that has traumatised survivors of family and domestic violence and provided a platform for hate and misinformation.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:

“What a colossal waste of time and energy.

The Greens say day one of the Women’s Safety Summit was yet another exercise in political theatre for a government that remains completely out of touch with Australian women.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
“Bless the experts at the Women’s Safety Summit for so patiently saying the same things they've said so many times before!

“If the government had actually been listening to women, nothing said at today’s summit should have been news to them.

The Greens have called on the federal government to provide critical and overdue funding of frontline domestic violence and sexual assault services, after an horrific week of violence against women and children left the nation reeling.

Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women Larissa Waters said:

“The past week has provided everyone with a tragic reminder of Australia’s ongoing family violence crisis.

Today the House echoed the Senate to call on the government to take action on coercive control, supporting a cross-party motion coordinated by the co-Chairs of Parliamentarians for Action to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children.

“Tomorrow, Friday 19 February marks 1 year since Hannah Clarke’s murder. Her ex-husband had never laid a hand on her until he killed her and her three children, but for years had been abusing her with coercive control,” said Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson for women.