No More

Ending Gender-Based Violence

 

Throughout our nation and across the Central West, thousands of residents came together to say ‘enough is enough’ in response to the devastating rates and impacts of gender-based violence in Australia.

 
 
 
 
 
 

The Shocking Statistics

This year in Australia, more than 47 women have been murdered through gender-based violence. Half of these women have been in regional parts of the country. Devastatingly, that’s an average of two women killed every week. These are truly shocking statistics.

What can we do?

To effect real change, governments of all levels need to lift, as do our communities and our country. There are a number of things that governments can be doing right now to stop gender-based violence.

 

The Role of Education

Education has a huge role to play. It’s important that primary and secondary schools are actively involved in teaching the principles of respect and equality.

If young people are able to gain an early understanding about how wrong domestic violence is, it may help prevent it in the future — saving lives, and preventing trauma.

The Influence of Social Media

The influence of social media in developing dangerous attitudes towards women is of great concern to me. The amount of violence (some of it sexualised), and hatred that is directed towards women on these platforms is horrendous, and I worry about the influence this disturbing content is having on young men.

Urgent Reform of Bail Laws Required

Our criminal justice system also has a big role to play, with the tightening of bail laws urgently needed.

 

More Funding Needed

While there has been welcome funding made available for domestic violence refuges in our region, not all regional areas have them, and ongoing funding of domestic violence services is required on the double.

It’s been reported that despite having a population 1.5 million people greater than Victoria, the NSW government spends less than half of what Victoria does on domestic and family violence services.

 



A Letter to the PM

I have joined fellow independent Members of Parliament in writing to the Prime Minister detailing the extent of the crisis and emphasising the urgent need to deliver change.

The letter requests four main things;

  1. A comprehensive review of sentencing across the justice system, child support system and the family court system. Potential actions could include mandatory sentencing, harsher consequences for breaching AVOs, and a National Domestic Violence Register.

  2. Cracking down on harmful, unregulated industries like violent online porn, hateful social media influencers and problem gambling, whilst increasing funding for frontline services like affordable housing for women escaping violent relationships.

  3. Proper funding of consent and respectful relationships education.

  4. A meeting with the PM to discuss these issues when Parliament resumes.


YOU CAN READ THE ENTIRE LETTER AT THE BUTTON BELOW

 
 

EMPOWER YOU

Empower You, developed by NSW Police, is now here to support those facing domestic and family violence.

The app allows victims to discreetly document incidents of abuse with photos, notes, and timestamps, empowering them to gather information safely.

Stored content can be shared with trusted contacts or law enforcement, and the app also has crucial features such as emergency texts, GPS location sharing and details of support services.

It’s encouraging to see this step forward in supporting domestic violence victims.

To learn more about Empower You, visit the website here.