Domestic and Family Violence

It is shocking to learn that 97 percent of domestic homicide victims in Australia were subjected to coercive control by their intimate partners before they were killed.

In other words, coercive control is a red flag for serious physical violence or death for women in these relationships.

It is unacceptable that women in Australia have died at the hands of a violent man through no fault of their own.

We must stop the murders of women by their partners, and tackling coercive control is one measure we can act on now.

We have new legislation in New South Wales, an implementation taskforce, and an education campaign.

The launch of a public awareness campaign around the dangers of coercive control, has been an important step taken in response to this issue, however, more still needs to be done.

I successfully campaigned for the return of men’s behaviour change programs to the Wagga Wagga Electorate. In 2024, the NSW Government allocated $700,000 over two years to Relationships Australia Canberra and Region to run the program, which stopped running five years earlier.    

We also need meaningful action to restrict young people's access to pornography, particularly that which depicts violence against women. Violent pornography poisons young minds, encouraging boys to grow into men to whom women are objects to be treated with cruelty and abuse. I welcome steps taken by the Federal Government to prevent access to violent sexual content and urge the New South Wales Government to work with the Federal Government on this issue.

The community continues to demand action on the issue of family and domestic violence.

In my 2024 Annual Community Survey, I asked ‘Would you like to see the State Government take further action in response to family and domestic violence?’, the majority (83%) of survey respondents stated ‘yes’. 

Respondents to my survey expressed strong support for the State Government to respond to family and domestic violence through early intervention and education initiatives, along with harsher sentencing and denial of bail for offenders, increases to and securing of funding to front line services and greater supply of emergency accommodation for women and children escaping domestic violence.

We must continue to tackle the scourge of family and domestic violence. Together we can bring an end to this crisis and work towards a time when women no longer need live in fear, not because they have changed but because men have.