WOMEN’S SAFETY AND EQUALITY

The Women’s Safety Minister’s meeting between the Commonwealth, States and Territories on Wednesday is the first big test of whether the Morrison government’s newfound enthusiasm for the issues that affect millions of Australian women is anything other than a cynical political fix.

 

For the past 7 years the Coalition Government has failed to prioritise women’s interests and safety. It has ignored victim-survivors, advocates, and experts. It has left report after report into women’s policy languishing on the shelves.

 

Labor is calling on the government to take immediate steps to support Australian women:

1.       Pass Labor's Private Senators Bill to legislate for Paid Domestic Violence Leave.

2.       Stop cuts to services providing crisis accommodation for women and children fleeing violence.

3.       Properly fund frontline family and domestic violence services.

4.       Implement recommendations in the Sex Discrimination Commissioner’s Respect@Work report.

5.       Commit to a national definition of domestic violence that includes coercive and controlling behaviour.

The Morrison government could have made these 5 key commitments 6 months ago, and they could easily make them tomorrow. There is no excuse for further inaction – women and children have already paid too high a price.

 

To date the Prime Minister’s response has been to give shiny new titles to the same group of his ministers who have been responsible for the last few years of substandard women’s policy. Australians are tired of the Prime Minister’s PR answers to real policy questions – Mr Morrison needs to prove he means it this time.

 

Unless the Commonwealth makes meaningful commitments ahead of the Women’s Safety Minister’s meeting on Wednesday, Australian women would be justified in thinking the Morrison government is not serious about them or their issues.