Family Violence Protection Amendment Bill 2017

Mr J. BULL (Sunbury) — I am pleased to rise to speak on the Family Violence Protection Amendment Bill 2017. Before I go to the bill, I just have one thing to say to the previous speaker, and that is 3135. That is the number of police this government is recruiting, the biggest recruitment of police in our history. This is a very important bill, one that stems from this government’s work in addressing the most pressing law and order issue in our state and indeed our nation. This is an issue that has caused destruction and devastation in so many families and communities, and one, of course, that has taken many lives.

I have spoken previously in the house of the family violence forum that I held locally in Sunbury in 2015. It was an incredibly confronting forum. The Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence was there. It was an eye-opening experience hearing from survivors of family violence, Victoria Police, representatives of local councils — the City of Hume and the City of Melton — as well as caseworkers from a number of agencies, including Sunbury Community Health. They painted a very tragic picture indeed. The feeling that comes about in the pit of your stomach when you hear of those cruel, violent and callous ways that we know so many current or former partners treat those that they should love is truly devastating.

The statistics relating to family violence never cease to disturb or unsettle me. Between 2015 and 2016, 78 012 incidents of family violence were reported to Victoria Police, a figure that has increased by 45.3 per cent since 2012. On average we know that one woman per week is still killed by their current or former partner in this country — a shameful statistic indeed.

This bill does something that we should all stand for in that it provides greater protections for women and children, enhances our justice system’s response to family violence and improves the operation of family violence safety notices and intervention orders. The Andrews Labor government has responded to the 227 recommendations of the Royal Commission into Family Violence, not only agreeing to implement all of them but with an initial injection of $572 million in funding.

I certainly do not believe that the federal government is ignoring the issue of family violence, and you do not ever want to see an issue such as this politicised, but I make this point to the Prime Minister: the funding allocated by the federal government to family violence is, in my view, lacking considerably. I think that the Prime Minister should take this government’s lead, and the lead of the Premier, in addressing a critical funding shortage right across the nation. This is an issue that is surely above politics. It is about protecting lives from harm. It is about saving lives. The Andrews government, I am very pleased to say, is tackling this issue head on. I am so proud that we are able to bring this bill before the house, and I commend the bill this afternoon.

The SPEAKER — Order! The time set down for consideration of items on the government business program has expired, and I am required to interrupt business.

Motion agreed to.

Read second time.