Senator MOORE (Queensland) (15:33): I, and also on behalf of Senator Lazarus, move:
That the Senate-
(a) notes that:
(i) the continuing number of domestic violence attacks against women remains unacceptably high, and expresses great sadness at the spate of fatal domestic violence attacks on women in Queensland over the past week, and
(ii) on average, one woman loses her life as a result of intimate partner violence each week in Australia;
(b) re-affirms that domestic violence against women has no place in Australia;
(c) welcomes the Queensland State Government's announcement that it will establish an 'Implementation Council for domestic violence reforms', to be chaired by Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO, to enhance the ability of Queensland police officers to offer support and respond to complaints of domestic violence to ensure that women affected by domestic violence receive priority assistance;
(d) acknowledges that the Council of Australian Governments agreed to take urgent collective action in April 2015 to reduce the amount of violence perpetrated against women, after having endorsed the 2011 National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022;
(e) urges the Government and state and territory governments to prioritise the issue of domestic violence and act urgently to investigate and implement strategies to support and protect women from the scourge of domestic violence; and
(f) calls on the Government and state and territory governments to urgently work together to:
(i) investigate the establishment of a national domestic violence register to enable the national management and monitoring of domestic violence offenders across all state and territory borders,
(ii) increase criminal penalties for offences committed by perpetrators of domestic violence, including the breach of domestic violence orders by perpetrators of domestic violence, and
(iii) support the concept of a national domestic violence against women summit to bring all governments, stakeholders and support organisations together to develop and implement effective strategies and programs to increase support for women, raise awareness of domestic violence, and eliminate the occurrence of domestic violence against women.
