Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland) (21:28): On 25 November we will observe the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This important day is the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which is coordinated by the United Nations Centre for Women's Global Leadership. Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today. Our outstanding community leaders, such as Rosie Batty, Grace Tame, Nina Funnell and many others, have used their public platforms to focus our thoughts on the violence, and survival and recovery from that violence. They have also encouraged us to own our complicated place within systems of domestic and gender-based violence. This thought unsettles us—and it should. It should deeply unsettle us.

If we shift our thoughts from the words of outstanding advocates and bring ourselves back to our own groups, our own communities, our own social circles and our own families, what are we doing on these levels to challenge gender-based violence? How do we stop the violence? The research tells us that around the world nearly one in three women aged 15 years and older has been subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, non-partner or both, at least once in their lifetime. It also indicates that levels of violence against women have remained largely unchanged over the past decade.

In New South Wales, adult victims of domestic and intimate partner violence are overwhelmingly female, at just over 69 per cent of reported cases, but what of the legions of cases and incidents that are not reported? We can only imagine the actual breadth of these issues, how far this violence reaches into our lives and into our communities. This is unacceptable in a civil society that recognises our intrinsic value as individuals, but it keeps happening and it does not appear to be improving. In fact, intimidation, stalking and harassment have increased by 10 per cent over the past two years. With all of our forms of communication and with all of our ways of being exposed to news and new ideas, this age-old problem continues to damage us and to reduce us. Gender-based violence, violence against women and interpersonal violence reduce all of us.

The theft of someone's sense of emotional wellbeing and physical safety damages not only that individual, but all of us. I often hear the phrases, "It is un-Australian" or, "It is not the Australian way" thrown around these halls when the argument is hot and the moment fits. Can we use those phrases more positively to declare that gender violence and violence against women, is indeed truly un-Australian and against what we believe to be our shared values? We should not have to reframe narratives of violence, to consider, "What if it was my daughter" to develop understanding or empathy.

We hope to grow as a society to a point where we can understand that these experiences are not only unacceptable on the surface of polite conversation, but also at a very deep level where control-based violence and gender‑based violence are truly seen as entirely unacceptable behaviour of the perpetrator. We must work to dismantle the cycle of violence. We must decide to resource more programs that work to change men's violent behaviour. Here in this place and in the other place we must listen to our communities, to people who have lived through this violence and survived. We must listen to them and use that information to develop real and effective disincentives, and real and effective consequences for those who perpetrate this violence.

I hope that someone is able to stand in this place in 10 years' time and declare that secondary school pupils are actively participating in pro-social programs that address these issues head-on, with consequences and outcomes laid bare; that service providers are adequately resourced; that victims are supported in their survivorship; and, critically, that incident rates in our community have significantly reduced.

At the commencement of these 16 Days of Activism I am very happy to congratulate Maitland's own Carrie's Place Domestic Violence and Homelessness Services upon being awarded a $20,000 grant as part of the New South Wales Government's 2021 Community Building Partnership program. These funds will be used to create the Carrie's Place Community Hub, which will be a trauma-informed, inclusive, client-centred safe space. It will be welcoming and comfortable. The space will provide access to technology and printing. There will also be a space that will enable the delivery of group programs to help build knowledge and connection. But this service should be funded by far more than a simple Community Building Partnership grant.

I commend the work of every single worker at Carrie's Place, and each service that works in these complex and challenging matters to provide support, assistance and encouragement for our community members who are experiencing domestic or gender-based violence. I commend those professionals for their continuing excellent work through the challenges brought by COVID and the ever-tightening housing situation in our region. I encourage these workers and their clients to stay strong. I encourage the representatives gathered in this place to return to their constituents and work mindfully, to strive to gather and deliver the resources needed to provide safety and encourage recovery and, most of all, to stop the violence against women.