Sunday, 27 October 2024
St Leonard's Park, North Sydney
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC

I too acknowledge the Cammeraygal, Traditional Owners of these lands and waterways, and pay my respect to their Elders past, present, and future.

Minister^[1], Members for Warringah^[2] and North Sydney^[3], friends, families.

A single death is unacceptable. A single punch is unacceptable. A tracking device on a child’s phone to check on and therefore control a person’s life is unacceptable. Mind games are unacceptable.

And yet, in our community we don’t talk about one death, one act of violence, unless we do so by reference to the number of days – in 2022-2023: one woman every 11 days was killed in an act of domestic violence, 1 man every 91 days. The figures appear to be worse this year.^[4]

And research tells us that controlling behaviour in a domestic relationship is often a precursor to homicide.

“For some victim-survivors, lack of suitable housing options may lead them to stay in or return to a violent relationship”.^[5]

50% of the cost of violence against women and children, estimated at $26 billion each year, is borne by victim-survivors.^[6]

These are all sobering statistics.

9-in-10 Australians agree violence against women is a problem.^[7]

I ask myself, “how did we, in this wonderful county of ours, get to this stage?” The causes are obviously multifactorial, and so the answers also need to be multifactorial.

At least we can start with education of boys and girls; education of women and men to not tolerate abuse; education of abusers as to how to control their anger, and controlling natures, to walk away from abusing.

In the meantime, we know that domestic violence is the main reason women and children leave their homes^[8], leading to housing insecurity and, in some cases, homelessness. Nearly one-third of people in NSW seeking help from homelessness services say domestic and family violence is a contributing factor.^[9]

In recognising this and noting a gap in local services for women and children escaping abusive relationships, a group of concerned citizens in the Northern Suburbs founded Mary’s House Services in 2015.

The following year, Mary’s House refuge was established, which, by the end of this year, will have provided 15,000 safe nights to women and children since opening.

In 2020, Mary’s House expanded its services to create a community programs centre for women, which provides therapeutic services and support, financial and legal aid, and more, to all women in need.

I offer the most heartfelt thanks to all at Mary House Services for these vital community-minded efforts.

I also thank all of you who are joining us today. Mary’s House relies entirely on the generosity of the community; and it is the ongoing support of people like you, that makes all that they do possible.

Today is an opportunity to come together not only in support of Mary’s House Services and their contribution to ensuring that women and children victim-survivors within our community and beyond are provided with safety, security, and hope for a better future, but also to walk together in saying no to domestic and family violence.

[1] The Honourable Jodie Harrison MP, Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and Member for Charlestown, Parliament of NSW.

[2] Ms Zali Steggall OAM MP, Member for Warringah, Parliament of Australia

[3] Ms Kylea Tink MP, Member for North Sydney, Parliament of Australia

[4] Georgia Roberts, “This year, that number is two women every nine days”: ‘Eleven More Women have Died Violently in 2024 Compared to the Same Time Last Year’, ABC News online, 24 April 2024, available here. See also: Kate Fitz-Gibbon, ‘It Feels Like We are Moving Backwards on Violence against Women. Are We Becoming Complacent?’, Guardian Online, 14 October 2024, available here

[5] ‘Housing’, Australian Government Institute of Health and Welfare website, available here

[6] National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032, Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Social Services, 2022, p.15, available here

[7] C. Coumarelos, N. Weeks, S. Bernstein, et al., Attitudes Matter: The 2021 National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS), Findings for Australia, 2023, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), 2023, pp.22, available here

[8] ‘Housing’, Australian Government Institute of Health and Welfare website, available here

[9] ‘The Effects of Domestic and Family Violence’, NSW Government Communities and Justice website, available here