My adjournment matter is for the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence. I am seeking that she come and visit my electorate, specifically Geelong and the Surf Coast region, to hold discussions with members of the community and local government authorities, as well as a range of community organisations and other stakeholders who are involved in the fight against family violence. I certainly would like to have her in the electorate before Christmas.
We all know that going into the election last year the Labor Party made an election commitment to establish a Royal Commission into Family Violence, and indeed that commitment has been fulfilled. It has been established, and a lot of work has been going on. But it is so important that there be an ongoing connection with community whilst that process is underway. Indeed the horrific circumstances in St Albans Park, a suburb of Geelong, where a dreadful sexual assault took place last week, has highlighted once again to the Geelong community the prevalence of violence and sexual violence in our community.
It was an absolute juxtaposition, given that on the Saturday morning in the mall in Geelong we actually had a rally against violence with not just women but also men in the community. A number of speakers, including some who have been victims of dreadful sexual abuse, made contributions. We also had police command members in attendance, who spoke about their experiences on the force, what they have witnessed and all the things that can be done and put in place to tackle and overcome this absolute scourge that we seem to have within our community. Having the minister in the electorate will assist with a positive contribution towards this issue. It will provide a lot of confidence for those who are at the coalface and those who have been victims to engage with the minister and see what the government’s agenda is in this area.