Ms LEY (Farrer—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (09:13): Once again we mark this day in this place and recommit to ending gender based violence. Domestic violence remains an all-too-present scourge in our country. Today's Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner's annual statement and progress report on the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children is an important opportunity for us to understand how we are progressing as a nation, and we will be watching closely. I will be at the National Press Club to hear her address today and continue to work closely with Senator Kerrynne Liddle, our shadow minister for child protection, and Pat Conaghan, the member for Cowper, our shadow assistant minister for the prevention of family violence. Today I reiterate that the coalition will continue to work with the government to combat the scourge of domestic violence in Australia. I have said that many times before in this place and I say it again today. Efforts in this complex space demand we take the long view, and we are all committed to working collaboratively on this. Last year I read out the names of all those women killed at the hands of their current or former intimate partner. I came into this place earlier this year and I read out more names, more victims we had already lost. And there are more names I could list right now—more women since I listed each national tragedy. In fact, during this time, the rate of violence has not slowed; it has increased. Thirty-five women have already been killed this year from family and domestic violence, with another 17 women killed by male perpetrators. At least 55 children have been left without their mother. These women had dreams. They had hopes and aspirations for their lives. They had friends. They were sisters and mothers. They were loved by so many in our communities, and we have lost them. These are devastating statistics, and each one was a life lost, leaving a hole in the lives of their families, their friends, their communities and our nation. And these statistics are the most extreme of cases. Many more hide in the shadows of survival, just hoping the violence will end. Today is about telling those women that we have not forgotten them and that we commit ourselves to helping them escape the violence they are facing. I want us all here in this place, and those watching, to take ourselves to what we are talking about here today and to picture this in your mind. We are not just talking about statistics; we are talking about very real moments that have happened to real people, to people we know and to people we do not know, to women in their own homes or in their workplaces and to children hiding in their cupboards, in bushland and in back alleys, in bathrooms and in bedrooms. These things have happened. We cannot forget. This is not about statistics. I want us all to imagine these moments as if they were happening right now in this chamber before us—very real moments of fear and anxiety, very real moments of trauma and pain with shouts, screams, silence and suffering. What would we do if these actions were confronting us today, here, in this place? What would we say? Would we step in? Would we reach out? Today, these moments will be the lived realities of too many women and children in Australia. We must confront this issue with the fierce urgency we would if it were happening right here in this chamber, because it is happening and it must end. So, while we focus on the data and on the statistics, I want us all to lift our focus and confront the reality of what we are talking about. These are non-inevitable events, and we can never forget that. For our part, we know this is an issue that is personal for the coalition team, as it is for those across the chamber. I have shared my own experiences, and Peter Dutton, our leader, has shared his own experiences of standing between perpetrators and victims of family violence, of saving children and doing his bit to stem the violence during his time with the police force. Sadly, we all have a story to share. But today is also about focusing on what we have committed to doing: end domestic violence within a generation. We must drive through accountability, and that is what today is about as well. When we look at the data it shows that we are not on track. Rates of reporting incidents of family and domestic violence have risen up to 16 per cent annually across Australia. We know that most women who experience male violence do not report the incident to police, and we know that one in four women have experienced violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15. We are seeing progress, but we are also seeing a regression. The strides we have seen—strides that have taken us forward, promoting gender equality and respectful relationships and closing the gender pay gap–are at risk. We risk a regression, as social media influencers pedal misogyny for likes and promote gender stereotyping for followers. We risk a regression, as social media companies profit off algorithms that are conditioning our kids with toxic views. We risk a regression, as violent pornography and concerning practices like choking are normalised and damage the brains of our next generation. We risk a regression, as the stress of economic strain generates new cycles of domestic violence and new forms of abuse. And we know the economic pain will continue, with difficult days to continue. We know financial abuse is increasing and we are looking at ways to limit the opportunities for it, as we know that financial stress and economic hardship are drivers for domestic violence. This regression is not unavoidable. We have the tools to take on these concerning trends, and there is a common purpose in this parliament to take on the challenge. So today is an opportunity to look at what is working and what is not and to recommit ourselves to stronger action. We have to recommit ourselves to this task and we must also consider new approaches and new responses to these challenges. I must also say: we have to get better at bringing men into the conversation, because we too often talk about men and boys as the problem when we need them to be part of the solution. We look forward to the rapid review into best practice prevention approaches that is due to hand down its findings sometime this week. We hope that any recommendations put forward are prioritised by the government. I look forward with the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, Micaela Cronin, and having the opportunity to discuss this work in the near future. As I said, we must consider new approaches, new responses. We must avoid a regression at all costs. We will support the efforts of government and continue to commend them when they progress worthy initiatives. We support the recent announcement of the government's partnership with Movember to help young men have healthy, respectful relationships, and we support more frontline workers being delivered across our states and territories, but we do want to see those commitments delivered in full. We commend their announcements but we need to see results and we need to see promises delivered. I know that with effort, resources and the right plan we can turn the dial and we can make a difference when it comes to domestic violence. We can make a difference and we must make a difference. There is a fierce urgency to this issue, and the coalition stands ready to play our part.