🗞️Federal Government's $925 Million Commitment to Combat Violence Against Women

The federal government promised to take action against violence against women, including funding to help women escape violence and online measures like an age verification trial to block children from accessing pornography.

State and federal leaders met virtually this morning, as the crisis has seen at least 28 women killed in acts of gendered violence this year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that today is about who we are as a nation and as a society. We know that governments need to act, but we also know that this is an issue for the whole of society, not just for governments.

"It's an issue for civil society, it's an issue for the media, and it's an issue for us all to work together in the national interest to deal with what is a scourge of violence against women that is having a real impact out there. Once every four days, a woman loses their life at the hand of a domestic or former domestic partner. This is indeed a national crisis, which is why we've convened this meeting." We also know that this has a traumatic impact on children," Mr. Albanese said.

He said, "Today we can announce that the government will invest $925 million over five years. This will be included in the budget in two weeks’ time. This money will be used to permanently establish the Leaving Violence Program. This program will help those escaping violence. It will provide them with financial support, safety assessments and referrals to support pathways. Those who qualify will be able to access up to $5,000 in financial support, along with referral services, risk assessments and safety planning. This commitment builds on measures put in place by our government to help address financial barriers to escaping violence.”

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Minister for Women Katy Gallagher says the Leaving Violence Programme will offer safety planning, risk assessment, and referrals to other crucial services for up to 12 weeks to qualified victim-survivors. The package will be tailored to each individual and could include up to $1,500 in cash and up to $3,500 in goods and services.

Additionally, Mr. Albanese declared today that a series of online initiatives will be implemented to counteract harmful, extremist male viewpoints about women. Parents across the nation have expressed to me their concerns about their young boys and men being exposed to violent videos and images on the internet. States and territories brought up this topic when discussing the actions under their purview. We are going to propose laws that will outlaw the production and dissemination of deepfake pornography. Sharing sexually explicit content via artificial intelligence or other technologies will carry harsh legal repercussions.

Minister for Communication Michelle Rowland said that the Australian Government will be committing $6.5 million in the May Budget for a pilot of age assurance technologies to better protect children online and reduce their exposure to harmful content. The pilot will identify available age assurance products and assess their efficacy, including in relation to privacy and security.

“The results of this pilot will help the eSafety Commissioners with their ongoing work to create codes or standards under the Online Safety Act. These will help to reduce children's exposure to inappropriate content, including online pornography.”

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said, "I want to thank the Premiers for coming together with the Prime Minister today. It's important that we show national leadership on this national issue. Nobody wants to see violence, but particularly not domestic violence."

“Women should feel safe in society, but especially they should feel safe in their own homes. It is completely unacceptable the level of violence that we're seeing across society. It affects every strata of society – rich households, poor households, different suburbs, different towns, different regions across the country – and the Prime Minister's commitment to put more funding into the programmes that are working, I think is something that we should support and applaud, and we will work with the Government on whatever basis is required to bring an end to this violence, because it has no place in any society, and in particular, has no place in our society.”

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