JENI O’DOWD: Still no solutions from the PM who should have appointed a Minister for Violence Against Women

Violence against women in Australia is escalating. This fact is beyond depressing; it’s horrific.

Why can’t women shop on a Saturday afternoon without being stabbed? Why can’t they feel safe in their own home? Why can’t they go for a jog without being attacked? Why can’t they walk home after a night out without being raped?

I don’t know why, and I’m pretty sure the Federal Government doesn’t know why, either.

Today’s emergency national Cabinet meeting resolved a few notable things: money to help women leave violent partners (but why is the onus on women to deal with the situation rather than dealing with the cause?); a trial for age verification to access pornography (but anyone with a teen knows how easy it will be to get around this), a “sped up” time frame to ban the release of private information online and the ban of deep fake porn.

But here’s the rub: most of these things were already being trialled or investigated; nothing new was actually announced.

The Government will assure you they are tackling the problem with billions of dollars in funding — with more to be announced in the budget to be handed down in a fortnight — but it is more of the same.

In 2022, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth released the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-32, which sets out a national framework and whole-of-government approach for ending gender-based violence.

It’s a plan which is both incredibly optimistic and unrealistic with its vision: ending violence in one generation.

Every State Government committed to policy action to address violence against women in the plan, which emphasises prevention and early intervention.

Those same Governments today agreed to “undertake work” to address high-risk perpetrators and serial offenders “including better information sharing about offenders between jurisdictions.”

What I want to know is who coordinates all the reports and work done in all the States? Each State and Territory has different bail laws. What works and doesn’t work? Is there a need for pepper spray — legal in Western Australia — to be legal in every State?

Does the national curriculum used for sex education in schools need to be reviewed and widened? Definitely. A study released today by the University of Adelaide reported the increased of misogynistic language and behaviours by male students, some as young as five.

It found a heightened use of vulgar, sexualised and aggressive language being used primarily by boys/young men during their interactions with women and girls.

Perhaps all domestic violence offenders should wear ankle bracelets, like drug offenders. This was trialled in Tasmania, and according to media reports, demonstrated “a 76 per cent decrease in high-risk incidents, 81 per cent reduction of threats and 100 per cent decrease in reports of stalking.”

What today’s Cabinet meeting failed to do was announce a more focused and accountable approach to the problem.

Where is the appointment of a Minister for Violence Against Women who can work hand in hand with National Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin to coordinate all the excellent work done by academics, schools, social workers, and charities throughout Australia and find a common thread?

The Federal Government has more than 60 Ministers and Assistant Ministers — yes, you read that right — but only two represent women-specific issues.

The Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher (who is also the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Service), and the Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, Justine Elliot, are the only two. Of those, only one is the Ministry.

No wonder the Government doesn’t know how to respond to the growing calls to stop this scary escalation of violence against women, both in and out of the home.

The Cabinet decision to trial age verification to watch pornography, ban deep fake porn and the sharing of sexually explicit material using technology such as artificial intelligence is a step in right direction but not enough.

There is a pressing need for action to curtail the widespread use of pornography as there is a very real relationship between pornography and violence against women, which perpetuates sexist and misogynistic views about women and sex.

In Australia, it does not appear pornography is regulated, and it’s accessible on many mainstream social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Discord.

And it’s everywhere. In 2022, the elite boy’s school Shore in North Sydney was forced to ban students from bringing their own laptops to school after they were caught watching porn in class.

This is what the National Plan (reminder: released in 2022) says about pornography: “With pornography now overwhelmingly consumed online and via mobile devices, it is both prevalent and pervasive, perpetuating sexist, misogynistic and degrading views about women.

“This is a serious concern in addressing the drivers of violence against women and children.”

Part of the Cabinet announcement is a review to examine options to reduce children’s exposure to violent pornography. But why wasn’t this done two years ago when it was clearly found to be a problem?

Australia needs a more focused and accountable approach. The appointment of a Minister for Violence Against Women would be a tangible step towards addressing the crisis with the urgency and gravity it demands.

And I don’t know about you, but I am sick of listening to platitudes and want a few meaningful answers.