2022-01-18
The Greens say the absence of meaningful commitments to addressing gender inequality and economic insecurity in the government’s draft Draft National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children was alarming, while the short consultation period and failure to publish the consultation report proved they had no commitment to genuine community engagement.
Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:
“The PM has had ample opportunities to prove that he is genuinely committed to ending violence against women in Australia - and he’s squibbed it every time.
“It’s good that the draft National Plan recognises the need to ensure housing, listen to the voices of victim-survivors and address recovery as a key pillar, and we welcome the commitment to develop specific plans for First Nations women and children.
“But the draft plan fails to mention economic abuse, makes little reference to women’s economic security, and despite recognising that gender equality is key to tackling violence against women it neglects to detail how that will actually be achieved.
“There’s also no indication yet about how much funding they intend to commit nor specific detail about how they’ll go about achieving many of the goals.
“These omissions show why meaningful consultation will be critical to the success of the National Plan. Yet, unsurprisingly from a government that views women as a political problem to be managed, they initially allowed for a two-week consultation period only, extending it to four weeks only after being shamed by the justified outrage of women across the country.
“I have today written to the Ministers for Women and Women’s Safety to ask that the consultation period be extended to 28 February, as women have demanded, and I have also called on them to release the report from the National Plan consultation project so people can see the issues, priorities and options that have shaped the plan.
“I also renew the Greens’ call for the government to commit $1 billion a year over the life of the 2022-2032 plan to ensure programs and services are fully funded and no-one seeking help is turned away.”