2016-09-05
Ms SPRINGLE (South Eastern Metropolitan) — My question is for the minister representing the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence. Can the minister explain how the Special Minister of State is more qualified than the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence to co-chair the committee responsible for the implementation of 227 recommendations of the Royal Commission into Family Violence?
Ms MIKAKOS (Minister for Families and Children) — I thank Ms Springle for her question. I can assure the member that this government takes the issue of family violence very, very seriously.
Honourable members interjecting.
Ms MIKAKOS — For those opposite there who are making gibes about this matter, I remind them that in fact it was our government, the Andrews Labor government, that implemented Australia's first family violence royal commission. Right across our government we have ministers, including me, working on implementing those recommendations every day. There is so much work going on, including a two-day symposium that I hosted with the community sector just late last week around how we are going to progress the recommendations that relate to improving supports for vulnerable women and children and the Roadmap for Reform, our once-in-a-generation reform of our child and family services system.
Just yesterday I made a funding announcement of $5.65 million for our early intervention services, delivering on exactly one of those recommendations of that family violence royal commission. I know that Minister Jennings and every other minister who has responsibility right across government for implementing these recommendations is working extremely hard to implement them, because we know that this is Victoria's and Australia's no. 1 law and order issue. This is why we are getting on with implementing these particular recommendations.
In relation to the question that the member has raised, I am happy to take that question on notice and provide her with detail about the arrangements that have been put in place to ensure the effective delivery of the implementation of those recommendations, which as I have explained, go right across government. There are recommendations in there that relate to the housing minister. There are recommendations in there that relate to my portfolio. There are recommendations in there that relate to the justice system. This is why we have ministers across government working together to implement those recommendations. I will provide further information to the member in writing explaining to her what those arrangements are and how we are continuing to work very closely with stakeholders, including with victims, to ensure that we can deliver on each and every one of those 227 recommendations.
Ms SPRINGLE (South Eastern Metropolitan) — I thank the minister for her answer, although my substantive question was specifically about the co-chairing. My supplementary is: we know that family violence is an overwhelmingly gendered issue, and we know that part of the solution is to address the gender power imbalances across all sectors of Victorian society. This is the second time that a senior woman has been demoted within the Andrews cabinet, following the forced resignation of the former Minister for Emergency Services. Is the demotion of women from leadership roles part of the Andrews government's gender strategy?
Ms MIKAKOS (Minister for Families and Children) — First of all, the supplementary question is not related to the substantive question, but I make the point to the member that I absolutely refute the premise of that question. That is complete rubbish. It is complete rubbish. First of all, no-one has been demoted. We are working across government, as I explained, to implement each and every one of those recommendations. These recommendations cut right across government. We are working together to implement these recommendations. I would have expected Ms Springle not to play politics with an issue as serious as this. We are getting on with implementing the family violence royal commission recommendations. I think it is important that people not be playing politics with this issue. These recommendations deserve the support of every single member in this house. This is why I personally am working every single day to implement the recommendations that I have responsibility for.