WESNET Media Release
8 October 2004
“Where is violence against women on the election agenda?” asks WESNET, peak body for womens domestic violence services across Australia. “Domestic and family violence, rape and killing of women has gone on unabated, undebated and largely unnoticed in this election campaign” said Pauline Woodbridge, National Chairperson of WESNET, the Womens Services Network.
According to WESNET, the ALPs policy on Violence Against Women offers more hope for our future than voting the Howard Coalition government in again. According to Julie Oberin, Victorian representative for WESNET, “the ALP violence against women policy and their past record of working with the womens refuges and their peak body WESNET shows they are more in tune to the issue than the Howard Coalition government. She said the Howard governments track record on this is appalling. They defunded WESNET as a peak body, continually ignore the knowledge and expertise of the services and workers working on the ground with women and children who have experienced domestic violence, and arrogantly set up their own 24 hour call centre system to make it look like theyre doing something.” According to Ms Oberin, “the Howard governments no respect campaign is completely off the mark, an ill-thought out temporary additional system to the domestic violence service pathways which are already in place, creates confusion and may be putting womens lives at risk.”
WESNET agrees that Education, Health and National Security are important, but so to are Domestic Security and Housing for women and children who have to leave their homes because of violence. According to Ms Woodbridge, “the safety of women and children should be a priority concern for government.” She said, “on a daily basis women and children in our communities experience domestic or family violence, rape and sexual assault, child abuse and abusive systems. Women and children are still being killed by their husbands and fathers. Women and children are often still forced to have contact with their abusers because the child protection and family law systems do not prioritise their safety.” Ms Woodbridge says “poverty, homelessness, loss of community, second class status, discrimination and disadvantage because of gender are still issues for the women of Australia. ”
According to Ms Oberin, the ALP has formulated a domestic violence policy that goes some way towards redressing the current problems. She said “The ALP have promised to fund a violence against women peak body, and to review the Family Law legislation with the view of ensuring safety as a priority. They have also committed to prioritising the specific needs of Indigenous women facing violence and to working with the victims advocates to find ways to improve services for women and children experiencing domestic violence.”
“At least the ALP are listening to us and trying to work with us rather than ignoring us or working against us like the Howard government has since it has come into office” said Ms Oberin. Ms Woodbridge suspects that it is the strength of the women in the ALP which has made them more in tune with the issues facing women in Australia. “It is tragic that male politicians generally do not see these issues as important? ” she said. “WESNET suggests that women voters look to women politicians who have demonstrated their commitment to work against violence against women to advance the very real issues of safety for women and children – safety in our own homes, in our communities, as well as in our own country” said Ms Woodbridge. “And let us not forget the women and children who have been victims of Australias participation in an immoral war” she said.
If Labor wins on Saturday, according to Ms Woodbridge “Australia has a real chance to have its first female Deputy Prime Minister, and first woman Attorney General among other important portfolios. This is a chance for women to finally play a symbolic and very real part in Australian politics – advancing the concerns and issues of women and giving us all hope for a better and safer future.”
For comment please contact:
Pauline Woodbridge, WESNET National Chairperson, 07 4721 2888
Julie Oberin, Victorial WESNET representative, 0419 539 346
