Good morning. I start by acknowledging the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation as the traditional owners of the land we're gathered on today.
I'd also like to thank Dr Mandy Nicholson for your Welcome to Country this morning.
Can I also recognise:
- Dr Richard Johnson - Acting CEO of the ARC, for your kind introduction
- Professor Sharon Pickering - Vice-Chancellor and President of Monash University
- Professor Jacqui True - Centre Director
- Professor Heather Douglas - Centre Deputy Director
- And other distinguished guests.
I'm honoured to be here on behalf of the Minister for Women, Senator Katy Gallagher.
I don't need to tell any of you that violence against women continues to be our national shame.
That despite decades of effort, too many women continue to be killed, and too many women continue to live in situations of what should be unacceptable violence.
In my role, I am privileged to meet with both victim survivors and the people who work to support them.
Many of them have shared with me an understandable sense of exhaustion and frustration that violence against women remains so prevalent in our communities.
They also share their determination to rebuild lives, their strength and their courage.
Likewise in our region, the Pacific, I have had the privilege of meeting with strong women and admirable organisations working to support victim survivors.
They too express their frustration at just how deeply entrenched violence against women can be in communities.
We owe it to all of these women to support them.
And that's why I am so pleased to be launching this Centre today, a world first in working to address the full range of forms of violence against women in Australia and across the Indo-Pacific region.
Because despite the enormity of the issue, we still don't have all the evidence we should to understand the root causes of violence against women.
As Professor True has said: "We have a significant knowledge gap, [and] without addressing it, we will not make headway in reducing - let alone eliminating - violence against women.
That's why this Centre's work is so important.
It will look at the structural drivers of violence against women.
It will be evidence based and draw on survivor centric and Indigenous approaches.
And it will pioneer new, interdisciplinary approaches and inform real world solutions.
Like community-led programs to prevent gender based violence… app based interventions for male perpetrators and bystanders… and initiatives to challenge gender norms and lasting social change.
Australia's international leadership is vital.
This Centre is the first of its kind to examine violence against women in homes, workplaces, and online - both in Australia and across our region.
It's so important that we look at the experiences of all women, too - including First Nations women, refugee and migrant women, women with disabilities, older women, women facing economic barriers, and women in regional and remote communities.
The Centre's work complements the Government's broader agenda to end gender based violence.
The ten-year National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children sets out our shared national framework to end gender-based violence in a generation.
This is a priority for the Government.
In May, Prime Minister Albanese convened a National Cabinet on gender-based violence.
All jurisdictions agreed to take steps to identify gaps and act with urgency.
The Commonwealth subsequently commissioned a rapid review to provide advice on preventing gender-based violence, with a focus on homicides.
In September, a second National Cabinet was convened to follow up on this important work. All jurisdictions agreed a $4.7 billion package to support frontline specialists and legal services, help identify and respond to high risk perpetrators, and address the role of systems and harmful industries.
This package includes $4.4 billion of new Commonwealth funding, building on the $3.4 billion we've already invested in the National Plan over the past two years.
We've taken other steps, too.
Including legislating ten days of paid family and domestic violence leave for all employees.
A well-overdue reform.
Since coming to office, we've also put an unprecedented focus on achieving gender equality.
We're the first federal government to have a majority of members who are women.
And we understand the interconnected nature of the challenges women face.
It's no coincidence that the Minister for Women is also the Minister for Finance - a decision that ensures gender is embedded in all government budget decisions.
Violence against women isn't a problem we can solve alone, though.
It's a problem for our entire society.
You know this. It's why you're here today.
And why, like me, you're committed to changing the status quo.
There's a lot of work ahead.
But also enormous commitment - and, I believe, the momentum for real change.
I have every confidence this Centre will have a significant impact both here in Australia and across the Indo-Pacific region.
I look forward to working with you on this shared goal.
Thank you.
