Real change requires collective action

Violence is everywhere, but it shouldn't be something we accept.

It shouldn't be something that is spoken about secretly, because those secrets allow violent cultures to stay alive.

Last week, I spent time with a beautiful group of women in Hobart who are part of the Be Hers mentoring program.

Be Hers started to do something about human trafficking, and, when I spoke with these women, I heard horrible stories about violence against them and their children.

It made me so angry and sad.

This is not the life they deserve.

On Friday, the Prime Minister announced a $4.7 billion funding package for the states and territories to fight domestic and family violence.

This money will be used for more frontline workers, to help community legal services support victims-survivors and to develop better systems to identify and respond to high-risk perpetrators.

Money and big announcements are not enough to fix this problem.

We need to have a plan of attack so these policies are implemented, and then we need to check that these policies are working.

That means action to help the victims of gender based violence to leave situations where their lives are in danger—funding of tangible services like community legal services and legal aid to support people fleeing violence to set up a new place or not to lose their home if their relationship breaks down and action to help those committing this violence too.

The culture and behaviour around domestic and family violence has to change.

Most of all, we need to keep this conversation going.

Everyone has to take responsibility for fixing this crisis.

When there is behavioural and cultural change and when people escaping violence can access the support they need when they need it, we will know we are making headway.

Let's make this happen sooner rather than later.

We owe it to victims-survivors to make this a priority.