We need to implement more effective and accessible financial support systems for domestic violence victim-survivors

Today in Parliament, Abigail passed a motion highlighting the significant financial and workplace impacts of domestic violence on women, as outlined in a report by Professor Anne Summers, and called for action to raise awareness of paid domestic violence leave, improve support for victims re-entering the workforce, and encourage universities to offer services for students experiencing domestic violence.

Abigail said:

I move:

(1) That this House notes that:

Professor of Domestic and Family Violence at the University of Technology of Sydney Business School Anne Summers recently released a report revealing, for the first time, the financial impact of domestic violence on Australian women,
in the report, Professor Summers discusses how although there has been a significant increase in women’s employment in recent decades, domestic violence continues to have a large and ongoing negative impact on the ability of women to participate in the workplace,
Professor Summers points out how women who experience domestic violence are more likely to take time off of work as a result, and numbers are as high as two thirds of women if violence occurs frequently,
44 percent of women who experienced physical or sexual violence had cash flow issues, and women who have fewer financial resources are less likely to be able to escape from an abusive relationship,
overall, the cost of domestic violence in Australia is between $22 and $26 billion, not including the personal costs and suffering of women themselves,
the federal government passed a paid domestic violence leave program in 2022, but awareness of this program is not widely understood, with only 13 percent of victim-survivors using the paid leave entitlement, even though 35 percent took time off of work as a result of violence,
in 2023, the federal government rolled out a program wherein payments were given to victim-survivors to provide them the means to leave abusive relationships, however much of the payment was offered in the paternalistic form of vouchers for goods and services, and after a trial run it was found that the decentralised nature of the payment system made it hard for victim-survivors to receive information,
services to help women re-enter the workforce following domestic violence receive a small level of funding, which creates a disrupted and unpredictable timeline for women seeking new employment, and
universities in Australia do not provide programs to stop domestic violence to students nearly to the same degree that they offer those to stop sexual assault and harassment, and while paid leave is offered to staff, no programs are geared towards helping students who are victims of domestic violence.

(2) That this House commits to:

accelerating work on gender equality efforts, including closing the pay gap and making childcare more affordable,
spreading more awareness of the paid domestic violence leave program outlined by the federal government, and supporting the reorganisation of the federal payment system to ensure that victim-survivors have sufficient access to resources to escape abusive relationships,
implementing more effective programs and adequate funding for programs that help victims of domestic violence re-enter the workforce, and
pushing universities in Australia to offer services to support students who are victims of domestic violence.

Motion agreed to.

Read the transcript in Hansard here.

26 March 2025

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

No matter who you are or what you do, everyone has the right to share in the wellbeing of our country.

But at the moment the essentials so many of us need – a place to call home, food on the table, and everyday essentials like electricity, internet, medicine and water – are simply out of reach.

Instead of supporting us, our government is choosing to prop up huge corporations with massive subsidies, and to give away our collective wealth through record tax cuts for the wealthy. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to live paycheck to paycheck or trapped in the dehumanising bureaucracy of our existing welfare system.

Now, in the midst of a pandemic, and following quickly on the heels of the bushfire crisis, more of us than ever before are experiencing what it’s like to lose our jobs, be without a home, or worry about where the food for our next meal will come from.

It’s time for us to choose to prioritise the wellbeing of everyone.

And that’s exactly what the Universal Wellbeing Payment will do.

It’s a regular payment made to each of us to ensure our minimum standard of wellbeing. No means testing, no bureaucracy, no strings attached.

It’s the amount you’re owed simply for being a participant in our society.

It means you are free to live your life and contribute to society as you see fit, whether you’re a carer, an artist, a student, a parent, an entrepreneur – you can get on with what you need to do, knowing that you will always be supported regardless of your income.

It means that we’re choosing to structure our economy for the benefit of all of us, not using our collective wealth to prop up the interests of big business and the wealthy few.

It means you will always have what you need to live a good life, no matter what.

The Universal Wellbeing Payment is for everyone. Help us make it happen.

For more information, head to universalwellbeingpayment.com.au

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We need to implement more effective and accessible financial support systems for domestic violence victim-survivors

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

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