Andrew led a debate in the Parliament on the urgent need to address the attitudes, behaviours and systems within Australian society that enable and perpetuate violence against women. You can watch his speech or read an excerpt below:
“In Australia the most likely perpetrator of sexual abuse against an adolescent is an adolescent boy. Let that sink in.
That single fact should stop this Parliament in its tracks. Instead, many are still debating whether this problem is even serious enough to warrant action. Some boys and men, echoed by leaders and commentators in our community, actually believe gender equality has gone too far.
Meanwhile a woman dies every 9 days in this country at the hands of a current or former partner.
Let me be clear, this problem isn’t solved, and it’s not fading. Rather, it’s getting worse in some of the ways that matter most.
In our schools, teachers are raising the alarm. Three in four report witnessing or experiencing sexism or misogyny in their own schools. What’s more, within 25 minutes of a young man signing up to a social media platform, he’s being fed misogynistic content.
This misogyny does not stay confined to the classroom or the screen. It follows boys into adulthood, into workplaces, relationships, and locker rooms. And it’s not some abstract concept. The culture of misogyny is the soil that violence grows in…
We are failing our young people on both sides of this equation. Women and children overwhelmingly bear the consequences of violence. That is unacceptable. But the men who perpetrate it are also being failed. They’re rarely held to account or given the tools to build healthy, respectful relationships…
We must do more. All of us, in every way.
We must support programs that promote healthy masculinity and respectful relationships for boys and men, before harm is done. And we must adequately fund support services for women and children when they need it most.
Every day of delay is another day someone is turned away, waitlisted or, far too often, killed.”