DV leave proposal will be lifesaver

AUSTRALIANS are a step closer to being eligible for 10 days of paid domestic and family violence leave, in what advocates and politicians alike are heralding as “lifesaving”.

The Bill, introduced by Employment Minister Tony Burke, will amend the Fair Work Act to provide for paid leave when a person is experiencing violence at home.

His speech was met with a standing ovation from a public gallery full of advocates and survivors.

Mr Burke said legislating the paid leave would ensure nobody – particularly women – would ever again need to decide between earning a wage and being safe.

“Every worker has a right to be safe at work, and at home. No worker should ever have to choose between safety and income,” he said. “It’s unacceptable that millions still face that impossible choice.

“It’s not an overstatement that this … will safe lives.

“This Bill says, you no longer have to ask: ‘Can I afford to be safe?” This Bill sends a clear message.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, alongside unions, advocates and survivors, held a morning vigil in front of Parliament House to honour those killed by family and domestic violence.

“The truth is that tonight, like every other night, women and children will be turned away from a shelter, because there’s no room … In worst case scenarios, they return to a situation in which they’re vulnerable – to a situation which simply is not safe,” he said.

“That’s why this … is a central component. It means that they won’t be faced with a choice of do they feed their kids or do they stay in a vulnerable circumstance.

“We need to provide safety for women … and for families. But we also need to change behaviour.

“We can do better. We must do better. We will do better.”

Mr Burke said the Bill was the result of the “tireless work” of advocates, many of whom were in the gallery to watch it be introduced and gave a standing ovation.

ACTU president Michele O’Neil said while there was cause to celebrate the introduction of the Bill into parliament, Australia needed to stop and remember “all of the lives lost too soon and the struggle that continues”.

“Family and domestic violence is a national emergency in Australia, with one in four women having experienced some form of violence since the age of 15 at the hands of an intimate partner,” she said.

“It costs $18,000 on average to escape a violent relationship in Australia, and economic security is a primary factor determining whether a person subjected to family or domestic violence can escape from a dangerous situation.”