Silence on women’s safety during poll,

Where on the campaign trails have been rigorous conversations about the need to treat women’s safety with political urgency?

WITH just days until Australians go to the polls it is fair to say that the silence about women’s safety has for the most part, been deafening.

Where on the campaign trails have been rigorous conversations about the need to treat women’s safety with political urgency?

Where have been the promises to implement measures that will truly initiate the beginning of the essential cultural change desperately required to change the sexist and misogynistic attitudes that drive violence and abuse of women?

Where have the funding promises been?

We all remember the horrific and brutal murder by a husband and father of Hannah Clarke and her three young children.

The powerful advocacy of Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins.

And the rape and abuse allegations that rocked all levels of Australian politics.

These alone should have been the impetus for our party leaders and indeed all candidates to talk up the urgency of addressing the massive problem of women’s safety.

Above all, why hasn’t the Australian statistic of one woman being killed each week by a current or former intimate partner or family member, compelled party leaders to say that enough is enough, it’s time to put a stop to this?

Women comprise over half of Australia’s population. The safety of such a large demographic should be a priority to our government and society.

Whether at home, at work and anywhere in the community, women have the right to feel physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and financially safe.

It’s hard to imagine anyone disagreeing with this because it speaks to the most basic human right to be safe.

But here’s the thing. The solution lies not only in supporting women and their children when they flee their home, access transitional and then permanent housing – that is, providing support once the horse has bolted.

Nor is the solution only in ensuring all workplaces and organisations have robust sexual harassment policies.

The key to preventing gendered violence and abuse of women, is education.

It’s educating everyone – adults, adolescents and children - about what all forms of abuse look, sound and feel like. It’s teaching them about ways to take strong action when abuse is seen, heard, heard of, or suspected.

Education is about understanding what enthusiastic consent is and understanding that ignoring all forms of abuse and failing to take action is tantamount to condoning it.

And it’s also about recognising and addressing the huge power imbalance that is the driver of gendered violence: some people’s belief that men are superior to women.

Education needs to take place in families, daycare, schools, workplaces and all organisations, including government. Key messages need to be highly visible in the community, not just tucked away on websites and in glossy brochures that don’t see the light of day.

Education needs to be ongoing and an essential part of all systems and processes.

That’s why we need all tiers of government to get on board to drive the change.

We need more than the 2023 national consent education program in schools.

We need a strong way forward that does not just depend on lobby groups and volunteers begging and hoping for action.

We need this election to be the starting point because women’s safety is a right and must be everyone’s business. Sallyann Geale is a member of the Launceston White Ribbon Committee.