Afternoon Reception in support of White Ribbon Australia

Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, the Honourable Dianne Farmer MP; Mr David Stewart, Director-General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and other Directors-General; White Ribbon Australia Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Libby Davies; Queensland Committee Chair, Mr Chiu-Hing Chan; friends;

It is a pleasure and an honour for Kaye and me to welcome you here to Government House, and to declare our support for the exceptional work being done by White Ribbon in Queensland to combat violence against women.

Last month, many of you will have seen the spectacular “One million stars” art installation in King George Square.

With a significant focus on ending violence against women, “One million stars” was part of Festival 2018 – the cultural component of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

As I was reflecting ahead of tonight’s reception, it occurred to me that during the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, we would never have contemplated installing an artwork, in one of our premier public spaces, thematically focused on ending violence against women.

We here today should be focused on the formidable task of eradicating the scourge of violence against women from our society.

We should speak plainly about the terrible incidence of violence against women in Queensland, and as this is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, we should, together, send a clear message that domestic and family violence will not be tolerated. 

But we should also take great heart from the distance our society has travelled in the time between the two Commonwealth Games in our State.

Led by committed activists like each of you, we have taken the issue of violence against women out of the shadows and into the public arena; and we have improved our laws - and their enforcement - to better protect women and punish perpetrators.

White Ribbon Australia is part of that tremendous historical progress, with excellent educational materials, engagement programs and on-line resources. It also now has many hundreds of volunteer Ambassadors, Advocates and Supporters[2] who make a major contribution to community understanding and awareness, and the number of men and boys who take the White Ribbon Oath grows each year.

The vision of White Ribbon here in Australia is to build a nation that respects women, in which every woman lives in safety, free from all forms of abuse.

It is an inspiring vision, which Kaye and I share, and we commend you for pursuing it with purpose and with commitment to the values of courage, integrity, respect, collaboration and leadership.

I congratulate you on the work you have done to date and wish you every success in the future.

May a million stars align to end violence against women.