❓ Ms. Freeman asks about the importance and progress of amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act concerning family violence. The Minister responds, highlighting the importance of the legislation, the support it has received, and the hope for its swift passage through Parliament.
AnsweredQoN 1008Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES
LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (FAMILY VIOLENCE) BILL 2018
1008. Ms J.M. FREEMAN to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the historic amendments
to the Residential Tenancies Act passed by this house in June.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house why these changes are so important for supporting
those experiencing family and domestic violence?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether there are any impediments to this important
legislation passing through Parliament before it rises for the year?
LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (FAMILY VIOLENCE) BILL 2018
1008. Ms J.M. FREEMAN to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the historic amendments
to the Residential Tenancies Act passed by this house in June.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house why these changes are so important for supporting
those experiencing family and domestic violence?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether there are any impediments to this important
legislation passing through Parliament before it rises for the year?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for this
question. I know it is an issue that she has followed very closely in her
electorate. Before I go into specifics, I want
to thank all members of this place who are supporting the 16 Days in WA
campaign. Obviously we need to prevent this violence happening in the
first place, and that is what 16 Days is about. More than 100 people attended
Government House this morning, including government, community and business
leaders, along with the Governor and the Premier, to send the message that we
will continue to work to lower, if not eliminate, violence against women.
(1)–(2) In
the meantime, we have a significant problem in our state. As I have said in
this place many times, we have the dubious distinction of having the second
highest rate in the country of physical and sexual violence against women. This
is not what we want to be known for and we need to make sure that we can
respond to those levels of violence and ensure that women and their children
are kept safe.
The amendments to the Residential
Tenancies Act organised by my cabinet colleague the Minister for Commerce and
Industrial Relations will ensure that victims of domestic violence are kept
safe and that we have a rigorous process for ensuring that our laws are amongst
the most progressive in the country. What is significant about those amendments
is the support that has been achieved by industry, the Real Estate Institute of
Western Australia, and advocate organisations such as the Women's
Council for Domestic and Family Violence
Services, Shelter WA and the Western Australian Council of Social Service. I commend the Minister for Commerce and Industrial Relations for doing this
work.
As the member said in her question,
the amendments were passed in June and are now before the upper house. We are looking forward to any amendments
negotiated in the upper house being progressed through that house in time
for us to ratify the legislation and progress the changes before Christmas. We
will need them in this house before the end
of the day. As we said, it has gone through all the normal required processes of government in cabinet, the Legislative Assembly, the Legislative Council and
the Standing Committee on Legislation. A number of amendments that were
suggested by the legislation committee are being accepted by the government, so
we are hoping, with the force of support from industry, advocacy groups and the
public, who understand that we need laws that are responsive to these high
levels of violence, that there will be no further delays and that we will see a
bipartisan approach to providing the best standards of support we can for women
and their children who are experiencing domestic violence.
question. I know it is an issue that she has followed very closely in her
electorate. Before I go into specifics, I want
to thank all members of this place who are supporting the 16 Days in WA
campaign. Obviously we need to prevent this violence happening in the
first place, and that is what 16 Days is about. More than 100 people attended
Government House this morning, including government, community and business
leaders, along with the Governor and the Premier, to send the message that we
will continue to work to lower, if not eliminate, violence against women.
(1)–(2) In
the meantime, we have a significant problem in our state. As I have said in
this place many times, we have the dubious distinction of having the second
highest rate in the country of physical and sexual violence against women. This
is not what we want to be known for and we need to make sure that we can
respond to those levels of violence and ensure that women and their children
are kept safe.
The amendments to the Residential
Tenancies Act organised by my cabinet colleague the Minister for Commerce and
Industrial Relations will ensure that victims of domestic violence are kept
safe and that we have a rigorous process for ensuring that our laws are amongst
the most progressive in the country. What is significant about those amendments
is the support that has been achieved by industry, the Real Estate Institute of
Western Australia, and advocate organisations such as the Women's
Council for Domestic and Family Violence
Services, Shelter WA and the Western Australian Council of Social Service. I commend the Minister for Commerce and Industrial Relations for doing this
work.
As the member said in her question,
the amendments were passed in June and are now before the upper house. We are looking forward to any amendments
negotiated in the upper house being progressed through that house in time
for us to ratify the legislation and progress the changes before Christmas. We
will need them in this house before the end
of the day. As we said, it has gone through all the normal required processes of government in cabinet, the Legislative Assembly, the Legislative Council and
the Standing Committee on Legislation. A number of amendments that were
suggested by the legislation committee are being accepted by the government, so
we are hoping, with the force of support from industry, advocacy groups and the
public, who understand that we need laws that are responsive to these high
levels of violence, that there will be no further delays and that we will see a
bipartisan approach to providing the best standards of support we can for women
and their children who are experiencing domestic violence.
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