Federal Labor has called on the Abbott Government to hold a ‘national crisis summit’ on family violence to tackle the growing epidemic of violence against women. According to recent statistics, the biggest risk factor for being a victim of family violence is being a woman. These same statistics also reveal that a shocking 1 in 3 Australian women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15. According to Federal Labor, these underlying statistics reveal a deep crisis that needs urgent government and community attention.

Specifically, the latest research also shows that 17 per cent of Australian women have experienced violence by a current or previous partner in their lifetime and that only 20 per cent of Australian women who have experienced current partner violence actually reported it to police.

Labor has announced that it will make a series of critical investments in services and programs that directly support women and children escaping family violence, with an interim package of more than $70 million over three years.

Failing any inaction from the Abbott Government, Federal Labor has promised that it would hold a summit within 100 days of being elected and invest in interim measures to address the issue.

For more information about Labor’s policies to address domestic violence, please visit http://bit.ly/1GRE4hF