Tuesday, 12 November 2024

Gendered violence

Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (18:36): (1259) My adjournment is to the Attorney-General. The action that I seek is for you to put aside every other issue sitting on your desk right now and actually do something to protect women in this state. Last week Xiaozheng Lin was sentenced to a maximum of 14 years in jail for the murder of two women in Melbourne in December 2022. He could be eligible for parole in as little as seven years due to a deal he struck with the Office of Public Prosecutions to accept guilty pleas for manslaughter rather than them pursuing him as the murderer that he is. This is an absolute disgrace. I do not care what job these women had. I do not care about the fact that this criminal had not had a girlfriend. I do not care about the fact that he was self-conscious about his limp. I do not care that he was angry and had his feelings hurt before he decided to murder these women. This is not good enough, and the OPP should be ashamed.

Eighty-one women have been killed this year by current or former partners – the most in six years. I have got news for this government: appointing a Parliamentary Secretary for Men’s Behaviour Change is not going to cut it. Enacting the recommendations from the Victorian Law Reform Commission on stalking might help, though, to improve woman’s health, or how about ensuring that violent murderers do not get time off their sentences purely because they were locked up during COVID? This government sat on the VLRC report for more than two years, and they still have not had the decency to enact these recommendations or to even formally respond. These actions send a message about the importance that this government places on women’s safety.

I find it staggering to see what issues this government chooses to rush through and what decisions this government chooses to continually delay. You steamrolled the process to protect the government because of the Lawyer X scandal, but you will not bring legislation to improve personal safety intervention orders into the Parliament until next year. What about prioritising real changes that will improve safety, as opposed to minimising the trauma of the court system after somebody has been assaulted? I am sure that the Attorney and the Premier will be at the Walk Against Family Violence next week, but I am certain that everyone at that walk would forgive them for missing it if they were actually busy doing some work and making some changes that would make a difference out on the streets. Attorney, I just want you to do your job, and it is not too much to expect.