LEON COMPTON, HOST: What do we need to do to better protect women in Tasmania? What should we be doing? Just over the last five weeks in this state, if you've just arrived back or been missing the news, two women have lost their lives to what the police are investigating as domestic violence matters. Two women dead in this state off the back of just the last five weeks. We've been talking to advocates on Mornings about what they think needs to change and whether a Royal Commission might be a good idea into violence against women in Tasmania. This is what Yvette Cehtel, CEO of the Women's Legal Service, told us last week.
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YVETTE CEHTEL, WOMEN'S LEGAL SERVICE TASMANIA CEO: I think we need to do a bit of a stocktake of what's actually happening in Tasmania, and that can be achieved in different ways than a Royal Commission. And this is an issue that I raised earlier this week with Minister Rebecca White, who was really open to that and indicated that the government would commit to some kind of roundtable in Tasmania.
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COMPTON: The government would commit to some of roundtable – we heard that. Our ears pricked up and we said, let's follow up. Rebecca White, Assistant Federal Minister for Health and Member for Lyons, good morning to you.
REBECCA WHITE, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGEING: Good morning, Leon.
COMPTON: So, you said you would follow up. We said we would follow up. What can you tell us about the hopes of Yvette Cehtel that there will be a roundtable in Tasmania?
WHITE: Well, that's right. We had a good conversation and talked about some of the issues they're seeing come through their doors. But as part of the second phase of the National Action Plan led by Minister Plibersek, we are doing consultation across the country, including here in Tasmania. So that will be in the north and the south of the state. I'm currently working with Assistant Minister Kearney and Senator Carol Brown to identify a date in the south of the state. We want to hear from frontline services. We want to understand what's happening, what they're seeing here in Tasmania, to feed into the next five-year strategy that the Federal Government, along with our state and territory counterparts, will fund.
COMPTON: So is this part of existing work being done on violence against women, or would this be a new opportunity to sit down with people experienced in the sector and victim-survivors to actually talk about what's going on and what they think would help?
WHITE: It's both. So there's a National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children, which is going out for the next phase of consultation. So there's been work already committed to that we funded through the budget, just over $4 billion. So that's work that's already being implemented across the country, including here in Tassie. But what we want to do now is to understand from that, what's working, what's not working, where are the gaps, and sit down with those frontline services who are seeing what's coming through the door and also what demand they can't meet every day to understand what further work we need to invest in.
COMPTON: So when? When will these meetings take place? You talked about the north and the south of the state. What can you tell us about dates?
WHITE: Yeah. So we will be doing it over the next couple of months. So it is something that's happening right now, and as Assistant Minister here in Tassie, I'll be doing some work with Assistant Minister Kearney, who's supporting the work of Tanya Plibersek, who's the Minister for Social Services. But this is happening around the country in different electorates, and we'll be working to hear from frontline services.
And in addition to that, there is also an opportunity through the department's website for anybody to put forward a submission because we do want to make sure it's accessible to all members of the public to feed in what they see as a priority, what they're observing as gaps, and make sure that we're not missing anything.
COMPTON: I mentioned earlier, and you'd be well aware of the fact, that two women have lost their lives just in the last five weeks in Tasmania off the back of what police are investigating as domestic violence matters. Will this help? I mean, from the women that we've to, they say they want something in addition to what is already happening. What I'm hearing you say is this is a continuation of the existing plan. Will that be enough?
WHITE: I mean, first I'll just say it's devastating that we're seeing these tragedies continue to occur, not just here either. It's across the country. We do need to do more, and that's why the Minister is driving this work. It is not just a continuation of what we are currently doing. It is looking at what more needs to be done and particularly looking at what we know is working. Frontline services know very well what they need, and that's why we're sitting down to hear from them about what else the federal and the state and territory governments need to invest in, because we want to make sure we are addressing those gaps.
We do not want violence to continue to be perpetrated in our community. We do not want more homicides. We want to make sure that we can end violence in all its forms for all members of our community. This is a really significant societal issue. We are facing some pretty terrible things, both online and in the real world, that we have to confront as a government, but also as a society, taking responsibility where each of us can. Government has to lead that work, which is why we're undertaking this further consultation, because we want to see an end to this violence.
COMPTON: This is Dr Catherine Moult, also talking with us last week. She's with Family Planning Tasmania.
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CATHERINE MOULT, FAMILY PLANNING TASMANIA: I met with Jane Howlett, Minister for Violence, last week, and she has committed to hosting this roundtable for us. But, yeah, we need to get Anthony Albanese to come. Andrew Wilkie took this question to Parliament last week and asked for him to come to Hobart for us to host a roundtable.
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COMPTON: Okay. Firstly, Rebecca White, will the Prime Minister be coming to these meetings in Tasmania to hear from Tasmanians about these issues?
WHITE: Well, ultimately, the PM's schedule is a matter for him. It’s always the standing we’d like to come to the state.
COMPTON: [Talks over] Would you like the PM to come to hear the concerns of people in this state about these issues?
WHITE: I think he's made it very clear that ending violence against women and children is a national priority. He's been very clear about his own personal experience with that but also what it means for him as the Prime Minister of our country. If he's unable to be here, I can guarantee that I'll be able to take the voices back from the consultation that we undertake here in Tasmania, both to him and to the Minister. And I know that this will be taken seriously and given the appropriate investment that it deserves.
COMPTON: And just a final question off the back of Catherine Moult’s comments. Are you connected with Jane Howlett, her office, and the state potentially doing the hosting of this forum?
WHITE: I had a meeting with Minister Jane Howlett about two weeks ago. We talked about family and domestic and sexual violence and some of the actions our governments are taking here in Tasmania. So, yes, I am working with her office. We want specifically to hear from frontline services in the consultation that we'll be doing. I am happy to work with anyone who can assist us in making sure that we understand what the gaps are, understand what's working well, and make sure that we collectively work to end violence in all its forms. So, definitely open to that conversation, Leon.
COMPTON: Rebecca White, appreciate you talking with us this morning. Thank you.
WHITE: Thank you.
COMPTON: Assistant Federal Minister for Health.