Speech to National Meeting on Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence

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Micaela Cronin, Katie Kiss, Julie Inman Grant and Stephanie Copus Campbell, you were all here recently for an historic roundtable with Queen Camilla to discuss ways of tackling domestic, family and sexual violence.  

Then, expertise, advocacy and lived experience came together to paint a picture of the crisis of violence Australia faces. 

It was also important that at that gathering, the voices of First Nations women led the conversation, and we were joined by a young man, Conor, who shared the experience of children affected by domestic violence.  

Today, as your Governor-General, I am pleased to be able to host this gathering of commissioners and ambassadors who work at the centre of our national endeavour to protect, preserve and promote the human rights of every Australian. 

From your various positions, you bring a unique perspective to assessing outcomes, measuring progress, and forging a path ahead. 

The Office of the Governor-General has no power to determine or influence policy.   

It has no politics. It has no money to give.   

It cannot pass judgement or withhold favour.    

But I do have the power to convene.  

To bring people together to discuss and debate the things that matter.   

To reflect, as Sir Zelman Cowan put it, the light and shade of our national story. 

And, in doing that, I have unique opportunities to see and learn from those I meet across the country in many different circumstances. 

Last week I met with the team from the Australian Centre for Child Protection from the University of South Australia. 

They spoke of the need for a fundamental shift in our approach to child protection. 

They described a silent epidemic that is a direct consequence of a system that isn’t working. 

A system, the intent and outcomes of which are failing our children. 

A system perpetuated by our reluctance to have the difficult conversations and be the trusted person our children and families so desperately need.  

Just as the figures on all five types of child abuse are staggering, so, too, are the statistics on domestic, family and sexual violence. 

And, a fortnight ago, in Perth, I spent time with the Perth Country Women’s Association, where, as with almost every community group I meet, the issue of violence and support for women and children was raised. 

And, over the weekend, I read an opinion in the Sydney Morning Herald reflecting on the dismissal of a well-known radio identity after his comments on women’s sport revealed deep misogyny.  

Kate Halfpenny wrote, 

‘Anguish about these issues isn’t enough. Real change needs focus political pressure and actual community action – none of which fit neatly into a viral news cycle. Truth is, cancelling a radio host is easier and more fun than fixing real issues which affect real women’.  

In the week of International Women’s Day, it is right that we bring the truth of violence enacted in our homes, where we work, online and in our communities – which thrives in the shade of fear – into the light. 

Fear of speaking up. 

Fear of speaking out. 

Fear of what will be revealed when we have the difficult conversation. 

Today, you are having one of those conversations. 

And I am not fearful of what you must discuss, and its consequences. 

I am optimistic. 

I am hopeful in the care and collaboration you represent. 

Transformative change emerges from deep and long-term partnerships that cross disciplines and spheres of interest … 

… that bring the rigour of research to meet lived experience … 

…. and which turn evidence into practical, pragmatic and sustainable outcomes.  

Some of you may have found time over the weekend to review Dr Anne Summer’s report on the cost of domestic violence to women’s education and employment, which was released on Friday. 

Once again, the figures are a revelation of distress and disadvantage. 

It’s not easy reading. 

But it’s essential. 

Because, it illuminates another devastating and long-term cost of suffering domestic violence that we cannot afford to ignore. 

Anne’s research is an incremental layer of evidence that adds to our understanding and introduces pathways for action.  

Adding to our stock of expertise and understanding, just as you are today, the careful and critical work taking place between and across disciplines and spheres of influences lays the groundwork for hope. 

Actually, more than hope. 

A conviction that the systemic changes necessary to anticipate and address the crisis of violence are within reach. 

Before concluding, I want to end with a reflection on the capacity and desire of Australia and Australians to respond to the challenge of domestic, family and sexual violence.  

Recently, in Perth, I visited the 2025 West Australian Local Hero, Dr Jacinta Vu, and her team of all-women dental practitioners. 

Providing free dental care to survivors of domestic violence, Healing Smiles’ addresses their trauma by giving them back the power to speak, eat and smile, easing physical pain, affirming dignity and rebuilding lives.  

Jacinta’s work is transformative, and its impact on me and my team was profound. 

As I said at my swearing-in, the uplifting power of care, kindness and respect has a resonant place in Australian society.  

I found it in Perth, and I find it wherever I travel across the country. 

It is an asset beyond measure and an inexhaustible resource from which so much of the good in this country flows. 

I see it here today, in your leadership, your care for the people you represent and the change you seek to bring about. 

Thank you for coming together. 

Your presence is an invitation to us all to join as one in upholding the right of all Australians to live free from violence.