Ms BADGER – Minister, we know there is a lot of work happening on police misidentification and I understand that is not in your portfolio, but you would be working with Mr Ellis to ensure that that is happening. As we learned earlier in the week, the Small Steps 4 Hannah Foundation is going to be running workshops with Tasmania Police about coercive control. What else are you advocating for and working with Mr Ellis on in the coercive control space?
Ms OGILVIE – My engagement with ministers in their portfolios by way of being the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence includes a range of advocacy pieces that I work on for the Arch centre, et cetera. In relation to work Mr Ellis is doing on that area, I am not yet engaged in that. I am always a little bit careful to make sure that as the minister who has the administrative responsibility for the act that he is looking at leads the conversation. No doubt I will be engaged.
Ms BADGER – I would hope so, as the minister for women that is very important.
Ms OGILVIE – DPAC, which I will ask Mel to speak to, has held a workshop on this at that organisational level. Are you happy to speak to that?
Ms GRAY – Thank you. Last year, DPAC held a workshop on misidentification of the predominant aggressor and this was off the back of a report from Engender, I think, from memory.
Ms BADGER – Coercive control or just –
Ms GRAY – Misidentification of the predominant aggressor.
Ms BADGER – Sorry, I’m not sure if my question was clear that it was about coercive control and what advocacy you are doing, minister, in that space.
Ms OGILVIE – I don’t have information at hand, no advice in relation to coercive control and what we are doing about it, but I can say from a personal perspective that I understand completely this issue. I’m a strong advocate for being resolute in our efforts to provide legislation that deals with these issues. As I said, I have been looking at particularly the technology side of coercive control recently. We are doing a deep dive on tracking of women and taking of telephone numbers and those sorts of issues, particularly with the technology side of it. No doubt there’s a conversation to be had, and if there are law reform proposals coming forward, I will be brought into that loop by Mr Ellis, no doubt.
Ms BADGER – Great. My second question, minister, this is the 10th year since we had the motion before parliament on White Ribbon Day for an apolitical approach to the prevention of domestic, family and sexual violence. That was put forward by all the male leaders of the three political parties at the time. Will you work with Premier Rockliff, given that White Ribbon Day this year is on a sitting day, to rework that motion to recommit for another at least 10 years on that agreement and seriously upscaling the actions that we need to take for the prevention of domestic, family and sexual violence in this state? Will you work on a cross-parliamentary agreement on such a motion with all independents and all political parties?
Ms OGILVIE – Of course, I will work with everybody who wants to develop an approach that is truly inclusive. I am not sure I was here when that original motion – I might have been, I just can’t recall it. I would like to do that and I would warmly welcome everybody’s input. We need to do it not just with the prevention of family violence, but in relation to the women’s portfolio more generally. I have started some conversations around that with party representatives and others. I think we have a moment in time right now where the national conversation in relation to the prevention of family violence and women’s leadership generally, and fairness to women economically, and security in retirement and all of those issues that we know are part of women’s lives ought to be front and centre. There is nothing I would like more than to have us with one voice in the Parliament of Tasmania putting a stake in the ground on that.
Ms BADGER – You will work with the Premier to put that motion forward for family violence? That’s everybody, inclusive, absolutely?
Ms OGILVIE – I am very happy to work with all of my colleagues. I certainly will speak to Premier.
