The Hon. Dr MARLENE GOLDSMITH [11.13]: I move:

That the following important matter of public interest should be discussed forthwith:

Reclaim the Night March.

The Hon. R. D. DYER (Minister for Community Services, Minister for Aged Services, and Minister for Disability Services) [11.14]: The Government has no objection to this debate proceeding.

Motion agreed to.

The Hon. Dr MARLENE GOLDSMITH [11.14]: I am delighted that the House supports the moving of this important motion. On this coming Friday night the annual Reclaim the Night march will take place through the streets of Sydney. The march on Friday will continue a 17-year tradition. Reclaim the Night marches were initiated on 23 November 1977 by women in Leeds in the United Kingdom as a result of the Ripper murders occurring at that time. In response to advice by police to stay indoors after the latest ripper killing, hundreds of angry women marched with torches through the town to protest against the curfew mentality that placed restrictions on the behaviour of women as a way of dealing with violence. In other words, the victims were made prisoners.

As I have mentioned, the marches have now taken place on the last Friday of October each year for the past 17 years. The marches continue to grow larger each year. To my knowledge they take place in Europe, North America and Australia. Marches may take place on other continents as well. In 1994 thousands of women and children marched in Sydney. Marches were held in other capital cities and various country locations, including Wollongong, Nowra, Lismore, Dubbo, Newcastle, Parramatta, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, Geelong, and Launceston. This year more than 10,000 women and children are expected to march. I am informed by the Reclaim the Night committee that the marches are solely the result of a voluntary collective re-formed each year by committed and hardworking women from all walks of life.

The aims of the Reclaim the Night collective are not only to hold the march each year, but also to educate the general public about sexual violence against women and children. The main aim is to keep the issue of sexual violence in the public eye and to prevent it from being swept under the carpet or misrepresented by the media. The aims of the collective's education campaign include telling as many women as possible of their rights, showing support and letting women and children know what other support is available, as well as challenging current views on gender and violence. Another aim of the collective is to present demands each year to politicians at all levels of government. That is the rationale behind the moving of this motion as a matter of public interest. This year, for the first time, the demands of the Reclaim the Night collective will be placed on the parliamentary record. I am delighted to report that I have the support of a number of female parliamentarians in that process. This is not only my motion; it belongs to all my female colleagues, regardless of the political parties they represent. I thank them for their support and for their participation in this important process. I will not read out the aims of the Reclaim the Night collective. I will leave that to my female colleagues. At this stage, my remarks are merely introductory.

A consideration of the issues raised by the motion is particularly important. The motion is important also for this Chamber because I have a distressing matter to report. Yesterday a document containing the information about the Reclaim the Night march had been placed on the noticeboard on the twelfth floor of Parliament House. Stickers with the word "Sexist" on them had been placed all over the notice, thus covering up the text. I was stunned and appalled. The document states clearly that the Reclaim the Night march is not anti-men, and that the Reclaim the Night committee is not against the idea that men should become involved in the issue of sexual violence. In fact, the committee is quoted in the document as stating that it actively supports men trying to promote change. However, there is an important symbolic reason for women marching alone in the Reclaim the Night march. The march
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is about the right of women to walk on the streets after dark in safety without masculine protection. That is a particularly powerful and symbolic statement in our society. I will explain why it is such a powerful statement. I have some facts for the information of the ignorant person who put those stickers on the document on the twelfth floor noticeboard. Violence in our society is overwhelmingly a male phenomenon. That is not a sexist statement; it is a fact. The report, "Violence: Directions for Australia", which was published in 1990 by the National Committee on Violence, stated:

One of the most striking aspects of violence in Australia is that the vast majority of those who commit acts of violence are males. Over 80 per cent of all homicide offenders, and well in excess of 90 per cent of those charged with serious assault, robbery and sexual assault, are men.

Although other forms of violence have both male and female victims - indeed, the information I have received suggests such victims are predominantly male - the victims of sexual violence are overwhelmingly female. As the Standing Committee on Social Issues found in its examination of sexual violence, it is difficult to determine the level of sexual violence in Australia because our reported crime statistics are inadequate and victims studies show contradictory information. At the time of the committee's report, "Sexual Violence: The Hidden Crime", I was chair of the committee, and I should like to quote briefly from my foreword:

NSW crime statistics tell us that there were 1,880 cases of sexual assault in 1992. ABS victims' surveys tell us that, for every case that becomes a crime statistic, there are at least three other cases that do not, because victims do not report. From these figures, one might be tempted to conclude that the level of sexual violence in NSW in 1992 was four times the official figure, suggesting that there were at least 7,520 occurrences of sexual assault in the state that year. Given the limitations of official data, however, such a figure would still not convey the full extent of the crime. If there is a bottom line from all the statistical information in this Report, it is that there is more sexual violence in our society than is measured by any of the studies reviewed.

Looking at overseas information to make a comparison, a major victim study in Canada involving many thousands of people, which was reported upon in the report of the Standing Committee on Social Issues to which I have referred, reported that 39 per cent of Canadian women had experienced sexual violence. A major victim survey in the United States of America titled "Rape in America: A Report to the Nation" was published in April 1992 by the National Victims Centre. I am holding only the executive summary as the report is of a considerable size. That study found that for women in America the lifetime risk of rape for women was one in eight. Overwhelmingly, of course, those victims are young women. The report stated that rape is a tragedy of youth. There is no reason to assume that the situation in Australia would be very different. Indeed, extrapolating from crime statistics several years ago to obtain some idea, as far as was possible, of the level of sexual violence in this country, I also came up with figures suggesting a lifetime average of one in eight women. Some experts rushed to deny the validity of that figure. I never stated that I had undertaken a statistically detailed survey; it was a general overview undertaken simply to obtain some idea of the level of sexual violence in our society. The fact that the American victim survey found precisely the same figure using far more detailed and comprehensive methodology gives me no reason for relief; it provides only reason for more concern. The problem with lifetime surveys is that the predominant time of risk is during youth. Sadly, the younger the female, the more likely the risk of rape. That risk includes children. I am sure that surprises honourable members.

I do not believe I need to speak in any detail about the appalling effects of sexual violence on its victims. It is a uniquely destructive crime, as the social issues committee found during its inquiry. The damage caused by sexual violence to the lives of individuals, the pain and suffering it causes, is incomprehensible to any who have not been through the experience. It is significant that a number of the people involved in organising the Reclaim the Night march are also on the front lines of the sexual battlefield, so to speak - and it is a battlefield; it is a war against women. The number of people who work with victims of sexual violence and who then feel motivated to spend their free time participating in and organising the Reclaim the Night march gives honourable members an idea of the importance of this issue. I am sure that some of my female colleagues will address this issue later in the debate.

The Reclaim the Night march is about tackling sexual violence and confronting it openly. The tragedy for females in our society is that they, the victims of sexual violence, are imprisoned for the crime. They dare not go out at night alone, they dare not use public transport, they live in constant awareness of the possibility of attack in lonely public places, and they feel the need to turn their homes into fortresses. I had an interesting meeting with Lynn Hecht Schafran, the director of the national judicial education program to promote equality for women and men in the courts of the United States. As a lawyer and university lecturer she told me of her experiences in mixed classes of law students when dealing with this issue. When she raised the fact that women's lives are restricted as a result of their fear of sexual violence - and that fear is not irrational, bearing in mind the level of sexual violence - the male law students laughed. She then asked the female law students to outline how they restrict their lifestyles because of their concerns about sexual violence.

As the women listed all the things they would not do, the precautions they took, their constant concerns and awareness of this threat in lonely places, the males' jaws dropped. They simply had no idea of the effect of this crime on not only the victims of sexual violence, but on every woman in
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society. We are the prisoners as a result of the level of sexual violence in our society. The unthinking attitudes that led to the Reclaim the Night march - that women should be prisoners, should not go out and should not have equal access to public space - are very much the attitudes that Reclaim the Night is about attacking. The Reclaim the Night march is about two matters: first, the basic human right of women to have equal access to public places in our society, and, second, the basic human right of women to be able to expect physical safety generally in the same way as men. Sexual violence is a serious issue. I commend the organisers of the Reclaim the Night march for bringing the issue to the attention of the community.

The Hon. Dr MEREDITH BURGMANN [11.28]: I am pleased to support the motion. I and a number of other women from the Government benches had intended to read out the demands of the Reclaim the Night collective last night. However, when we were approached at the last minute by the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith, we agreed to participate in this debate today in a bipartisan manner. I have marched in the Reclaim the Night march for many years. For the last few years I have marched under a banner indicating that Labor Party women supported the claims of the Reclaim the Night collective. Before reading the demands of the Reclaim the Night collective into the record, I draw attention to a matter raised by the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith that I view with great concern. That is the culture of fear that has been engendered in our society by tabloid newspapers and, to some extent, by irresponsible politicians. Women are told of figures that mislead them into believing that if they walk on the streets they will be sexually attacked.

This cult of fear has brought about a sad situation that women and elderly people feel frightened to walk the streets; they stay at home rather than go out on the streets at night. In fact, the streets of Australian towns and cities are relatively safe, even for women. We must make the point that most sexual violence, in fact most violence against women, occurs in the home at the hands of people whom the victims know. The Reclaim the Night collective is making the point that not only do women want the streets to be safe but they are declaring that the streets are safe. The collective is demanding that the Government pays adequate attention to women who have encountered sexual violence. The Reclaim the Night collective has put forward the following demands:

In order to ensure that all women and children survivors of sexual assault receive the counselling support they require we demand that the Minister for Health, Dr Andrew Refshauge, make available:

a minimum funding increase of 20% to all appropriate organisations which currently provide services to survivors of sexual assault, to ensure that all survivors can access appropriate support within one month.

In order to ensure that survivors of sexual assault are treated by the police according to their guidelines and procedures, we demand that the Minister for Police, Paul Whelan:

establish an independent committee (with at least 60% community representatives) to hear complaints made by the public about the police handling of issues related to sexual violence. The committee is to make recommendations on each complaint to the Minister for Police and the NSW Parliament.

In order to ensure that the legal system is more accessible and equitable for all women and children who are survivors of sexual assault we need judicial officers (judges, magistrates, etc.) who understand what sexual violence means, how it can affect women and children, and who operate from the basis that women and children are never responsible for causing sexual violence. We demand that the Attorney General, Geoff Shaw, Q.C.:

Make comprehensive gender education on all the points above compulsory for all judicial officers.

In order to ensure that public transport is made safer and more accessible for all women and children we demand that the Minister for Transport, Brian Langton:

set up consultation processes between women and children from the local community, and representatives of the relevant public transport authority, whenever plans are being made to increase or improve public transport services.

In light of the fact that there is not one state wide organisation lobbying and advocating for women and children who are survivors of sexual violence we demand that the Minister for Women, Faye Lo Po', the Minister for Health, Dr Andrew Refshauge, and the Minister for Community Services, Ronald Dyer:

make available sufficient funds to establish and operate a peak community organisation with the aim to lobby and advocate for all women and children who are survivors of sexual violence, and provide education and information for these women and children, and the community at large.

Those are reasonable demands, some of which have already been put into place. I believe that our socially progressive Labor Government will comply with those demands. I am happy to say that a number of honourable members, including the Minister for Women, Faye Lo Po', will march on Friday.

The Hon. PATRICIA FORSYTHE [11.34]: I am pleased to join my colleagues in acknowledging the importance of this debate. No society can ever be proud of violence, especially sexual violence against women, and must do everything to eliminate it. I acknowledge the work of my colleague the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith in raising this issue today and the work she has done in the past few years, certainly within the Liberal Party, to raise awareness about violence. I acknowledge also that members on the other side have taken positive action in that regard. That is why I think we can all contribute to this important debate in a bipartisan spirit.

I am pleased to highlight the demands of the organisers of the Reclaim the Night march. I do so not to be partisan but to call on the Government to hear the demands and to respond to them, to ensure that all women, regardless of their age and status in life, can have hope that they can live free of fear of violence. I know that the Hon. Dr Meredith Burgmann listed all the demands, but in the context of what I want to say I should like to repeat one of those demands as well as the preamble to it:

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In light of the fact that there is not one state wide organisation lobbying and advocating for women and children who are survivors of sexual violence we demand that the Minister for Women, Faye Lo Po', the Minister for Health, Dr Andrew Refshauge, and the Minister for Community Services, Ronald Dyer:

make available sufficient funds to establish and operate a peak community organisation with the aim to lobby and advocate for all women and children who are survivors of sexual violence, and provide education and information for these women and children, and the community at large.

If statistics about the extent of sexual violence and abuse are accurate, then up to one in three girls under the age of 18 years will experience some form of sexual abuse. This is an appalling statistic and shows why the Reclaim the Night march deserves support and publicity. Many of us take so much for granted, including our personal freedom and our personal safety. Yet women who live in households where violence is part of the pattern of life can take nothing for granted. The children who live in violent households lose their childhood innocence and can take nothing for granted. Their capacity to trust is shattered.

This demand is about giving them a voice, giving them access to a body specifically charged with assisting victims and educating the community on violence. It seeks the support of the Government across a range of portfolios. In New South Wales in the 1990s up to 80 per cent of attacks on women were made by people known to the victim. I acknowledge the statement of my colleague the Hon. Dr Meredith Burgmann that the majority of attacks on women occur in their own homes. Yet a study conducted by the Hunter Centre for Health Advancement, reported in the Sydney Morning Herald in July, highlights the alarming fact that only 13 per cent of the women interviewed for the study feared they might be physically hurt by a person close to them. The contrast between those two statistics shows the need to improve education and underpins the demand that I have highlighted.

Myths about violence in the home clearly abound in Australian society. The focus of debate so often is on women, but the demand highlights the Reclaim the Night rally focus on children, who are an integral part of the issue - children who live in violent households and/or children who are themselves victims of attack. In the survey "Without Consent", conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology and reported in a speech by Dr Patricia Easteal to the 1993 National Liberal Women's Conference, well over half of the respondents, 61.8 per cent, had experienced sexual assault prior to their twenties. Other family members, either living with the survivor or apart, were the perpetrators in 13.5 per cent of the total number of cases, young children under 11 years being at most risk from someone in the family with whom they had lived.

Everyone should be sickened by those statistics. But it is not enough to feel anger and shame. Each of us, using every resource available to us, must demand change - change so that victims of assault have the courage to speak up every time; change so that, through the community, whether it is by teachers or doctors, or within the justice system, violence against women and children is better identified and people at risk are given adequate support. Every government must do more. I do not want to be partisan, but this Government - because it is the Government - must respond. Society has to become intolerant to the use of violence against women and children. Violence is essentially a violation of fundamental human rights.

The two most significant issues facing women in our society are, on the one hand, violence against women, and, at the other end of the scale, increasing the proportion of women decision-makers, whether that be in Parliament or in management. That is why, in noting this demand, I particularly note the role sought from the Minister for Women. I acknowledge that she has a deep concern about violence in society. As a leader with a voice in Cabinet, I hope she uses her position to give more women hope of a better life. As my colleague the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith noted earlier, Reclaim the Night marches began in 1977 in Leeds in the United Kingdom as a result of the chilling Ripper murders.

Women rather than responding to police advice to stay indoors challenged the mental curfew with an angry torchlight rally. It must have been a powerful image. While that was a powerful response to appalling crimes, Australian women have responded to their own situation and will respond strongly in the coming march in towns across New South Wales and Australia. Briefly stated, the aims of the march and rally are to raise awareness about sexual violence against women and children, to demand women's basic right to be safe from such violence, to demand that the community acknowledge sexual violence and start to deal with it appropriately, and to demand that men take responsibility for their violent behaviour.

The House through this debate is, as the slogan of Reclaim the Night states, working for positive change. Women speaking for themselves and speaking out about violence are changing attitudes. Statistics from a Federal study by the Office of the Status of Women show that today 93 per cent of Australians regard domestic violence as an offence, compared with a figure of 79 per cent in 1987. These statistics highlight a positive change in community outlook, which has arisen in part because of community action by groups such as those sponsoring the Reclaim the Night march and rally. I wish the organisers of the rally well. I have been pleased to raise one of their demands. I hope that by raising the issue today this House will be acknowledged as helping to increase community awareness and understanding of this complex issue. I support the motion.

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The Hon. FRANCA ARENA [11.42]: I am happy to participate in the debate and I congratulate the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith on moving the motion. Last year the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith, the Hon. Elisabeth Kirkby and I were speakers at a rally organised by the women of Reclaim the Night. A lot of work went into that rally, yet the rally received not one line of news media coverage. People are bored with violence against women - all these women always talking about the same thing. But it happens all the time, and people should remember that. Last year I met many of the women involved in the Reclaim the Night organisation and I found them to be clever, intelligent and dedicated women. Many of them were also victims of sexual violence. I support their demands wholeheartedly. I wish to reflect on what was said by the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith about the leaflet she left upstairs, which had sexist notes written on it.

The list of speakers in this debate comprises the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith, the Hon. Dr Meredith Burgmann, the Hon. Patricia Forsythe, the Hon. Franca Arena, the Hon. Jennifer Gardiner, the Hon. Elisabeth Kirkby, the Hon. Ann Symonds, the Hon. Patricia Staunton and the Hon. Janelle Saffin. Where are the men? Is sexual violence against women a women's issue only? The men are quick to talk about ducks and guns - that is what they are interested in. When it comes to violence against women, the men disappear. Few of our male colleagues from the Labor Party, the Liberal Party or the crossbenches are in the Chamber. They will talk about ducks and guns, but never enter the Chamber to talk about an issue as important as violence against women. They should be ashamed of themselves. I can imagine what the men are thinking: "Leave it to the sheilas, this is a women's issue and they can talk about it." The men do the deeds yet the women suffer the further offence of our male colleagues not even talking about the issue. That happens in the Labor Party, in the coalition parties and in all other parties, I am sure. When it comes to issues such as violence against women it is always the women who put up a defence.

I congratulate the women of Reclaim the Night on their efforts to point out the devastating effects of sexual violence, which do not receive sufficient attention in the community. Nor is there an understanding of the need for survivors to heal adequately. I well recall a victim of sexual violence telling me that she was bleeding inside all the time, that she had never got over the trauma of a violent assault and it would take her a long time to forget it. Sexual violence thrives in silence and secrecy. Reclaim the Night gives women the space to break the silence, to show how they feel about sexual violence and to demand that the whole community take collective responsibility for the problem. I know that many of my women colleagues wish to speak in the debate so I shall conclude my speech by once more congratulating the women of Reclaim the Night, wishing them the best and assuring them of my wholehearted support.

The Hon. JENNIFER GARDINER [11.44]: I also wish to congratulate the organisers of the Reclaim the Night march, which for several years now has been held at this time of the year to draw attention to the need to end sexual violence around the world and here in New South Wales. It is important that women and children gather together to make a peaceful but forceful statement about their rights as human beings to live free, safe, and autonomous lives. When women and children band together to make this kind of statement it helps to reduce society's fear of the danger of sexual assault. It is comforting for victims or potential victims of sexual assault to know that they are not on their own; that they are not isolated in the face of fear for their safety and sometimes for their very lives. As the Hon. Dr Meredith Burgmann has said, the rallies also help to put the issue into perspective in Australian towns and cities and the streets thereof.

Speakers at Friday's rally in Hyde Park will cover a range of subjects. They will demonstrate why such awareness-raising activities are important. There has already been a demonstration of that importance in this building. For a number of reasons it is important to raise awareness. First, sexual violence, rape, incest, domestic violence, child sexual assault and harassment occur relatively frequently and should be accorded greater recognition as a problem in our society. Second, there are attitudes of denial within the community. Third, as other speakers have pointed out, most women and especially most children who are subjected to sexual assault are more likely to be assaulted in their home by somebody they know. Until sexual violence is recognised as a serious crime, assaults may continue at the same rate. A healthy educational development in recent years has been the apparent better understanding that most sexual attacks occur in the victim's homes and the assailant is known to the victim's family.

Violence against women is a subtle form of sexual harassment. The devastating effect of sexual violence on victims must be better understood. The Reclaim the Night rally and the work of the collective help to raise the profile of this problem. Along with the Deputy Premier, Dr Refshauge, I had the pleasure the year before last of addressing a men's organisation that met in this Parliament and had its own rally to raise the consciousness of sexual assault against women. Many men in our society recognise that sexual assault is not solely a problem for women but a society problem and that men also need to band together to raise awareness and try to make people's lives safer all round. One of the features of this year's rally will be the demand that the New South Wales Government ensure that public transport is made safer and more accessible to all women and children. Whenever plans are being made to increase or improve public transport services the Minister for Transport will be asked to set up consultation processes between women and children from local communities and representatives of the relevant public transport authority.

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The Labor Party has a commendable policy on women's safety, which is designed to prevent violence against women in their homes, on the streets, on public transport and in the workplace, and has made commitments in government to improve safety at railway stations and to introduce a safety accreditation scheme for public facilities such as shopping centres, transport terminals, entertainment complexes and parks that will rate the safety of the facilities on the basis of the provision of lighting in car parks, supervision and security services, and crime-resistant building designs. The Government has said that it would encourage local government to adopt planning criteria that provide for low crime designs for public spaces, for example, car spaces, parks and malls. The Government also undertook to review development guidelines to favour building projects that provide crime prevention facilities such as shopfront police stations.

The demand of the Reclaim the Night collective on which I focus is the safety of women on public transport. The Government said it is committed to ensuring that distress alarms on trains are in working order and that improvements are made to the public transport radio system to link crews at stations and terminals direct to the police so as to speed up reporting and investigation of incidents. The Government is committed also to improving security on late night trains by providing more effective guards and police patrols; to establishing safe stations on each major train line; to ensuring that police and railway staff exchange information on the time and place of gang activity; to increasing video surveillance, floodlighting and signposting on platforms, walkways and parking areas; to increasing supervision of unpatrolled areas thereby making it more difficult for gangs to congregate around rail and bus stations; to providing safe, well-lit areas at rail and bus stations where passengers can call and wait for a lift; and to consulting with the taxi industry on ways of improving safety for women who use taxis, for example, by providing safe ranks staffed by taxi inspectors at high risk times.

All those policies, which the Government has said it supports, are worthwhile. With organisations like Reclaim the Night I will be more than happy to monitor progress in the coming 12 months towards implementing such policies to help make public transport a more comfortable, fearless mode of transport, especially for women and children travelling after dark. Again, I join with other speakers in congratulating the organisers of the rally and for bringing to the attention of this House the demands of the Reclaim the Night collective.

The Hon. R. D. DYER (Minister for Community Services, Minister for Aged Services, and Minister for Disability Services) [11.52]: I have been stung into action by my colleague the Hon. Franca Arena. I assure my colleague that I do not have a preoccupation with either ducks or guns, or matters of that sort. I was mistakenly given advice that if I entered into this debate my intentions might be misinterpreted. After hearing the remarks of the Hon. Franca Arena I formed the conclusion that I ought to say something. Sydney Reclaim the Night is a non-government, non-funded volunteer collective that organises a yearly rally and march for women and children to protest against sexual violence in the community and to celebrate the strength and endurance of women. Traditionally, the march has attracted bipartisan support from the women in this Parliament. Last year, my colleagues Sandra Nori and the Hon. Franca Arena supported the list of demands issued by the collective. I understand the Hon. Elisabeth Kirkby also spoke in support of the march, the Hon. Kerry Chikarovski marched and the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith spoke at the march on behalf of the Fahey Government. The collective sent my colleague the Minister for Women, the Hon. Faye Lo Po', a letter by fax on 19 October inviting her to participate in the march. I am advised that on 20 October the Minister indicated that she was delighted to accept the invitation. The letter also said:

Let me first congratulate you on the statement you made some months ago in relation to women feeling unsafe on public transport at night. You may be aware that the Sydney Reclaim the Night (RTN) Collective, publicly support your statement.

As requested by the collective, the Minister for Women sent the following statement of endorsement for the march:

Sexual Violence against women and children, in the home and on the streets, must be of concern to the whole community and across the whole of government. The NSW Government considers prevention of this crime of violence to be a high priority. I congratulate all of you who have come here tonight to demonstrate that the women of NSW will not tolerate sexual assault.

The Department for Women has provided funding of $2,000 to assist in making the Reclaim the Night march a reality. The department's view is that this provides an ideal opportunity to reinforce the message to the wider community that violence against women and children, particularly rape, is a crime that is abhorrent. The march also challenges the stereotype that women are somehow to blame if they are raped because they have put themselves in vulnerable situations by what they wear, or by being out at night, or by travelling alone. Women should not be expected to change their lifestyle, to confine their activities to certain places and particularly to daylight hours, so as not to put themselves at risk of being sexually molested or raped. It is like the other hoary chestnuts women have to deal with: she got herself pregnant, or she got herself raped, and so on. Women should be able to go about their normal everyday lives without the fear of being raped.

The collective estimates that the costs associated with organising the march and making it a successful event amount to approximately $10,000, most of which is self-raised by the collective, whose enthusiasm, energy, dedication
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and sheer tenacity of purpose is remarkable to say the least. This year, as in the past, the collective has put together a list of five demands addressing issues of safety, education and freedom from sexual violence for all women and children. The letter faxed to the Minister for Women last Thursday requested a meeting before the march to discuss these demands. At such short notice it was not possible to arrange a meeting and the collective was immediately advised. Most of the Reclaim the Night demands for this year are directed at other Ministers.

As a matter of courtesy the Attorney General, the Minister for Police, the Minister for Health, the Minister for Transport and I, as Minister for Community Services, needed to be made aware of these demands as the collective did not write directly to the Ministers. The demands, paraphrased, are as follows: first, that the Minister for Health, Dr Refshauge, make available a minimum funding increase of 20 per cent to all appropriate organisations which currently provide services to survivors of sexual assault. In the budget just handed down, the Government met its commitment to increase funding for sexual assault services with an additional allocation of $250,000, and the Sydney Rape Crisis Centre received top-up funding of $100,000. In 1995-96 the Department of Health will provide the Sydney Rape Crisis Centre with total funding of $394,000 and Dymphna House with $258,900.

Second, that the Minister for Police establish an independent committee - with at least 60 per cent community representation - to hear complaints made by the public about police handling of issues related to sexual violence. The Government has established the Council for Crime Prevention, which has strong community representation, including Ken Marslew and Barbara Holborrow. The council will report to the Minister for Police and is equipped to deal with concerns about police handling of sexual assault matters. Third, in order to ensure that the legal system is more accessible and equitable to all women and children who are survivors of sexual assault, judicial officers must understand what sexual violence means. The Reclaim the Night collective demands that the Attorney General make comprehensive gender education compulsory for all judicial officers.

The Department for Women, in cooperation with the New South Wales Attorney General's Department and the Police Service, is undertaking unique research into the way women victims of sexual assault have been dealt with in the criminal justice system as part of its gender bias and the law project. The research was prompted by the public perception and the views of women's groups that there is gender bias in the legal system, not only in New South Wales but Australiawide. The purpose of the research is to determine whether the New South Wales legal system operates fairly in its treatment of women as litigants in the civil justice system as victims of sexual assault, as offenders in the criminal justice system and as women working in the legal system.

I want to emphasise that the purpose of the research is to determine whether the New South Wales legal system operates fairly in its treatment of women as litigants in the civil justice system, as victims of sexual assault and as offenders in the criminal justice system. Before reforms can be introduced we have to know the scope of the problem and have proof that there is a problem. I have no doubt that there is a problem with the way in which women who have been raped experience the criminal justice court system. However, anecdotal evidence is not enough. What has been needed for a long time is hard evidence of gender bias in the justice system to convince those who need to be convinced that reform is required.

I support this research as it will provide the evidence and culminate in recommendations for law reform and changes to policy and practice in the application of the law. I have no doubt that if those recommendations include the need for education for the judiciary, the Attorney General would do all in his power to make sure that it happens. On Tuesday, 31 October, at a breakfast organised by the Women Lawyers Association of New South Wales, the Attorney General and the Minister for Women will jointly launch the "Response of Key Stakeholders to Gender Bias and the Law: Women Working in the Legal Profession in New South Wales". The responses will address various actions to be considered, including practical suggestions for reform designed to focus discussion on the issues and lead to the development of strategies to eliminate gender barriers within the legal profession.

I have no doubt that within the term of this Government the issue of gender bias will be vigorously addressed and that in the course of that there will be bipartisan support for reform, given that the Hon. Kerry Chikarovski, the predecessor of the current Minister for Women, supported the need for research into gender bias in the legal system. The fourth demand made by the collective was that the Minister for Transport set up consultation processes between women and children from the local community and representatives of the relevant public transport authority whenever plans are being made to increase public transport services. There is already a best practice model which meets this recommendation, in the work being done by the Liverpool safe women's project. This group has been working with State Rail, local police, planning authorities, local government and women's groups to improve women's safety in urban areas and on public transport, by taking preventive measures that address women's concerns.

The Department for Women has funded the production of a video by the Liverpool safe womens' project under the women's grant program, which the Minister for Women will launch in early December. It is a unique project because it first and foremost takes into account women's perceptions of what constitutes a safe environment, particularly in relation to trains and railway stations
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and the areas in which they are located. The Minister for Women has commended this approach to her colleagues the Hon. Brian Langton and the Hon. Craig Knowles. The fifth and last demand called on the Minister for Women and the Minister for Health, and on me as Minister for Community Services, to make available sufficient funds to establish and operate a peak organisation to lobby and advocate for all women and children who are survivors of sexual assault.

The Minister for Women has indicated that she is happy to discuss the merits of such a proposal with her colleagues, but I am also conscious of reforms proposed to the victims compensation scheme which should deliver some tangible financial benefits to the victims of sexual violence. The Reclaim the Night march is an event that I would urge all members of the House to support, through either active participation or statements of endorsements, as that would send a strong message to the community that sexual violence will not be tolerated. I hope that I have satisfied the concerns of my colleague the Hon. Franca Arena, who castigated the male members of this House for not participating in this debate. I have done so and next time I will be less cautious about intervening in a debate that is perhaps perceived as being within the domain of women. In future I shall feel quite unconstrained and will charge in and say whatever I want to say in a debate concerning women's issues.

The Hon. ELISABETH KIRKBY [12.04]: On behalf of the Australian Democrats I, too, am pleased to support the motion moved by the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith. This is not a partisan or political matter. The Reclaim the Night march is supported all over the world by parties of every political persuasion. In this Chamber it is supported by members of the Australian Labor Party, by members of the Liberal Party - the mover is a member of the Liberal Party - by the Hon. Jennifer Gardiner on behalf of the National Party, and it has my support as leader of the Australian Democrats in the New South Wales Parliament. I am also told that the Hon. Elaine Nile will speak in the debate.

Last year, as the Hon. Franca Arena has already pointed out, a function was held on the verandah of Parliament House in which several speakers took part, again representing all political parties. I believe that one of the most touching statements made at last year's event was by a victim. It was very moving, and I believe it was very courageous of that woman to stand there in public, in front of the television cameras, and explain the trauma, distress and agony that she had experienced as a victim of sexual assault. I support the remarks of the Hon. Franca Arena about some, though not all, of our male colleagues being interested only in guns and ducks. That certainly may be the case this week, but I do not believe it is always the case.

It is sad that, so far, the only male member of this House to have spoken in the debate is the Minister for Community Services, Minister for Aged Services, and Minister for Disability Services. I hope that, if time permits, other male members of the House who may be in their offices listening to this debate will realise that they would set a good example for their colleagues if they came into the Chamber and endorsed the motion, however briefly, and the demands of the Reclaim the Night organisation. I believe it is proper to put on the record why Reclaim the Night is so important. There are many myths about violence against women and children that give the strong, clear message that women ask for sexual assault. Some comments are, "They did not fight back hard enough", or, "They have lied about being assaulted."

The Reclaim the Night movement gives all women an opportunity to tell the truth and to point out to the rest of the community that no-one deserves or asks to be raped, and that sexual assault against women and children does happen and on an alarmingly huge scale. I did not need to be told that by the Reclaim the Night committee because I am a member of the Standing Committee on Social Issues which is inquiring into sexual violence, and the evidence that that committee has collected makes it abundantly clear that this is the hidden crime; this is the crime that is perpetrated upon women. In many instances women are too afraid to come forward because there is always the residual shame that they will not be believed or that they will be told it is their fault. In many cases - and this is particularly so for women from non-English speaking backgrounds - they do not know how to make a complaint. They do not know whether they will have an interpreter if they go to the police or to a chamber magistrate, and they do not know how to put the complaint in a form that will reach the authorities in a suitable time frame that makes it possible for the police to follow-up the complaint.

I stress the demand that the legal system be more accessible and equitable to all women and children who are survivors of sexual assault. As the organisers of the march point out, we need judicial officers - judges, magistrates - who understand what sexual violence means and how it can affect women and children. They should operate from the base that women and children are never responsible for causing sexual violence. I also support the demand of the Attorney General that comprehensive gender education on all the points I have mentioned be compulsory for all judicial officers.

We have heard far too many stories - there have been many reports in the media - of judges who make disparaging comments when passing judgment on women who have been sexually assaulted. One appalling suggestion was that as the person committing the assault had already knocked the woman unconscious before the assault, she was not likely to have suffered much psychological harm. More recently there was a suggestion that because a woman was drunk at the time of the assault it was possible that the man believed she had given her consent. Again, it was claimed that
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because she was drunk the assault would be less damaging to her. There is also the famous comment - I will admit that it was not made by a member of the New South Wales bench but in South Australia by a judge in relation to sexual assault in marriage - that a man had the right to use more than ordinary force against his wife.

The Hon. Dr Meredith Burgmann: Rougher than usual handling.

The Hon. ELISABETH KIRKBY: More than usual force. I believe that is the most appalling statement of all because it is demeaning of women. It goes back to the old-fashioned attitude that a woman is the man's possession and therefore he has a right to use her body as and when he pleases and she must be a compliant partner. I fully support the Reclaim the Night march. I hope there will be a big contingent of Australian Democrat women marching. The contingent has been organised by my assistant, Brenda Padgett, who has been working very hard on this matter over the past few weeks ever since we became aware of the date, time and place and the material from the organisers of the Reclaim the Night march started coming into our office. Finally, I place on record that the theme for 1995 is that freedom from sexual violence is a basic human right. That cannot be stressed strongly enough. In the debate the Minister for Community Services, Minister for Aged Services, and Minister for Disability Services referred to the Government's funding of the Sydney Rape Crisis Centre and other bodies. I hope that greater funding is given to women's refuges and counselling services.

Wherever I go in the State, whichever country town I visit, I am met by women who say, "We have funding for the refuge but for only 12 months and we are very much afraid that we are going to have to close, yet the demand for our services is increasing." Funding for refuges, particularly in country towns, has to be ongoing. Otherwise, too many women will be trapped in stressful and criminal domestic situations from which they cannot escape because they have nowhere to go. If they feel that they will receive sympathy, anonymity and privacy by going to a refuge they will have greater strength to escape from the intolerable situation of being abused in their own home by the one person they should be able to trust above all others - their partner. I fully support the Reclaim the Night march. I wish it every success this year, as I have in previous years. I hope that sentiment is echoed by all members of this Chamber, whether male or female.

The Hon. JANELLE SAFFIN [12.14]: I am pleased to support the motion moved by my colleague the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith and I wish to add my support to the Sydney Reclaim the Night collective's demands for 1995, which my colleagues have already put on record. I further support all the women and children who will march this Friday night across New South Wales and indeed across Australia. I will march in Lismore with women who come together once a year to tell the truth about rape - and in my case to further the needs of rural women who are victims of sexual assault and rape. The truth of rape is that it is a common assault perpetrated upon women and children, that it really does happen, and that no-one deserves to be raped. Even though we march under the theme of Reclaim the Night to demand our right to walk freely in our society without risk from male violence, statistics show that most violence against women and children takes place in our homes.

The Sydney Reclaim the Night collective makes the point that most women - and most children especially - are more likely to be sexually assaulted by someone they know, and in their own homes. Until this is recognised in the community and until sexual violence is seen as a serious crime this will continue to happen unchallenged. There is still an attitude in our society that even though it is a crime, it is not thought of or treated collectively as a crime. However, women are subject to male violence in both the public and private spheres. It takes many forms, from sexual harassment to the most extreme physical violence and intimidation. So women carry around a certain degree of fear, sometimes out of proportion to the street crime that happens. As the Hon. Dr Meredith Burgmann said, there is a climate of fear around this issue.

Sexual violence is an all too common occurrence and it is surrounded by shame, secrecy and silence. It is by the actions of women in the community who speak out, advocate for women and march, and by members of Parliament showing political courage in a non-partisan way that women can truly have the freedom to change our society into one in which women are afforded the basic human right to be free of male violence. I wish the organisers well and congratulate them on their commitment and on bringing their reasonable demands - and they are reasonable - to the attention of Parliament so we can pursue them with our Government. Historically, Labor in government has a good record of reform in this area and I hope that record of reform is continued.

The Hon. ANN SYMONDS [12.18]: I am also pleased to participate in this debate and congratulate the mover of the motion and the organisers of the march. I endorse all that has been said by my male and female colleagues in the debate so far. I shall refer only to the second demand of this year's march, which I believe is critical in pursuing service and justice for women who have been victims of assault. It is:

In order to ensure that survivors of sexual assault are treated by police according to their guidelines and procedures, we demand that the Minister for Police, Paul Whelan:

establish an independent committee (with at least 60% community representatives) to hear complaints made by the public about the police handling of issues related to sexual violence. The committee is to make recommendations on each complaint to the Minister for Police and the NSW Parliament.

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The Minister for Community Services, Minister for Aged Services, and Minister for Disability Services said that an inquiry into gender bias in the operation of the judicial system is under way. He also referred to the recent establishment of the Crime Prevention Council. I endorse those initiatives, established by both the previous Government and the present Government. I am also strongly in favour of this separate demand by women. It is an absolutely crucial element in delivering services to victims of sexual assault. How often have we heard that when women who are victims of sexual assault have approached the police for assistance they are unsatisfied with the way in which their trauma and the crime against them was managed?

If the Government and society generally want to reform the system it needs to be constantly monitored and adjusted. An independent committee with 60 per cent community representation hearing complaints is an ideal way to monitor the system. After each individual complaint is made, advice could be given to the Government and to government and community agencies on how to improve the standard and sensitivity of the service to victims. Not all sexual assault crimes are the same. Indeed, the variety of suffering which is inflicted on people is quite extensive. Therefore, we need to make those adjustments to the way in which government agencies, particularly the police, manage matters brought to their attention.

The cooperation of female members of Parliament from every party is critical to improving the services and laws relating to sexual assault. I remind all honourable members that the major changes to services and to laws relating to sexual assault were introduced in New South Wales at a time when there were only two female members in the lower House. That law reform was introduced into the lower House by the then Labor Party Attorney General. I acknowledge the response of men who are interested in the protection of the human rights of all people in society, and are particularly sensitive to the manner in which women and children have suffered sexual assault over the years. The services to women which accompanied the changes to the laws were also expanded greatly in a parliament that did not have the level of female representation we enjoy at the moment. The Government and ministry of that time should be congratulated.

We must remind ourselves that we have made great progress in this area. In 1975, the International Year of Women, there was one refuge in Sydney to encourage women to escape from violent situations in which they found themselves. Today there are over 100 refuges and many more services to support women who are suffering from violence in our society. I conclude by saying that in a truly civilised society women and children should live without being subjected to sexual assault. Strangers do not pose the greatest risk to women and children - fathers, husbands and partners perpetrate acts of sexual assault on their wives and children. It is a matter of priority for governments to provide health and education services, to change the underlying attitude which allows women and children to be violated in their homes by their relatives. I hope this will be the first occasion on which the women of the Parliament, no matter what their political persuasion, will combine in order to demand further improvements to the safety and security of women in our society.

The Hon. ELAINE NILE [12.25]: Call to Australia supports the motion moved by the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith, who I believe has a genuine concern for women and children who have been sexually abused. For the past 25 years my leader, when he first started in the work of the Festival of Light, has fought for women who have been sexually assaulted, mainly through the abuse of video pornography and written pornography. In 1973 we were campaigning against the late Lionel Murphy's Family Law Act and I was travelling with a busload of women to Canberra. The President of Women for the Family showed me a book which she had bought from a well-known bookstore in Sydney. It was entitled How to Rape a Woman. I had never seen a book like it before. It was graphically illustrated.

The book said that women wanted to be raped, that they enjoyed it and even when they said no they really meant yes. I believe such material encourages men to go out and do their thing. I do not believe that all men are like that, but I believe that the Government has to get to the cause of why men become incited to rape and violate women and children - just as doctors have to get to the cause of an illness. Until the Government does something in this regard these attacks will not stop. We can bandage the situation and open homes for women, but we have to get to the cause. That is a government responsibility.

I remember a woman from Port Macquarie who came to see me in tears and who was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She said that her husband had been watching pornographic videos. She said that she had never believed that that type of thing could be done to a woman. He then took her, in front of the children, and did the same things to her. The young children were affected. They were forced to watch the video, and then forced to watch their father enact the same activities on their mother. She did not know what to do with her children. Some of the people she knew said that she should forget about it. But it is different when it is done to you; it leaves you scarred, feeling dirty and humiliated. This is where the Government has to step in.

I would have thought that the feminist movement - as it did in America - would have come into this debate and said, "We can see that pornography, films and videos are having an effect on men." To say that it does not have an effect is false. The Hon. J. S. Tingle recently spoke about a home invasion against a mother who had her head
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covered with a bag and was sexually assaulted in front of her husband and children. We are most concerned about the sentence that the perpetrator of that crime received. We also remember women such as Anita Cobby, Janine Balding and little Ebony Simpson. They did not survive their sexual attacks. Some people know what happened to Anita Cobby and what was done to her body. It was unbelievable. Her parents have survived the ordeal through the grace of God - they are Christian people. When one is the survivor of someone who has been mutilated, murdered and sexually assaulted it is very hard to get over.

I refer also to elderly women - in their seventies and their eighties - who have been sexually assaulted over the last few years. These women have been sexually assaulted by younger men. I find it hard to accept that young men can do these things to older women in their homes. It is hard to imagine what such a sexual assault does to an elderly woman and her husband. Women should do whatever they can to bring the causes of the exploitation and sexual abuse of women and children to the forefront. As I said earlier, the main cause of the problem must be attacked; the problem should not be covered up with bandaid measures. We must deal with what is inciting men to act in this way. The majority of male members of this House are good men. As the Hon. Franca Arena indicated, they are not speaking in this debate, although men are the perpetrators of these crimes.

The Hon. R. D. Dyer: I have spoken in the debate.

The Hon. ELAINE NILE: That is right, the Minister has spoken in the debate. I accept that it is not necessary for a great number of male members to speak in this debate, because the male members of this House are good men. However, the government of the day must attack the causes of this problem.

The Hon. D. F. MOPPETT [12.31]: The brevity of the contributions of some of the previous speakers have provided me with an opportunity to speak in this debate, for which I am grateful. I did not anticipate that I would be afforded such an opportunity. I congratulate the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith and the other women members of this Chamber who have spoken in support of the Reclaim the Night march. I also congratulate those who initiated this movement. The Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith has given the House a description of the time at which the marches commenced and the women decided to make a stand. The women had been advised by local police that it was unsafe for them to go about the streets and that they should confine their perambulations to diurnal times. That advice stimulated the women to say "Enough is enough", and they decided to make a protest to secure the safety of the streets.

Although the cases referred to by the Hon. Elaine Nile are abhorrent to all honourable members, in the whole spectrum of violence this debate is about safety on the streets rather than in the home. I would have been content to have allowed the National Party view to be presented by the Hon. Jennifer Gardiner. She was well prepared and spoke with great compassion for those who are part of the movement. Indeed, she could be said to be part of the sorority of women involved in this movement, and I would have been happy to have left the carriage of this debate to her. However, I should like to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the availability of time to raise some other aspects. The sisters who have banded together in the city, and who are so ably supported by members in this Chamber, need to be reminded that they have country cousins. It is important to remember that this issue does not relate only to urban transport and to public places in the metropolitan area that have been identified in the debate. Men and women in country areas share great concerns about the safety of women in public places. Without attenuating in any way the support I have offered to the Reclaim the Night movement, it has manifested itself much more widely in rural transgender community-wide marches.

I am delighted that the Attorney General is at the table. I have previously referred in this Chamber to one such march in Bourke. Another march was held recently in Gilgandra, of which the Attorney General would be aware. The citizens who took to the streets of Bourke and Gilgandra shared the objectives of those who take part in the march in Sydney. The citizens of Bourke and Gilgandra marched under the banner of law and order generally, but they were primarily concerned with safety in public places for both women and men. The citizens of Bourke and Gilgandra and the citizens of Sydney could almost be translocated. As many speakers have mentioned, most sexually violent incidents are perpetrated by men against women.

However, in many cases in country areas it is not merely the risk of sexual assault which concerns women moving around rural towns; they are concerned about the broad range of physical violence, physical assault and robbery. Because of those concerns they are afraid to move about rural cities and towns. I join other members in expressing support for the Reclaim the Night march. I will not be present at the march, but the participants will have my support in spirit. I hope that this march will be supported by all elements in our society to ensure that in future we live in a more peaceful society, one in which respect for everyone is maintained without exception, and in which, particularly, the role of women in our society is honoured and cherished.

The Hon. I. COHEN [12.36]: As a Green and a man, I totally support the Reclaim the Night march and recognise the brave pioneering work of women over the years who have taken to the street to reclaim the night. This movement has been strong in Sydney, but the region of Lismore, where I live, has participated annually in this type of
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event. It is a sad indictment of the values of our society that this type of activity is necessary in this day and age. However, it is a reality. I stand behind the women in both the Parliament and on the street in their pursuit of equal human rights and the freedom to move around in safety and security under any circumstances. As a man, I strongly object to the statement made so often in the media, in the justice system, and by police and reactionary men that, somehow or other, women deserve the treatment they receive. A culture of domination, bullying and cowardice exists, and such comments are still heard in the system. Men need to recognise the dominant role we have in society and the fact that sexual violence emanates from men. We must look at ourselves and work towards listening to the claims of women, and work towards improving the way we interact with them in the Parliament, in the street, and in our families.

I listened to the remarks of the Hon. Elaine Nile. It is a never ending surprise to me to hear of the types of activities taking place behind the doors and locked gates of suburban homes. This sexual abuse has been hidden for too long, but I do not believe its incidence in increasing. As a result of events such as Reclaim the Night, people are talking about this subject more freely. It is important that women in society should be able to make justifiable complaints about these types of devastating issues without fear of vilification. Men need to examine their motives and not hide behind brave, macho stereotypes. Men should understand that women can teach men a great deal. Men need to be able to show compassion and be strong in a male way, but they also need to be able to cry and to empathise with the problems experienced by women who are so often bullied and dominated in our society. I totally support the aims of this march and the aims of the women's movement. These women have bravely stood up against the mores of society. The Greens have attempted to address these problems, and recognise that these problems can be resolved by communication. The motion has my full support.

The Hon. R. S. L. JONES [12.40]: I support fully the motion moved by Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith. Women should be able to walk freely and safely anywhere in any city at any time of the night or day without fear. I hope that other male members of this House will also support the motion.

The Hon. Dr MARLENE GOLDSMITH [12.41], in reply: I thank all honourable members for their contributions to this debate and for their support of the motion. This debate will send a strong message to the women of New South Wales, indeed to all people in New South Wales, that sexual violence is not to be tolerated. It will also send a message to the organisers of the Reclaim the Night march - indeed, to the thousands of women involved in the march - that they are engaging in a worthwhile exercise to raise community consciousness about the issue of sexual violence. I would like to mention briefly some of the contributions made by honourable members. The Hon. Dr Meredith Burgmann mentioned that she had had very short notice of this debate. If that is the case, I apologise, but I understood that she was aware of the proposal. Whether the proposal was to be debated has always been in the hands of the House. Until the House had voted on the motion, I could not be certain that the matter would be discussed today. That gave rise to some uncertainty, and if there was some misunderstanding, that was entirely unintentional.

I have been delighted by the multipartisan support for the motion. The members of the Standing Committee on Social Issues have worked together on a number of important social issues. I have a personal interest in ensuring that in future the Parliament may move towards dealing with important issues in a bipartisan way rather than settling, almost automatically, into an adversarial pattern of dealing with subjects as they arise. The structure of the Westminster system, however long and hallowed it is, simply encourages conflict rather than consensus. The Hon. Dr Meredith Burgmann spoke of the cult of fear in the media. I support those remarks. People in our society are being made unnecessarily afraid of violence; they are being led to believe that there is far more general violence than there actually is. In the case of sexual violence fear is not always unjustified, certainly not for young women. Statistics seem to suggest that in a general sense older women probably are more in fear than they need to be. But in any one case sexual violence can never be justified. With so much sexual violence in our society women cannot take their safety for granted.

I thank the Hon. Patricia Forsythe for her kind words, as indeed I thank a number of other members who also made generous references to me. However, as I said earlier, I do not regard this motion as only my motion; it is a motion of all honourable members. It relates to an issue that we worked on together, and it is something of which we are all part. I acknowledge particularly the contribution of the Hon. Patricia Forsythe, the shadow spokesperson on women's affairs, to this debate because the idea of moving this motion originated with her. She does deserve credit for that. The Hon. Patricia Forsythe generously suggested that I should move the motion because of my long experience and involvement with Reclaim the Night, but the credit is indeed due to her.

The motion is a much more powerful and permanent way of putting the concerns of Reclaim the Night on the record than other strategies might have been. Last year, for example, the method used, as the Hon. Franca Arena has said, was to stand on the front steps of Parliament and read out the demands of the collective. As the honourable member said, those of us who participated found that to be a powerful experience because we shared the platform with survivors of sexual assault who had the courage to speak about their own
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experiences. The Hon. Franca Arena was critical of the fact that, at least to that stage, male members of this House had not contributed to the debate. Other speakers have also alluded to that matter. In defence of my male colleagues, I feel obliged to point out that that was a matter of courtesy, given that this debate has a limited time frame and it was likely that the time for debate would expire. It was important that all female members of the House who wished to speak in the debate had an opportunity to do so. That was the case. I thank all of them, particularly our male colleagues who participated. In the result, we did not run out of time.

The Hon. Jennifer Gardiner spoke about transport. That is a particular interest of hers, so I am not surprised she took up that demand of the Reclaim the Night committee. She also mentioned the men's organisations working in this area. I briefly mention Men Against Sexual Assault, MASA, with which I also have had a number of dealings in the past. That is a group of committed people who organise every year white ribbon day as a way of men dealing with the issue of sexual assault and taking it on board. They are indeed a trailblazing group of men who are setting out to change some of the traditional attitudes to masculinity in our society that help to create the culture of domination and bullying to which the Hon. I. Cohen referred.

I listened with interest to the contribution of the Minister for Community Services. I am delighted that $2,000 will be made available by the Department for Women for the rally this year. It should be noted that that funding is a continuation of the policy begun last year by the Hon. Kerry Chikarovski when she was Minister for the Status of Women. The continuation of this funding indicates a bipartisan, indeed multipartisan, commitment to Reclaim the Night and to women's issues generally. I am delighted that the funding will continue. The Minister for Community Services was concerned that the demands of Reclaim the Night committee were not forwarded in advance.

My understanding is that the demands are part of the march and that the responses of the Minister and his colleagues to the demands will be reported at next year's march. It is also my understanding that the demands will be ratified at the march. However, the committee may wish to take on board the Minister's suggestion that in future demands be forwarded in advance of the march and that ministerial responses be reported on at the rally. That might be a further encouragement to producing positive responses to the needs of women in New South Wales. I thank the Minister for his support in this debate and for these types of issues generally.

The Hon. Elisabeth Kirkby spoke very powerfully, as she always does, particularly when she referred to the statement made last year by a survivor of sexual violence. I am not surprised that she spoke on the demand that the legal system be made more accessible and equitable. I found the contribution of the Hon. Janelle Saffin most interesting, especially her point that sexual violence is predominantly the result of a crime committed by someone known to the female victim of the violence. That is a point well worth remembering, and one that has been made by several other members.

The Hon. Janelle Saffin spoke of the record of the Labor Party. I should like to remind honourable members that the coalition has a very good record also. I have before me an outline of the measures designed to assist victims of sexual assault announced by Premier Fahey in 1993 - at least 12 or 13 separate programs introduced on that one occasion alone. The Labor Government is following important foundation footsteps in this regard. The Hon. Ann Symonds spoke to demand No. 2 regarding police, and I thank her very much for that. My time is running short, so I shall have to be brief. I thank the Hon. Elaine Nile for her contribution, and also the Hon. D. F. Moppett, the Hon. I. Cohen and the Hon. R. S. L. Jones. I note that the Hon. Helen Sham-Ho would have liked to speak in support of the motion but because she was at a committee hearing she was prevented from coming to the Chamber in time. It is my regret that for the first time in many years I will not be at the Reclaim the Night march on Friday. It is my great disappointment that I have a prior engagement, which I must attend, but I commend the organisers - [Time expired.]

Discussion concluded.