Kogarah Community Services

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-110897

Hansard session: Fifty-Seventh Parliament, First Session (57-1)

Kogarah Community Services

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (19:42):

:21 It is an honour to speak in support of Kogarah Community Services, a community organisation that services not just my electorate but also the neighbouring electorates of Lakemba, Kogarah and Rockdale. This fantastic organisation provides support for those in all walks of life. It utilises its strong connection with the broader local community to advocate for positive change. Change is not always easy to enact but it is very important. Kogarah Community Services continues to be a very strong, passionate, forward-thinking group in the community.

In February I attended One Billion Rising Kogarah. This included a vibrant showcase of multicultural diversity in the community with dancing and performances. I was pleased to see the number of people who enjoyed the show, including Mayor Kevin Greene and Councillor Nick Katris. But it is important to recognise the cause for which we all came together. We gathered in solidarity for One Billion Rising, which is a mass action to end oppression, exploitation and violence against women. This campaign was initially launched eight years ago and is a global movement. Just as we support the movement in Sydney, over the years similar events have taken place in America, England, Germany and Italy. The key messages of the organisation are promoted through action, art and imagination. This is in line with the organisation's call to action—to raise the vibration and rise for revolution.

Unfortunately violence against women continues to be a significant issue worldwide. Globally one in three women has experienced violence. In Australia one woman a week is murdered by a current or former partner, and one in six women experiences abuse before the age of 15. The reality is that these statistics will always be underestimated as many women will never share or report their experience of violence. Even so, these numbers are staggering, alarming and just unacceptable. The effects of this violence are enduring and life-changing and, sadly, can be fatal.

We all gathered for One Billion Rising because we recognised that something needed to change, and that message continues to prevail. In solidarity with One Billion Rising we added our voice to the global movement of preventing violence against women. This event truly demonstrated the commitment that Kogarah Community Services case workers made to promoting change within the community. It is a reminder that this is an issue that is not distant from our local community; rather, it is sadly too familiar. As I mentioned earlier, there were lively dance performances from a range of multicultural groups. When the One Billion Rising campaign was first launched, dance was used as a sort of symbol of freedom, unity, and disruption to the norm. Dancing creates a presence and joins people together, even though they may not have a set direction. I thoroughly enjoyed all the fantastic performances on the evening.

This event took place a week before the horrific and senseless murder of Hannah Clarke and her three children. I take this time to reflect and pay tribute to this young family whose lives were lost too soon to a disgusting and abhorrent attack of violence. The New South Wales Government supports providing more frontline services for victims and ensuring that primary prevention efforts continue. This includes providing record funding of 84 women's refuges and men's behaviour change programs, as well as community education and intervention programs. I thank Kogarah Community Services for its organisation of the event in support of this very important case. It was an honour to attend and support this global movement. While I hope everybody had a fantastic evening, I also hope that the core sentiment of the night is enduring.