Speeches
Thursday, 07 November 2024
Officially open the 2024 Adelaide White Ribbon Breakfast
Good morning and welcome to the annual Adelaide White Ribbon breakfast, now in its 16th year.
Your presence signifies a commitment to stand united against domestic and family violence – a commitment that is vital for our community.
Family and domestic violence is a scourge that has an impact on people across all demographics: it crosses all ages and backgrounds.
Sadly, the World Health Organization reports that one in three women will experience violence in their lifetime.
In Australia, the ABS reports that one in five women will be sexually assaulted or raped at some point in their life; and the Human Rights Commission’s Respect at Work Report tells us two in five women have faced sexual harassment in the workplace in the previous five years.
These figures are even more alarming for First Nations Women, women of colour, those with disabilities or those in the LGBTIQ+ community.
These statistics are not just numbers; they represent our mothers, sisters, and colleagues.
Today we are being asked to “Wake Up to Change,” a powerful invitation to acknowledge the crisis and to act.
It is not merely a women’s issue. It is everyone’s responsibility to effect change.
We must engage in conversations, educate ourselves and advocate for change. We must amplify our voices.
We cannot say it’s up to governments, we cannot say it’s up to workplaces, we cannot say it’s up to schools.
We have to say it’s up to all of us to drive change. Change that ensures power balance, respect, and action.
I welcome the role of the current South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, in examining how we can prevent, intervene, respond, and help heal. I fervently hope that its findings next year will provide a watershed for lasting change.
As Governor, when I visited the St Vincent de Paul women’s shelter and Catherine House, I was grateful that there were places such as these, where women and their children could find a safe, supportive environment.
Despite their harrowing experiences, their voices told of hope.
At a reception at Government House, I was pleased to hear of the work of the Zahra Foundation in providing financial empowerment to women who had experienced domestic abuse.
It is sobering to know that on average it takes seven attempts for women to leave an abusive relationship, because they fear falling into poverty or homelessness.
I thank everyone who, whether through an organisation or individual effort, is making a profound impact on women’s lives because it is a fundamental human right to be safe and free from violence.
To everyone here today, thank you for your unwavering pursuit of a future free of domestic, family, and sexual violence.
It gives me pleasure to formally open the breakfast.