Ministerial Accountability, Domestic Violence & the National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children

National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children
The letter copied below and supporting information mailed to National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children members as noted, Tuesday 3rd June 2008, (some Council members and/or their organisations had already been directly approached begging for assistance and support and had not been available or for whatever reason chosen not to support or assist us or use my information to protect others from a similar traumatic experience). No response as yet.

How do I and other women who have experienced violence and are desperately trying to gain safety, security and support for their children and themselves understand the lack of response and the ethical gap between what is said and what is done (or not done) in regards to violence against children and women. If no member of the newly announced National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children is compassionate enough or available to even respond to communication from women and mothers desperate for safety and security for their children and themselves what does this mean about the Council, and the environment, mandate, safety, integrity, ethics, or opportunity for any change to the lived reality of violence experienced by children and women?

* * *


Heather Nancarrow
…

Re: National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children, and Australian Children and Women Trapped Overseas by Domestic Violence and Systemic and Judicial Abuse.

Dear Ms Nancarrow,

Congratulations on your appointment as Deputy Chair to the newly announced National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children (as per Australian Government media release 26th May 2008).

I am contacting you to beg for your and the council’s assistance for Australian children and women trapped overseas by domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse.

Information regarding my attempts to obtain safety, security and support for us and deal with the problems encountered in a foreign justice system where justice department employees misrepresent in court information from professionals regarding immigrant women and their children’s experience of domestic abuse can be found on the online resource I created in the form of a blog www.womenwhowant2gohome.blogspot.com (see posts “The Perils of Indifference…”, “Dear Mr Prime Minister …”, “A letter to our new prime minister …”, “Waiting and hoping …” and “Further out of view … further out of mind …”). Extensive documentation has been supplied to numerous government departments, politicians and advocacy organisations over many years in efforts to obtain support and assistance. The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Tanya Plibersek MP and Maxine McKew MP are a few of the people who have received that documentation and would be able to supply you with copies of that information.

The implications for children and women when there is an “ethical gap” between what is said and what is actually done for children and women who have experienced domestic and family violence are very concerning. Despite begging for assistance from many who say they care about these issues (see post “The Perils of Indifference … ) we have been ignored or excuses found not to assist us - despite the willingness to intervene on behalf of David Hicks, Schapelle Corby, the “Bali Nine”, Canadian seal hunt protestors, whales, the last asylum seekers on Nauru, and most recently a Chinese asylum seeker accused of corruption in her homeland.

This situation has been so traumatic that my eldest daughter attempted suicide and I still cannot get any assistance. I am extremely concerned for my children’s welfare, wellbeing and safety, my wellbeing and safety, the wellbeing and safety of the other Australian woman and her children mentioned in my online resource, all other children and women in this traumatic situation, concerned about security of my information and documents and personal possessions still in Canada and desperate for immediate intervention and assistance for all of us.

A guest speaker at the “Towards Better Practice: Enhancing collaboration between women’s mental health services and domestic violence services” seminar, hosted by Sydney University Faculty of Education and Social Work, (proceedings posted at the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse website) informed me that “female politicians will not speak up about these issues for fear of backlash” and that “the government will not do anything unless the media embarrasses them into it”. I am hoping that with the formation of this new council there are safer, more supportive and more immediate options now available to women and children who have experienced violence.

There are members of your council and the previous and present governments who have been aware of our and other similar situations for more than twelve months and for whatever reason have not been willing or available to provide us assistance, support or advocacy or to use my information to prevent other Australians from a similar traumatic experience. Hopefully the newly formed National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children will make it safe for all involved to speak up and work together for children’s and women’s immediate safety. My priority is for my children and I and the other Australian mother and children mentioned in my online resource to be safely home in Australia with our families immediately, and for others in similar traumatic circumstances, who are unknown to me, to also receive immediate assistance and intervention - to provide the safety and justice we have been denied for so many years. When my children and I are safe I would like to use my experiential knowledge and personal research to contribute to safety, security, support and sustainable futures for all children and women.

Immediate assistance, support and advocacy would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

…

Cc Dorinda Cox, Maria Dimopoulos, Dr Melanie Heenan, Rachel Kayrooz, Andrew O’Keefe, Vanessa Swan, Lisa Wilkinson


* * *


Remarks to Inaugural Meeting if the National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children http://www.pm.gov.au/media/Speech/2008/speech_0285.cfm (04 June 2008)

Media Release – Member of the National Council to reduce violence against women and children announced. 26/05/2008 http://www.tanyaplibersek.fahcsia.gov.au/internet/tanyaplibersek.nsf/content/nat_council_violence_26may08.htm

Office for Women- National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women And Children, Terms of Reference http://www.ofw.fahcsia.gov.au/womens_safety_agenda/national_council_reduce_violence.htm

New Leadership, Fact Sheet- Protection and prevention: Labor’s national plan to reduce violence against women. Found at www.kevin07.com.au

“Don’t ask, don’t tell – domestic violence” Tanya Plibersek, Australian Labor Party media release, 18th December 2008 www.alp.org.au/media/1205/mswom190.php

“Prevention and Protection: Federal Labor’s National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children” Tanya Plibersek - Media Statement – 18th November 2007, www.alp.org.au/media/1107/mswom180.php

Tanya Plibersek MP, Shadow Minister for Human Services, Housing, Women & Youth, “The Commonwealth’s role in improving the safety of women and children”, NSW Legal Aid, Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Program Annual Conference, Sydney, 2 August 2007.

“Violence taunt triggers demand for apology” Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 5th June, 2008, p4 by Phillip Coorey, Chief Political Correspondent http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/violence-taunt-triggers-demand-for-apology/2008/06/04/1212258910245.html
“The Opposition was last night demanding an apology after Minister for the Status of Women,, Tanya Plibersek, questions its attitude towards reducing violence against women when in government.”
The article goes on to describe as scene in parliament when “During question time, Ms Plibersek lauded yesterday morning’s inaugural meeting of the Government’s National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children. … She caused anger when she said the actions initiated by the Rudd Government were in stark contrast to those of its predecessor. She ribbed Ms Bishop, who held the status of women portfolio in the Howard government for focussing on advertising and publications to tackle the problem.”
The article concludes, “Ms Plibersek said she was not questioning the Coalitions attitude but she would not be doing her job if she did not question how public money was spent.”
Tanya Plibersek, Julie Bishop and their respective political parties have been contacted and had extensive documentation shared with them over many the years about the plight of Australian children and women trapped overseas by domestic violence and have refused to provide any assistance, support and advocacy or speak publicly about these issues. It is hard to imagine that while they ignore us they do respond to other children and women desperate for safety and protection from violence – but if so why?

* * *

Copied below is an email I sent to Ms Plibersek in August 2005, begging for assistance for my children and myself as Australians trapped overseas by domestic violence and judicial abuse, and the reply I received from Ms Plibersek’s office. Since the 2007 federal election despite now being in government and being the Minister for Women Ms Plibersek is still not available to assist Australian children and women trapped overseas by domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse use my information to protect others from a similar trauma or respond to the extensive supporting documentation forwarded from Senator Joe Ludwig’s office by his assistant Merritt Foley (the extensive documentation was sent to Senator Ludwig when he was Shadow Attorney General).

* * *
…

Dear Ms …

Thank you for your email to Tanya Plibersek. Tanya has asked me to
respond on her behalf. As your email query refers to issues with the
Canadian justice system and the … Justice Department our
office is not able to assist you. Tanya is an opposition Shadow
Minister. She is not in government and as such cannot intervene in your
case.

We are sorry we are not able to assist you further.


Pia van de Zandt
Office of Tanya Plibersek MP
Federal Member for Sydney
Shadow Minister for Work and Family
Shadow Minister for Childcare and Youth
Shadow Minister for Women
Ph: 9357 6366


-----Original Message-----
From: …
Sent: Wednesday, 24 August 2005 2:14 PM
To: Plibersek, Tanya (MP); ….

Subject: Australian women seek safety and justice.




Dear Ms Tanya Plibersek, …..


I am contacting you in regards to a personal situation that has
been extremely challenging and traumatic. For the well-being of my three
daughters, who are also Australian citizens, I hope you will be able to
read and respond to this situation with the same sense of urgency that
you would hope for if a situation like this was affecting you or your
family. I am sorry that because of the stress this is causing me I have
not been able to compile and write the accompanying material in as an
articulate and clear fashion as I would have liked and it may not
contain all the information you require to understand this situation.

Previously I contacted Bill Jackson, Australian Consulate,
Ottawa, Department of Foreign Affairs and Kay Hull, MP Riverina, in
regards to this situation (November 1999), and emailed Senator Kay
Patterson, Office of Women and Kay Hull (August 9, 2005). I do not have
enough information to know what if anything was done by the parties I
contacted in 1999 but in response to my recent emails (with the same
information attached as this email) the Office of Women sent me a email
to confirm receipt of my communication - after I had phoned them - but I
have received no further communication from that office. Kay Hull has
emailed me and notified me that she spoke with "the Minister" (I am not
sure who she is referring to) and their response is that there is no
role or responsibility for assistance or intervention on our behalf by
the government.

This response confuses me as I have ample documentation to show
that not only did my former spouse and other Canadian's deliberately
misrepresent information in court to deprive my children and I of our
right to safety and our right to return to Australia, but to also to
show that the … Justice Department and its employees were
involved in misrepresenting information from myself and professionals in regards to our experience
of domestic abuse, for the same reason. Because of our Australian
citizenship we were not able to receive just and impartial treatment in
the …. justice system.

I would appreciate if with your knowledge and experience you
could give me your perspective.

What I want is safety for my children and myself, to give my
daughters a rich and safe childhood such as I experienced in Australia
and to have the opportunity to contribute to my country the way other
members of my family are enjoying.


Thank you for your consideration of this information,
Sincerely,
…

* * *


When Ms Plibersek responded to my email and informed me that because “my query refers to issues with the Canadian justice system and the … Justice Department our office is not able to assist you” she was aware that the Australian government had been providing assistance and legal funding to Schapelle Corby for over twelve months, the “Bali Nine” for five months and might have already been involved in Labor Party discussions regarding holding the government accountable to “judicial fairness” for David Hicks (who had gone overseas to fight for the Taliban, an organisation that believes in denying girls and women equality and human rights). Certainly the fact that they were “not in government” did not stop members of the Labor Party intervening or expecting the government to intervene in Mr Hick’s case, or prevent Ms Plibersek from making press releases regarding the government and violence against children and women as noted above.

The above email response (or lack of response) is not consistent with information and assertions in media releases and other public statements from either Ms Plibersek or the Australian Labor Party.

It is not that there aren’t resources or precedents for assisting other Australians experiencing difficulties overseas, from whale and seal hunt protestors to those who set off on other trips known to be equally perilous such as crossing Greenland, from those harmed in the London and Bali bombings to those caught up in the most recent bombing in Lebanon, from paedophiles who choose to travel to Asian countries to sexually assault children to someone who was recently jailed in Indian for accidentally straying across the border from Nepal “but was released after pressure from the Australian government”.
The men who were jailed in Lebanon after assisting Canadian Melissa Hawarth regain custody of her daughters were also released after pressure form the Australian government. Even a Chinese woman who is in Australia illegally and wanted in her homeland on corruption charges has benefited from the Australian government advocating on her behalf with the Chinese government in regards to her treatment in China’s justice system when she is returned - to those who have given up their Australian citizenship such as Douglas Woods who the government readily and immediately contacted the United Nations to ask for assistance for and spent $10 million rescuing from Iraq.

This year Bob Debus MP, Minister for Home Affairs has worked hard to finalise the prison transfers of Schapelle Corby and some members of the “Bali Nine” (See ABC online article “AM – Further talks on prison transfer treaty with Indonesia” by Lindy Kerin www.abc.net.au/am/content/2008/s2177656.htm , Herald Sun article “Prison deal could bring Schapelle Corby home” by Garry Linnell, March 03,2008 – “Schapelle Corby’s hopes of coming home to serve out her 20-year sentence have been dramatically boosted by talks between the Government and Indonesia- … and AAP article “Academic says Corby prison deal difficult” 3rd March 2008). These and other articles document the concern, compassion, resources and advocacy for convicted drug traffickers, (for whom the government has already provided consular assistance and legal funding) from the present and previous governments, mentioning efforts by Alexander Downer, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Philip Ruddock former Attorney-General and most recently Bob Debus current Minister for Home Affairs, who is credited with finalising these prison transfer deals. But for Australian children and women trapped overseas (not because they were convicted of a crime but because they are victims of a crime that is ignored) by domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse there is no compassion, no care and concern, no resources, no consular assistance and no legal funding – no one engages in any discussions at any level to try and ensure that we get to come home and be close to family as has been the concern expressed for convicted drug smugglers!