One in Three Campaign

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Open letter to the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bill Shorten

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Thank you, Bill, for your concern about the serious issue of violence in Australian society.

You offered some statistics about violence against women and also about women's experience of family violence, but nothing about male victims.

Here are the corresponding statistics when it comes to men:

  • 1 in 2 Australian men have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 (ABS).

  • Like female victims of violence, male victims were most likely to have experienced violence from strangers and other known persons during the last 12 months, and least likely to have experienced violence from a partner (ABS).

  • 5 per cent of Australian men have experienced violence by a current or previous partner in their lifetime (ABS).

  • 1 in 3 adults who experienced violence from a current partner during the last 12 months or since the age of 15 were male (ABS).

  • Just 5 per cent of Australian men who have experienced current partner violence reported it to police (ABS).

  • 1 man is killed every ten days in a domestic homicide (AIC).

Neither these statistics, nor those of female victims are acceptable in a civilised society.

Bill, you talked yesterday of standing with every Australian experiencing family violence. Please ensure Labor's family violence response encompasses men, women and children, whether victims or perpetrators.

One in Three