Domestic Violence Requires All Of Us To Act
In recent days as many as 4 people have died in various violent attacks connected to domestic relationships within families and partnerships.
One was a preschool aged child believed to have been stabbed to death by the mother. Two other young children at this same event are lucky to be alive after they were also stabbed in the attack.
Another killed was a mother, believed to have been attacked by her own son.
A third was a grandmother who seems to have been murdered by her grandson.
A fourth was a young woman allegedly murdered by her male partner.
The tragic events of this past weekend show us just how far and wide domestic violence reveals its terrible self. Domestic violence is much more than violence between two people in a direct relationship.
The pain of the families and friends and wider communities, in each of these terrible events, is unimaginable. It won’t end when the media moves on and it won’t end with the sad funerals in the coming days and weeks.
Governments of all political persuasions, over many years, have all committed themselves to taking action on the domestic violence front. Many hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent in every State and Territory, right across Australia, and yet the domestic violence murders, and abuses, continue.
That’s why I am asking today, with a heavy heart, for each of us to think about what we might be able to do to help. How might we save the next child, partner, parent, or grandparent? What conversations might we be able to have in our families, in our communities, at our work and through our sports and hobbies, about the problems of domestic violence? What action is within our power to help reduce domestic violence in our own social circles?
Please, if you can, do something today and every day to tackle this problem and reduce the harm that it brings to so many.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800respect.org.au. In an emergency, always call 000.
Have You Started to Get Ready for Fire Risk This Season?
Last weekend it was terrific to see so many of our Rural Fire Brigades open their doors and remind us that we need to get ready for a hot summer ahead.
Our winter this year was one of the hottest on record. It was hard to believe that in many backyards the grass actually stayed green, instead of turning its normal yellow-brown colour.
The summer season ahead looks to be a dry one, with plenty of heat.
Being prepared for the 2026/27 fire season is a really important step for all of us to take. Waiting for a fire to be getting ever closer to your home is too late to get ready.
So do those little jobs that will help you and your house survive should a fire come your way. Clear away any branches, bushes, shrubs and vegetation that might be way too close to your house and not looking in the best of green health. And don’t forget to clean out those roof gutters – leaf litter in your gutters is one of the highest fire risks to your home. Make sure that you have a small package of the family’s most precious items ready to go out the door, with you, if you are asked to evacuate.
Across the Cessnock Electorate we are so lucky to be surrounded by beautiful bushland. Many of us don’t need to travel more than a few kilometres to have the chance to enter a bush setting. This nearby bushland beauty is also our fire risk.
We are very lucky to have the many wonderful volunteers that are willing to do the training and maintain their firefighting skills so that an RFS fire truck is never too far away. The least that we can do is to help make their job easier. So please, get yourself ready, for this fire season.