50 signatures reached
To: Federal MPs
Stand Up, Speak Out- End Domestic Violence!
We call on our federal political leaders to commit to:
• Legislate for paid domestic violence leave to be available to all workers in the National Employment Standards of the Fair Work Act.
• Provide new and additional funding for specialist women-led women’s services via a new national funding agreement between all governments
Why is this important?
Domestic and family violence (DVF) is not just a private or personal issue. When an employee is living with DVF there are often very real costs and negative impacts that flow to the workplace. Some common costs and impacts include:
• Decreased staff performance and productivity
• Increased staff turnover and absenteeism
The Fair Work Act provides eligible employees who are experiencing DVF, or eligible employees who are supporting a family or household member experiencing DVF, the right to request flexible working arrangements. However, the discrimination and stigma that employees can face when they disclose their experience often prevents them from accessing this right.
Additionally, there is no right of appeal if the right to request is denied. Therefore women are often unlikely to request this right to work flexibly for fear that they may face discrimination due to the stigma or the misconception that women experiencing violence are unproductive or unreliable.
The introduction of domestic and family violence leave in the national employment standards and modern awards would help to address these existing gaps.
Beyond changes to the legislation, funding to frontline services has been severely cut under the Abbott/Turnbull government. This has left many services overloaded, not funded to operate 24/7 which means a lower quality of service and the risk of loss of worker expertise though burnout and vicarious trauma. We need to ensure that funding is put back where it is needed more, for specialist women-led women’s services to address the safety, well-being and status of women.