The Green Party is calling on the Government to adopt Jan Logie’s Domestic Violence-Victims' Protection Bill following calls to change employment law to protect people from family violence.
Submissions received as part of a Government review of family violence laws have recommended changing employment law to create paid employment leave for people in a family violence situation.
“Providing protections for victims of abuse so they can stay in work is critical to reducing the effects of violence, and my Domestic Violence-Victims' Protection Bill would help that to happen,” Green Party social development spokesperson Jan Logie said.
“A secure job means victims are much more able to maintain domestic and economic stability, and it helps them to find a pathway out of violence and to successfully rebuild their lives.
“The abuser may make it hard for a victim to get to work or target the victim at work, and once women have left a violent situation it can be very hard for them to juggle court, counselling, housing and the needs of their children without extra leave.
“Victims are particularly vulnerable in the workplace. This is due to the predictability of their location or working hours or both.
“Supporting my Bill is something meaningful and tangible that can be done immediately to protect women from the effects of domestic violence in the workplace. Overseas, similar provisions are working well.
“The National Government has been wasting time focusing on the wrong things while women and children have had to negotiate an under-resourced, fragmented, broken, and all too often ineffective system.
“My Bill provides practical solutions to address domestic violence across our society, and I would be very happy for the Government to pick it up,” Ms Logie said.
