Safe, Everywhere, Always

President,

Women should be safe, everywhere, always.

But as two horrific attacks on women running in Mulligans Flat and Tuggeranong earlier this year made painfully clear, that is still not the reality for women here in the ACT, or across Australia.

Like so many Canberrans, I was shocked and saddened by these attacks.

And in the aftermath, I joined the hundreds of women who gathered in Mulligans Flat in an act of solidarity - many with their own stories of fear, of constant vigilance and of the daily compromises women make in order to feel safe.

It was the collective voices of these women and their experiences that prompted me to launch the Safe, Everywhere, Always Survey in a bid to give all women and girls in our city an avenue to share their experiences directly with government and, importantly, to tell us what changes they think would make the most meaningful difference.

More than two and a half thousand women and girls in Canberra generously took the time to complete this survey and their responses are as powerful as they are confronting.

86.6 per cent of women reported changing their plans or behaviour to stay safe.

And 43 per cent of young women aged 15-24 take safety precautions every single time they leave home.

Civic, Braddon, Dickson, bus interchanges, and nature reserves were the most frequently reported unsafe areas.

And there were 1,164 mentions of inadequate lighting - especially at bus stops, interchanges, parks, and pathways.

49 per cent of women said they lack confidence in current reporting structures.

And over 500 women called for education campaigns focused on changing men's attitudes and behaviours.

The women who completed this survey didn't hold back - and I thank them for that.

One survey respondent wrote: "As a female runner I take a lot of precautions to stay safe - I have headphones that don't cover my ears so I can hear my surroundings, I will tell someone where I am going and have my location shared for some family and friends, I will only run in daylight, and I will often have my dog with me. Conversely, my male partner doesn't even consider these things when he goes out for a run."

Another respondent articulated the frustration many women feel: "I should be able to move through this world without having to adjust my behaviour - sometimes with costs attached such as taxis - or devote as much mental energy to planning my route or attire, just so that I feel safe getting from A to B."

This is the lived reality for women not just here in Canberra, but across Australia.

The mental load of constant vigilance.

The financial cost of choosing safer, more expensive transport options.

The abandonment of exercise routines and social activities.

When women avoid public transport after dark, abandon exercise routines, or spend money they cannot afford on alternative transport because they fear for their safety, we are failing as a community.

When 43 per cent of young women aged 15-24 in Canberra take safety precautions every single time they leave home, we are denying an entire generation of young women the freedom to fully participate in city life.

The findings in this survey are confronting.

Women have identified specific locations where they feel unsafe like bus stops and parks, and pointed to infrastructure issues that leave them vulnerable like lack of lighting.

As a direct result of this survey, I have written to the Chief Minister of the ACT seeking to work together to improve safety for women in Canberra.

And to the CEO of the National Capital Authority, requesting an urgent update on the lighting review which is currently underway as priorities coming out of the survey focus heavily on improved lighting to move around the city after dark.

Women have also told us clearly that they must be taken seriously when they make reports about behaviour that makes them feel unsafe or when they have experienced harm.

They also told us consistently that women's safety is not solely a women's issue.

As one respondent put it: "This is a men's problem - their behaviour is making women feel unsafe. It is a small number of them but it is still men who make us unsafe. The solution needs to involve men advocating and calling out other men."

While we must continue to improve infrastructure, lighting, and transport safety, we cannot engineer our way out of a cultural problem.

We can improve lighting and take other public safety steps but we also have to focus on changing harmful attitudes towards women.

We need to continue to focus on efforts to change men's attitudes and behaviours so that there is no longer a risk of violence for women to fear.

I want to thank and acknowledge every woman and girl who participated in this survey.

I know how difficult talking about this can be.

Thank you for sharing your experiences of feeling unsafe, of being harassed or threatened, and of having to change your behaviour to stay safe - these are not easy stories to tell.

And thank you for believing and caring enough to push for change and improvements.

I can assure you that your voice matters, your safety matters, and that your demands for change will drive action.

As your local Senator and Federal Minister for Women, I am committed taking these survey results with me as I work for change because every woman should be safe, everywhere, always.