Senator LUNDY (2:18 PM) —My question is to Senator Patterson, the Minister for Family and Community Services. I refer to the proposed $12 million sexual assault and domestic violence awareness program, including television advertisements which were due to have been aired right now. Given the recent allegations regarding sexual assaults committed by Rugby League players, is it not now even more important to run the `No respect, no relationship' campaign? In light of these current events, will the government reconsider the decision to withdraw the campaign in order for it to be run immediately?

Senator PATTERSON (Minister for Family and Community Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women) —No, we will not be running it immediately, Senator Lundy. It always pays to look at the history of these things. Let us go back and have a look at what Labor did about domestic violence when they were in government. There was a little program here, a little program there. There was no coordinated effort. Labor do not have a leg to stand on when it comes to discussing programs in domestic violence.

We have had a program, initiated originally by Senator Newman, Partnerships Against Domestic Violence and another smaller program against sexual assault. There was $66.5 million allocated to 235 individual programs aimed at working with people who are working with the victims of domestic violence, perpetrators of domestic violence and businesses to address the issue of domestic violence in the workplace. I could go on for 235 of them. But Labor has picked on one program, which is a communications program aimed particularly at young people. When we looked at the advertisements and at the program as a whole, we were of the opinion that, first of all, the message was not clear and unequivocal. The message must be very clear that violence is totally unacceptable and in fact in a number of cases criminal. The message needed to be very clear and unequivocal.

Also, there was a web site for people to go to once they had seen this advertising. It was the Prime Minister's opinion—and I support that—that that was not sufficient assistance for people who had been victims of sexual assault or violence or people who felt that they may be in a situation where they were at risk of sexual assault or violence. We decided we needed a 1800 number. You do not just put up a 1800 number—Labor might just put up a 1800 number—without structure and support behind that.

Last Friday I announced $500,000 to Lifeline to assist them to increase their resources to deal with people who are victims of domestic violence. There will be other resources rolled out to ensure access to the services provided by the states and territories. We can direct those people to those services. Senator Lundy happens to see herself as an IT expert but she is probably out of touch. There are people in this country who do not have access to IT, who have not used the Internet and who do not know how to use a web site. We want to make sure that they can pick up the telephone, use a 1800 number and be directed to an appropriate service in their state or territory. Ms Macklin said today that the program had been canned and that Labor was going to do it. We will roll that program out when we believe the message is clear and unequivocal and when we believe there is appropriate backup for those people whose concerns are raised as a result of the advertisement.

Senator LUNDY —Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Minister, you have skated across a number of issues, saying the campaign will eventuate when the message is clear. Can you advise why the campaign, and in particular the television awareness advertisements, has not proceeded to date? You made the statement this morning:

Has this campaign been held up by the Howard government's ignorance of appropriate services delivered at the state and community level? Finally, can the minister advise Australian women of when and where these commercials will finally go to air?

Senator PATTERSON (Minister for Family and Community Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women) —I thought I had answered that question, but I will do so again very slowly and very clearly for Senator Lundy. I will also at some stage give her, slowly and clearly, a tutorial on effective marginal tax rates, because she has got that wrong. We will roll out that campaign when we are sure the message is clear and unequivocal, when there is appropriate support behind that advertising and communications campaign to ensure that particularly the young people to whom it will be directed have access to appropriate services in the states and territories and when we have backed that up with a 1800 number so that they can be directed to those services appropriately.