The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, Minister for Social Services, will Address the National Press Club of Australia on the "National Plan to end Violence against women and children 2022 –2032".
Amanda Rishworth was elected to the federal parliament as the Member for Kingston in Adelaide’s southern suburbs at the age of 29.
Prior to becoming Minister for Social Services, she served as a parliamentary secretary in the Gillard government in the areas of disabilities, carers, environment and water. In opposition Amanda served as an assistant minister in the education portfolio, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Youth.
Raised in Adelaide, Amanda attended local state schools before graduating with a Bachelor of Psychology Honours from Flinders University and a Masters Degree in Psychology from Adelaide University.
Before entering politics, she practised as a psychologist working with General Practitioners in the delivery of mental health care to the community and served as the Federal President of Young Labor.
Her diverse portfolio encompasses women’s safety, social security, delivering on an early years’ strategy, providing support for pensioners, improving the lives of Australians living with disability, abolishing the cashless debit card and tackling problem online wagering.
Amanda is passionate about improving the lives of the most disadvantaged Australians to make sure that no one is left behind and no one is held back.
Reducing, and ultimately ending, violence against women and children is a key priority for the Albanese Labor Government.
One woman dies every ten days at the hands of her former or current partner – a national shame.
For First Nations women and children this family, sexual and domestic violence is even more pronounced. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 18 time more likely to experience family and domestic violence and are 34-times more likely to be hospitalised for it.
Every two minutes police around the nation deal with a domestic violence incident.
As Minister for Social Services, the area of Women’s Safety is within Amanda Rishworth’s portfolio responsibilities.
Just four months into the job, she has taken action in this space and along with her state and territory counterparts has made a bold pledge to end this violence within one generation.
It’s the goal of governments around the nation to ensure future generations are not dealing with these issues.
Minister Rishworth will step out some of the levers needed – and those that will be put in place - to achieve this ambitious goal and also why the focus is on gendered violence.
