 One in three Australian women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 and almost one in five have experienced sexual violence. Domestic violence and sexual assault perpetrated against women cost the nation 13.6 billion dollars every year. One in four young people have witnessed violence against their mother or their stepmother. Domestic and family violence is the principal cause of homelessness amongst women and 55% of women with children who are homeless are actually homeless because they're escaping violence. Intimate partner violence is the leading contributor to the death, disability or illness in Victorian women aged 15 to 44 years. Recently, Chief Commissioner Ken Laid from Victoria Police wrote in an article reminding us that in Victoria every week a woman is murdered by her partner or ex-partner. And he draws the analogy if in Victoria every week a person was murdered at a railway station or at a sporting venue or on the road, died on the road it would be seen as a horrific and intolerable figure. But there is an attitude that because much violence against women occurs in homes and behind closed doors that it's not our problem and because it goes unseen it doesn't affect it. This attitude must change and the violence must stop. Ken Laid goes on to talk about the fact that we place violence in a long continuum of violence against women and it should be placed in the wider culture where vulgar, violent and disrespectful attitudes against women are no longer tolerated. So this must change and this must stop. Commissioner Laid goes on to talk about our culture. Culture in Victoria and Australia is filled with men who have an indecent sense of entitlement to women. Violence against women whatever the form is not a feminist issue. It is a whole of society issue. It is a bloke's issue and it is an issue for CFA and the emergency services because we are leaders in society and we need to show leadership on this issue. We need your help to make any form of violence or indecency against women deeply shameful to those who perpetrate it and to those who see it occurring in society. If we shrug our shoulders and we stand by when violence to women is committed or vulgar acts are committed or disrespectful acts are committed then we as a society are diminished. So the onus is on me, it's on you and it's on us. To take a stand this must change, this must stop. I invite you now all to swear the oath of allegiance on this white ribbon day. I ask you to raise your right hand and repeat after me. I swear, never to commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women. This is my oath. Thank you very much.