The One Nation leader referred to the leave entitlement as a 'holiday'
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has drawn backlash from unions for comments that she made about the paid family and domestic violence (FDV) leave in a podcast back in November.
Hanson, speaking at the Broken Fathers Podcast, referred to the leave entitlement as a "holiday" and commented that the scheme was "ridiculous."
"Then you got domestic violence holiday leave, you know," she said in the show. "Ten days a year they brought that in. So everyone's, you know, claiming domestic violence and everything like that. It's ridiculous."
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) slammed Hanson's comments in a statement, calling them "reckless and dangerous."
"People who experience family and domestic violence are not on a holiday, far from it," said ACTU president Michele O'Neil in a statement.
"The leave allows them to get to court, meet police, find emergency accommodation, and put safety arrangements in place for themselves and their children."
ACTU said women have recognised the leave entitlement as "essential" to surviving and getting back on their feet.
"Pauline Hanson needs to be reminded that on average, a woman is killed every nine days by a current or former partner in Australia. One Nation is wrong, and unions will not allow attacks on this hard-won leave to stand," O'Neil said.
"If you actually care about working Australians, you don't attack the measures that keep them safe, that keep their jobs and support their families while they face some of the toughest circumstances imaginable, yet that is what One Nation is doing."
Australia's FDV leave
Australia's FDV leave makes employees eligible for 10 days of paid leave each year if they are experiencing family and domestic violence.
Employers are not allowed to take adverse action against employees who take the FDV leave, such as dismissal, changing their job to their disadvantage, and treating them differently to other employees.
Employers, however, can request evidence confirming the leave was taken to deal with family and domestic violence, and that doing so outside work hours was not practical. The Fair Work Ombudsman notes that employees who fail to provide the requested evidence may not be paid for the leave.
Hanson's doubt on victims
Hanson's comments on the podcast also went beyond criticising the FDV leave, as she also called out the $5,000 financial support granted by the government under the Leaving Violence Programme to victim-survivors.
"I'm totally against it because this is an incentive to actually go out there make false allegations until you prove to me that your allegations are true and not just on piece of paper. Why should the taxpayer pay be paying them $5,000?" the One Nation leader said.
"And I don't believe that a lot of these women are doing – who's to say it's not a scam?" she added. "There's too many people out there that scam. And I'm sick and tired of the taxpayer footing, you know, picking up the bill all the time."
The Australian government has outlined the criteria for individuals who are eligible for the Leaving Violence Programme. The criteria include having left or have a plan to leave a violent intimate partner relationship, among other requirements.
Domestic violence a 'two-way street'
Hanson's comments on the Broken Fathers podcast resurfaced after she recently commented that domestic violence was a "two-way street" on a Brisbane radio program.
"It is wrong, but it's also a two-way street," she said as quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald. "But I'm not saying that it's just men ... women can lose their cool as well."
She added that domestic violence is a "scourge," and said women who are being abused in their relationship should leave.
"I'm not going to go in detail, but I've been through it myself in my life, and I just feel that if you're not in a house where you feel safe, you feel you don't want to be there, then you shouldn't put up with it," she said.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody and National Children's Commissioner Deb Tsorbaris rejected Hanson's comments in a statement.
"Any suggestion that victim-survivors share the blame is harmful, wrong, and dangerous. Domestic violence is never the responsibility of the person experiencing it," Cody said.
Tsorbaris also pointed out that there are "enormous" barriers that parents face when trying to keep themselves and their children safe.
"We must recognise the complexity of these situations and ensure children and families are supported rather than judged," the commissioner said.
