[Music]
I was born in Africa and one of my
earliest memories is my recognition of
injustice I was maybe six years old and
my family and I were on holidays I can
remember the chocolate brown booth that
my brother and I slid into I can
remember the huge pile of buffet food
hot breakfasts they were my favorite
crispy bacon Sunnyside eggs couldn’t
wait to get stuck in while my mom and
dad were sliding into the booth beside
us my attention landed on a tall African
man who was standing not too far from
where we were
what happened next has stayed with me my
whole life just along from us there were
some diners and they were laughing and
making fun about the tall African man
who lined up for his breakfast at six
years old I didn’t really understand too
much about race nor the complexities and
challenges that are faced by so many but
what I did recognize was this feeling in
my tummy that burnt like a fire raging
inside me I was mad
why were they being so mean I just
didn’t understand it what I have since
recognized is my intolerance for
injustice the fire that burnt and
continues to burn to this day I’ve seen
a pattern develop for me a pattern of
speaking out and standing up against
injustice but it was one story in
particular that has stayed with me and
has seen me change the course of my life
to the point where I stand here in front
of you as founder of rise of Australia
I heard news about a lady who had made
quite a journey she had gathered up her
8 month-old baby and her three older
children
she had jumped on a train in Perth in
Western Australia she had crossed our
beautiful nation all the way to the Gold
Coast now this lady she was going to get
to safety she couldn’t take too much
with her on this day she had her handbag
she had a small backpack her baby and
her three other children she didn’t take
too much that day because to do so would
have attracted the attention of the one
person that was committing the most
horrific violence against her and her
children
this wasn’t a stranger this was a person
who should be protecting them respecting
them loving them the person who was
committing the unthinkable violence this
was the father of her children and her
husband when I first heard this you know
that flame that fire in my belly from
when I was six lui it was growing it was
there this was a massive injustice all I
could think of was how could this be
happening in our beautiful country how
could this lady feel so unsafe and that
she felt that her only option was to
jump on a train across the country to
get to safety so with the help of my
amazing friends and family we gathered
together as much as we could to help
this young family settle into their new
environment from beds to clothing to
groceries pantry item everything you can
think of we got it sorted and when we
could do that within a couple of days
and that was my light bulb moment the
moment where I knew that as a community
we could do so much more to help these
families when we surround ourselves with
our people these are the people that
share your passion
your integrity your moral compass
together you can make enormous change
together we are so much stronger we can
have conversations we can change the
rhetoric and more importantly than
anything we can create a movement of
change when we look to community and we
look for examples of how history has
provided examples where a community can
come together you won’t find more
examples than when a community and a
society is faced with a social injustice
domestic and family violence is the
biggest social rights violation our
society currently faces in Australia
there is one incident reported of
domestic violence every two minutes
so already since I’ve been speaking
there have been six calls to police
across Australia from people who require
help statistics of violence against
women in Australia are absolutely
shocking and we can we know that the
this violence that is in the home it
impacts a child’s development
substantially research shows us that
when a child grows up in a house of
violence they have great trouble
connecting with their friends and family
they struggle through school and their
futures are significantly compromised
one in three Australian women have
experienced physical and/or sexual
violence perpetrated by someone known to
them 61% of these women had children in
their care at the time of the violence
71 women were killed by violence by an
intimate partner one woman is
hospitalized every three hours in
Australia three women are hospitalized
each and every week with traumatic
in jury intimate-partner violence is the
leading cause of ill health disability
and death for Australian women aged
between 15 and 44 the leading cause
sexual assault and domestic violence are
by any measure the most common crimes
committed in Australia we are in a
domestic and family violence epidemic
and the discussion time is over
we need to act lives are being lost and
futures are being destroyed research
shows us that Australia has a very real
issue with men’s violence rise up was
created to drive awareness to domestic
and family violence there had to be some
way that the broader community could
actually be part of that solution this
is the only way forward Australia is the
lucky country and for so many families
and for so many people across Australia
they don’t feel very lucky at all no one
talks about domestic violence no one
wants to talk about domestic violence
but we have to let’s drag this beast out
of the darkness so it has nowhere to
hide let’s shine that light on it let’s
unpack the cultural and societal issues
that allow this anti-social behavior to
persist in our amazing country in our
community let’s shift the shame for
victims of domestic violence and give
them their voices back in just over the
last year
rise up created over 260 homes for
families who have exited out of refuge
we’ve supported over 400 children who
have been displaced due to the violence
when families leave refuge that is the
point where we need to intercept and
support these families it’s that pointy
end the point of no return
when families even consider thinking
about leaving the violence behind and
when they understand what lies ahead of
them
it can be very realistically the point
where they go back to the violence
rise up provides the leg up that makes
the difference between a family leaving
the violence behind or moving forward
rise for Liam is our schools program so
from school camps to school uniforms to
after-school activities we’ve got it
covered research shows us that when a
child is more settled in their
environment the mum has more capacity to
feel settled and stable and stay in the
one space if we are going to break the
cycle of domestic violence we have to
address the issue and help these
children the this is our future the
children are our future and we really
need to see what’s happening right in
our back yard so stepping out of a
violent relationship takes enormous
courage and inner strength it takes the
knowledge that there is a community out
there waiting and willing to support
them in their decision and commending
them for the extremely brave decision to
leave that violence behind every single
person can do something to prevent
violence we can start by holding our
friends and family accountable for their
attitudes and beliefs we can keep our
eyes firmly planted on the perpetrators
of violence we can stop asking why
doesn’t she just leave and how about we
start asking why doesn’t he stop hurting
her domestic and family violence is a
human rights violation and I can quite
confidently say to you tonight that as I
stand here we have zero tolerance for
racial discrimination right let’s commit
to seeing domestic and family violence
for the human rights violation it is
let’s commit tonight to bringing it out
into the open let’s commit tonight to
pulling an end to domestic and family
violence so now you know what I’m
passionate about what is it that you are
all passionate about I’d really liked
you to have a little think about that
and while you do in your TEDx bags I’d
like you to all reach down please
there’s a beautiful piece of artwork
inside if you can take it out for me
show me your lights in honor of all the
families affected by domestic and family
violence let’s shine our light that’s
amazing
in closing tonight be kind to one
another have compassion and
understanding we only have one go at
this life so make it your very best
you’re it you’re the ones that can make
this world the best place to live thank
you
you
I was born in Africa and one of my
earliest memories is my recognition of
injustice I was maybe six years old and
my family and I were on holidays I can
remember the chocolate brown booth that
my brother and I slid into I can
remember the huge pile of buffet food
hot breakfasts they were my favorite
crispy bacon Sunnyside eggs couldn’t
wait to get stuck in while my mom and
dad were sliding into the booth beside
us my attention landed on a tall African
man who was standing not too far from
where we were
what happened next has stayed with me my
whole life just along from us there were
some diners and they were laughing and
making fun about the tall African man
who lined up for his breakfast at six
years old I didn’t really understand too
much about race nor the complexities and
challenges that are faced by so many but
what I did recognize was this feeling in
my tummy that burnt like a fire raging
inside me I was mad
why were they being so mean I just
didn’t understand it what I have since
recognized is my intolerance for
injustice the fire that burnt and
continues to burn to this day I’ve seen
a pattern develop for me a pattern of
speaking out and standing up against
injustice but it was one story in
particular that has stayed with me and
has seen me change the course of my life
to the point where I stand here in front
of you as founder of rise of Australia
I heard news about a lady who had made
quite a journey she had gathered up her
8 month-old baby and her three older
children
she had jumped on a train in Perth in
Western Australia she had crossed our
beautiful nation all the way to the Gold
Coast now this lady she was going to get
to safety she couldn’t take too much
with her on this day she had her handbag
she had a small backpack her baby and
her three other children she didn’t take
too much that day because to do so would
have attracted the attention of the one
person that was committing the most
horrific violence against her and her
children
this wasn’t a stranger this was a person
who should be protecting them respecting
them loving them the person who was
committing the unthinkable violence this
was the father of her children and her
husband when I first heard this you know
that flame that fire in my belly from
when I was six lui it was growing it was
there this was a massive injustice all I
could think of was how could this be
happening in our beautiful country how
could this lady feel so unsafe and that
she felt that her only option was to
jump on a train across the country to
get to safety so with the help of my
amazing friends and family we gathered
together as much as we could to help
this young family settle into their new
environment from beds to clothing to
groceries pantry item everything you can
think of we got it sorted and when we
could do that within a couple of days
and that was my light bulb moment the
moment where I knew that as a community
we could do so much more to help these
families when we surround ourselves with
our people these are the people that
share your passion
your integrity your moral compass
together you can make enormous change
together we are so much stronger we can
have conversations we can change the
rhetoric and more importantly than
anything we can create a movement of
change when we look to community and we
look for examples of how history has
provided examples where a community can
come together you won’t find more
examples than when a community and a
society is faced with a social injustice
domestic and family violence is the
biggest social rights violation our
society currently faces in Australia
there is one incident reported of
domestic violence every two minutes
so already since I’ve been speaking
there have been six calls to police
across Australia from people who require
help statistics of violence against
women in Australia are absolutely
shocking and we can we know that the
this violence that is in the home it
impacts a child’s development
substantially research shows us that
when a child grows up in a house of
violence they have great trouble
connecting with their friends and family
they struggle through school and their
futures are significantly compromised
one in three Australian women have
experienced physical and/or sexual
violence perpetrated by someone known to
them 61% of these women had children in
their care at the time of the violence
71 women were killed by violence by an
intimate partner one woman is
hospitalized every three hours in
Australia three women are hospitalized
each and every week with traumatic
in jury intimate-partner violence is the
leading cause of ill health disability
and death for Australian women aged
between 15 and 44 the leading cause
sexual assault and domestic violence are
by any measure the most common crimes
committed in Australia we are in a
domestic and family violence epidemic
and the discussion time is over
we need to act lives are being lost and
futures are being destroyed research
shows us that Australia has a very real
issue with men’s violence rise up was
created to drive awareness to domestic
and family violence there had to be some
way that the broader community could
actually be part of that solution this
is the only way forward Australia is the
lucky country and for so many families
and for so many people across Australia
they don’t feel very lucky at all no one
talks about domestic violence no one
wants to talk about domestic violence
but we have to let’s drag this beast out
of the darkness so it has nowhere to
hide let’s shine that light on it let’s
unpack the cultural and societal issues
that allow this anti-social behavior to
persist in our amazing country in our
community let’s shift the shame for
victims of domestic violence and give
them their voices back in just over the
last year
rise up created over 260 homes for
families who have exited out of refuge
we’ve supported over 400 children who
have been displaced due to the violence
when families leave refuge that is the
point where we need to intercept and
support these families it’s that pointy
end the point of no return
when families even consider thinking
about leaving the violence behind and
when they understand what lies ahead of
them
it can be very realistically the point
where they go back to the violence
rise up provides the leg up that makes
the difference between a family leaving
the violence behind or moving forward
rise for Liam is our schools program so
from school camps to school uniforms to
after-school activities we’ve got it
covered research shows us that when a
child is more settled in their
environment the mum has more capacity to
feel settled and stable and stay in the
one space if we are going to break the
cycle of domestic violence we have to
address the issue and help these
children the this is our future the
children are our future and we really
need to see what’s happening right in
our back yard so stepping out of a
violent relationship takes enormous
courage and inner strength it takes the
knowledge that there is a community out
there waiting and willing to support
them in their decision and commending
them for the extremely brave decision to
leave that violence behind every single
person can do something to prevent
violence we can start by holding our
friends and family accountable for their
attitudes and beliefs we can keep our
eyes firmly planted on the perpetrators
of violence we can stop asking why
doesn’t she just leave and how about we
start asking why doesn’t he stop hurting
her domestic and family violence is a
human rights violation and I can quite
confidently say to you tonight that as I
stand here we have zero tolerance for
racial discrimination right let’s commit
to seeing domestic and family violence
for the human rights violation it is
let’s commit tonight to bringing it out
into the open let’s commit tonight to
pulling an end to domestic and family
violence so now you know what I’m
passionate about what is it that you are
all passionate about I’d really liked
you to have a little think about that
and while you do in your TEDx bags I’d
like you to all reach down please
there’s a beautiful piece of artwork
inside if you can take it out for me
show me your lights in honor of all the
families affected by domestic and family
violence let’s shine our light that’s
amazing
in closing tonight be kind to one
another have compassion and
understanding we only have one go at
this life so make it your very best
you’re it you’re the ones that can make
this world the best place to live thank
you
you
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