Australian of the Year Rosie Batty has fired back at former Labor leader Mark Latham over a recent newspaper column on family violence, calling him “uninformed, ignorant” and “misogynistic”.
The anti-violence campaigner whose son, Luke, was murdered by his father chose a seminar on the sidelines of the Labor Party’s national conference to respond to Mr Latham’s attack.
In the Australian Financial Review a month ago, Mr Latham accused Ms Batty of turning family violence into entertainment by joining the speaking circuit.
“There was a time in the dignity of working class life, when grieving was conducted in private,” he wrote. “In the 1960s, nobody tried to enlist the parents of Adelaide’s missing Beaumont children as celebrity speakers.”
He condemned what he called “the Left-feminist campaign on domestic violence”.
Ms Batty said Mr Latham’s view “shames all men” but did not reflect most men’s attitudes. She urged them to speak out.
“Don’t just wait for female journalists to pounce on him,” she said. “Men, step up… If men are responding in an informed way, it is so powerful.”
Ms Batty said family violence was a gender issue. She called for nationally accredited “respectful relationships” programs to educate schoolchildren about gender, power and control.
“It has to be every school in every state in every suburb.”
She said Mr Latham’s comments had infuriated many people.
“He didn’t just insult me. He insulted – and seems to be very threatened by – women who are taking leadership roles prominently. He’s an example of someone unfortunately who holds very detrimental views and poor views of women.”
Mr Latham criticised Ms Batty for engaging a speakers’ agent. Speaking agencies help public figures manage what is often a deluge of requests, charging a percentage of any speaking fee.
Rosie Batty was speaking on Saturday at a forum on the ALP conference fringe, discussing “dangerous ideas” on combatting family violence.
Other proposals included setting “cultural parity” goals to encourage diversity in the private sector, a dedicated government funding stream for women’s services, a “gender audit” of political parties’ policies and better assessment of the risks to children.
Chief Executive Officer of Domestic Violence Victoria Fiona McCormack said 52 women had been murdered in Australia this year.
“This isn’t biological – which is what gives us hope,” Ms McCormack said.
“This is social… These are just everyday men who hold particularly sexist and hyper-masculine attitudes about their rights as men and the rights and roles of women. Where do they get these views? They get them from us, as a culture.”
