With a report released today showing increased demand for domestic violence legal services in Queensland, the Greens are calling on the Turnbull Government to reverse its funding cut to community legal centres and boost long term funding.

At the Women's Legal Service in Brisbane today, Australian Greens Leader Richard Di Natale said Tony Abbott's 30 per cent cut to community legal centres due in 2017, must be abandoned in the May federal budget.

Acting Leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Richard Di Natale, today called for Tony Abbott to condemn Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi's views after the release of his new book containing hateful and offensive statements. “The Greens condemn Cory Bernardi’s attack on women, workers, same-sex couples and Islam,” said Senator Di Natale. “Senator Bernardi’s statements about abortion, Islam, same-sex and single-parent families are truly offensive. The Senator is merely continuing his form as an ideological warrior lacking any intellectual rigour, insight or common decency.

The Australian Greens are calling on both Labor and the Opposition to voice their support for women's right to choose and pledge to resist any attempts by DLP Senator John Madigan to wind back access to safe and confidential reproductive health services, including abortion services.

"Senator Madigan has his eye on securing the balance of power in the next government and is laying the ground work for pro-life deals which place women's rights in jeopardy," Australian Greens spokesperson for women Senator Lee Rhiannon said.

The Senate today passed a motion calling for immediate action on the obstacles facing privately practicing midwives in Australia.

"The government set aside $120 million in 2010 for midwives in private practice to access Medicare and the PBS, but hardly any have been able to do so," said Dr Richard Di Natale, the Greens Spokesperson on Health. "Because they can't get visiting access rights, they can't be by their patients if they get admitted to public hospitals."

The Gillard government continues to baulk at funding the continuation and expansion of the highly successful Victorian Bsafe domestic violence pilot which provides personal safety alarms to women and children at risk of domestic violence. A motion by Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon was agreed to by the Senate today, however Labor Senators voiced opposition to it in the chamber (full motion below).

Greens Senator and spokesperson for women Lee Rhiannon said:

Motions, Thursday 10 May 2012

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (12:13): I move:

That the Senate—

   (a)   notes that:

      (i)   25 November 2011 commemorates the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women -White Ribbon Day,

      (ii)   domestic violence occurs in every geographic area and in all socio-economic and cultural groups in Australia, in particular in regional and rural Australia and Indigenous communities,