I acknowledge the horrors our State has seen over the past week as domestic and family violence homicides have impacted communities across New South Wales. For my community it is very close to home. The Blue Mountains is reeling from a shocking and devastating incident involving very young children. Our thoughts are with them and with a family facing an unimaginable situation. I also acknowledge the members of my community who came across the horrific scene, called 000 and immediately tried to help. What they encountered would have been deeply confronting. My Blue Mountains Police Area Command has undertaken an incredibly difficult investigation. I thank them for their work. I also thank our paramedics for their response to the highly distressing and complex emergency. It takes a psychological toll on them.

I spoke in my inaugural speech about domestic violence and my own lived experience as a child victim‑survivor. It is an issue I care deeply about and it demands the attention of every one of us, from representatives in this place, to police, to the community services and refuges that we rely on so heavily—and every single person. We must remember that domestic violence is not inevitable; it is preventable. Prevention starts with education, respect and the attitudes we model to young people. I am consistently inspired by the youth leadership in that space. Young leaders in my own Blue Mountains community are at the forefront of change. I acknowledge the work of the EViE advisory group—Ending Violence and Improving Equality. They work out of the Blue Mountains Women's Health and Resource Centre. They work tirelessly to amplify the voices of young people and advocate for gender equality among their peers.

I also acknowledge Katoomba High School and its student-led Katoomba High says No to Violence campaign. Young people are the future. They are the architects of change and they have the true power. It is in the actions of those young people that genuine change can happen. I share the words of a young man in my electorate:

Domestic violence is a men's issue. It always has been and, as long as we continue on this path, it always will be. It is only when young men recognise their role in this that things can truly change. That is not to say all men are complicit in perpetrating domestic violence. Quite the contrary. But young men have a responsibility: a responsibility to be kind, to recognise their role within relationships and to call out toxic behaviour when they see it.

I have watched the reactions of young men during discussions about domestic violence, sexual assault, consent, respect and breaking down gender stereotypes. I have seen their bodies tense during these hard conversations, conversations that so often end with the comment, "It's not all men."

In year 10, my school, Katoomba High, brought in a group called Tomorrow Man. For the first time, I saw vulnerability expressed. A space was created where the layers of masculinity we put up in everyday life were peeled away. These conversations among young men are so important, because they allow us to realise we are not alone.

It is these early conversations that can help prevent so many harms. Genuine prevention demands a personal approach. It demands more than general education; it demands that we create space for young men to have these conversations with one another.

Young men need mentors, people who have walked the path before them and can show them a different way to be a man.

Those words demonstrate a truth we cannot ignore. If we are serious about ending violence, we must support young men and young women. The young people of the Blue Mountains are already showing us what that future can look like. We owe it to them and to every victim of domestic violence to keep working towards it. The commitment from the Minns Labor Government to address this issue includes a record $184.1 million increase in funding for six specialist domestic and family violence services, helping to keep more women and children safe. We have strengthened bail laws, stalking offences and electronic monitoring provisions.

We have delivered a $230 million emergency and prevention package over four years, including $38 million for the Pathways to Prevention strategy and $48 million to expand the Staying Home Leaving Violence program. Whilst our reforms are essential and have made a tangible difference, we cannot simply legislate, arrest and fund our way out of the crisis. To circle back to the words of the young man in my electorate, we must listen to the experiences of women—and believe them—and we must empower young men to challenge gender-based stereotypes and foster respectful relationships from an early age. Real change starts early. It starts with them. Let us all work together for the change we desperately need.