Yesterday, during Question time in Parliament, Stuart Grimley of the Derryn Hinch Justice party asked Attorney-General Jacyln Symes for an update on the Grab and Drag proposal. This is her response:

I thank Mr Grimley for his question and his ongoing interest in the rights of victims of crime. I would note also other advocates in this space. Ms Emmaline Jones is showing continued advocacy in bringing this matter to public consciousness, and I certainly joined with members of the community in being quite shocked by the footage of the Jackson Williams case and understand why it has attracted attention.

Of course, every woman should have the right to feel safe in public, and this type of behaviour is not something that we are willing to tolerate.

As the member I believe would be aware, the former Attorney–General asked the Victorian Law Reform Commission to report on Victoria’s laws relating to rape, sexual assault and associated adult and child sex offences; it released a number of consultation papers at the end of last year and is talking to survivors of sexual offences currently.

The commission is due to report back to me on 31 August this year. The former Attorney-General also added to that discussion paper and examination of these issues the consideration of the ‘grab and drag’ proposal as part of their work. I would like to thank the commission. They are well underway in looking at this request and they will be shortly commencing their consultations in relation to that specific component of their review, and I certainly look forward to receiving the work from the commission.

This is very promising! And her words "this type of behaviour is not something we are willing to tolerate" offers hope. I hope that they realise we need to do better and offer women more protection, by also showing a strong stand against this predatory behaviour.

Currently, we have a system that repeatedly allows perpetrators of sexual violence walk free.

Currently, we have a system that offers very little deterrence for these predators.

Currently, we have a system that would create hesitance to come forward to report your attack.

Currently, we have a system that is not doing enough to offer us protection.

We need to be better than this!

I will be unapologetically loud in our campaign for women's safety. Yesterday this campaign took an enormous step forward in the right direction and I want to thank you all for standing by my side as we take this all the way!

Please keep sharing the petition, and if you haven't yet, join this campaign's organising group on Facebook.

Emm Jones.