Editorial: No celebrating our latest grim DV statistics

More women were killed by an intimate partner in Queensland than in any other state. It is a terrible indictment of the place we love, writes the editor.

More women were killed by an intimate partner in Queensland than in any other state.

• Deaths fall: DV crisis remains

News that the number of Australian women killed by an intimate partner declined by almost a quarter last year is not a reason for celebration.

Data from the Australian Institute of Criminology reveals 35 Australian women were killed by a current or former partner in 2024, down from 46 the year before.

And while the decline is encouraging – especially as it corresponds to a rise in awareness of Australia’s DV crisis – it still means that an Australian woman is murdered by someone she should be able to trust with her life about every 10 days on average.

Tragically, nine Queensland women are on that list – the most of any state.

It is a terrible indictment of the place we love.

Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin said the Institute’s collection of data was important to build the evidence base to inform effective responses to the scourge plaguing Australian society.

“Every life lost represents a profound tragedy, (but) it is essential that our focus remains on the full picture of domestic and family violence, including the impact on people who live with the consequences of violence every single day, and the action needed to prevent further harm,” she said.

After the shocking deaths of Hannah Clarke and her three children in 2020, The Courier-Mail pushed for real legislative change to protect women, with the most significant being the coercive control laws that will finally come into effect in May.

The legislation states; “It will be illegal for an adult to use abusive behaviours towards their current, or former, intimate partner, family member, or informal (unpaid) carer with the intention to control or coerce them.

“The criminal offence captures patterns of physical and/or non-physical abuse used to hurt, humiliate, isolate, frighten, or threaten a victim-survivor.

“The criminal offence will carry a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment due to the serious nature of the offence and the harm coercive control can cause victim-survivors.”

The law will save the lives of Queensland women, by enabling them to take action against partners before it’s too late.

It will mark a turning point in our fight against domestic violence.

But it won’t bring the number of women killed by past or current partners down to zero.

For such a result to even be possible, it’s up to dads.

They need to teach their sons that you don’t own someone, just because you are in a relationship with them. They need to teach respect, and that striking a partner is the lowest act a man could ever do.

Of course, the vast majority of dads already do this. And many perpetrators of domestic violence do have unstable and dysfunctional home lives.

As more men call out abhorrent behaviour, the culture will begin to change, and maybe potential perpetrators will be forced to reassess their attitudes before they do something catastrophic.

Unfortunately, those at the coalface of this problem think any societal change is a long way away.

“From what I see … the problem is getting worse,” CEO of the Ipswich-based Domestic Violence Action Centre Amie Carrington said. “These are very sobering statistics.

“DVO breaches is an area where there has really been a large increase. There are services out there already doing a wonderful job, but the most important thing is prevention, and we need a focus on boys and young men.’’

HOW SMITH SAVED LEGACY

After Steve Smith was caught out leading a team that blatantly cheated in South Africa in 2018, he broke down and sobbed.

While his tears following the sandpaper scandal were for the many people he had let down – especially his father – there would no doubt have been a feeling that he had destroyed his legacy.

What’s done is done, but following his one-year ban from cricket, Smith has once again built a record that will tower above his most heinous lapse.

In the last two weeks, during a tour of Sri Lanka where it would have been easy to take the foot
off the gas after a long summer, Smith has notched his 10,000th Test run, scored his 35th and 36th Test centuries, and taken his 200th Test catch.

He has proved, again, that he is a legend, as good as anyone who has ever played the game (Don Bradman aside).

That is some legacy!

And in the absence of Pat Cummins, who welcomed his second child, Smith captained the team brilliantly, never letting his opponent rest for a second, and reminding cricket fans what we lost when he was banned from leading the Aussie team.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here