Mackenzie Anderson’s mum calls for better protection for vulnerable women

A new report reveals more than 80 per cent of domestic violence killers had a history of violence toward their partners. It comes as one heartbroken mum calls for better protection for vulnerable women.

A heartbroken mother whose daughter was stabbed to death says the state needs to do more to protect vulnerable women — as a new report reveals more than 80 per cent of domestic violence killers had a history of violence toward their partners, and the current system to stop them is not working.

Tabitha Acret’s daughter Mackenzie Anderson was killed in a brutal stabbing at her home in Newcastle in April 2022.

Police charged her ex boyfriend Tyrone Thompson with murder.

Mackenzie was just 21 years old and mother of a little boy.

Police say she had an apprehended domestic violence order out against Thompson.

Her family says they knew nothing about the AVO, which she had kept hidden from them.

“AVOs are just a piece of paper a lot of the time,” Ms Acret said. “We know they don’t work for a lot of women.”

Mackenzie Anderson who was allegedly stabbed to death by her former partner Tyrone Thompson. Picture: Instagram

A new report from the state’s Domestic Violence Death Review Team (DVDRT) revealed that between July 2000 and June 2018 there were 314 intimate partner homicides in NSW.

Of these, 271 were occurred following an identifiable history of intimate partner violence.

However, in almost 50 per cent of cases, police had never been contacted about any violence prior to the homicide.

Ms Acret said she believed there was still a lot of shame for women suffering domestic violence, and believed women like her daughter may have felt fear about leaving an abusive relationship.

“We currently treat victims like refugees. If they choose to leave, these women are scared, they often leave with nothing, or they have their children taken away because they’re living out of a car or they’re couch surfing,” she said.

“They might also think if they report it or leave they’ll aggravate their abuser further, maybe it will actually bring a bigger consequence.”

Tabitha Acret says more needs to be done to protect vulnerable women. Picture: Sue Graham

The DVDRT was established in 2011 under the Coroner’s Act, to combat the growing rates of domestic violence in NSW by assessing intimate partner deaths across the state.

In its most recent report, the team assessed 252 domestic violence homicides from across NSW, finding that in a quarter of deaths there was a current enforceable Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO, although many people still refer to it as an AVO) in place.

“The significant proportion of abusers who appear undeterred by an ADVO is concerning,” the report stated.

It also found that domestic violence abusers used ADVOs as a way to harass and further intimidate their victims.

Anecdotal advice from police and domestic violence workers revealed “reactive cross-applications”, where the alleged abuser tried to file their own AVO in response to one being issued against them, were becoming increasingly common.

“Concerns have been expressed that perpetrators can use cross-applications as a tactic of abuse or as a ‘bargaining tool’ to obtain a favourable outcome in negotiations,” the report read.

“Despite domestic violence being characterised by the power imbalance between the perpetrator and victim, and despite a growing recognition of the way perpetrators may engage in this specific type of legal systems abuse, the vast majority of ADVO applications are not finalised by way of a defended hearing but rather are negotiated outside the courtroom between the parties.

“As a result, strains on the system and the use of cross-applications can be exploited by abusers and used as an extension of their abusive ­behaviour.”

Associate Professor Jane Wangmann says women at high risk of domestic violence need to be identified.

University of Technology Sydney Associate Professor Jane Wangmann, a former domestic violence solicitor and member of the DVDRT, said her research showed that more work needed to be done to identify and protect “high-risk” victims.

“We need to get much better at trying to identify this high-risk category of women, where often they’ve got an AVO and within a very short space of time homicide happens,” she said.

“We need to do more than just the AVO, we need to have a whole list of wraparound services available to help, because on its own an AVO is not necessarily going to provide safety.”

Ms Acret said while the police did good work to arrest and charge domestic violence offenders, she believed it came undone in the court process.

“We’ve got a massive problem with the justice system where women are still victimised by the system,” she said.

The DVDRT has made ­several recommendations around improving ADVO compliance and better responding to domestic violence offenders who are not deterred by criminal punishment.

Many aspects relating to the duration of ADVOs have been strengthened, including doubling the default period for ADVOs from 12 months to 24 months, ensuring ADVOs remain in force for at least two years after the perpetrator is released from custody and clarifying that ADVOs may be made for an indefinite ­duration.

However, Ms Acret said there needed to be more done to stop domestic violence happening in the first place.

“I’ve had friends and colleagues that have quietly and privately divulged information to me about their ­experiences,” she said.

“I’m mortified that we’ve supplied no support to them because we didn’t know but they carried that burden.

“I don’t think we really know how much domestic violence is going on because so much of it is not recorded.”

She’s kept awake at night thinking about the day her daughter died, and the pain and fear Mackenzie must have felt.

But it has motivated her to try to protect other women who have fallen into a violent ­relationship.

“For the first couple of months, I didn’t want to speak to anyone. I just wanted to disappear into a hole and not even leave the house,” she said.

“But I want to prevent other families from experiencing this. I know how horrible this is. I don’t want anybody else to feel this.

“Every time I see a death in the media I find it quite traumatising because I know exactly how that family feels and I know that their life will never be the same again.”

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