A year ago it was a ‘national crisis’. Now it struggles to get a mention

Today we commemorate the thousands of countrymen and countrywomen who have given their lives or served in the nation’s armed forces. It is 80 years since World War II ended, 60 years next Tuesday since Robert Menzies announced he would send an Australian battalion to Vietnam, and 110 years today since the Diggers went ashore at what would become known as Anzac Cove.

Every year, Herald reporters and photographers aim to bring you lesser-known stories that encapsulate the Anzac spirit of endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour and mateship. This year, Julie Power writes on the moving story of two best friends, Sid and Ted, who grew up in Sydney’s west, only to be taken by the Japanese and sent to Sandakan. Tim Barlass tells us about Gwenda Garde, now 102, who helped hunt Japanese submarines as a teenager from a hut outside Canberra. Michael Ruffles and Kate Geraghty have spoken to the last Australian air force pilot who departed Vietnam 50 years ago today – five days before the fall of Saigon. And European correspondent Rob Harris takes us to the Cotswolds, where a small English village still remembers the few hundred young Australians who left an impression in 1918.

Anzac Day comes at the end of a week that has included the Easter break, the ongoing federal election campaign and the passing of Pope Francis. Amid these events, two other stories have stuck with me: the alleged murders of Thi Kim Tran and Audrey Griffin. The deaths of these women mustn’t be overshadowed or forgotten.

Throughout the week, more horrific details emerged about Tran’s brutal killing last Thursday, when she was kidnapped from inside her Bankstown home by masked men who forced her into a black SUV at gunpoint before she was murdered and set alight.

Police say she was an innocent victim after her husband allegedly stole drugs from the organised crime network he allegedly worked for. No arrests have been made over her death.

Thi Kim Tran was kidnapped from her Bankstown home and murdered.Credit: Facebook

On Monday, 53-year-old Adrian Noel Torrens was arrested over the murder of 19-year-old Griffin. The teenager had been enjoying a night out on the Central Coast with friends before leaving to join the navy when Torrens, whom she did not know, allegedly murdered her on her walk home on March 23.

“She had the world at her feet,” her mother Kathleen Kirby told the Herald hours after Torrens was charged with her daughter’s murder. Torrens was found dead in his jail cell on Thursday evening. Police say there were no suspicious circumstances. Details about his violent past have now been revealed.

Crime and justice reporter Amber Schultz wrote a powerful opinion piece on the deaths of Tran and Griffin, and how women are forced to keep virtual watch on one another while on a night out or meeting someone.

“Most of it comes from a place of love and curiosity, to help us picture the scene when our friends retell the story in vivid detail later. But another part of us asks for the details because we know we may need them if our friend fails to respond to that ever-important text,” Schultz wrote.

Audrey Griffin was celebrating with friends before her alleged murder.Credit:

All this has transpired on the week we mark 12 months since the death of childcare worker Molly Ticehurst, whose battered body was found in her home in Forbes in central-western NSW. Her former partner Daniel Billings has been charged with her murder.

Chief correspondent Jordan Baker writes that while Ticehurst’s death led to tougher bail laws, frontline services to help victims of domestic violence remain critically underfunded and have not had a baseline increase for a decade.

There was nationwide fury following Ticehurst’s death. And while the community has been shocked and outraged by the deaths of Tran and Griffin, it does not seem to have prompted the same immediate response and reassurance from our leaders. Domestic violence and violence against women have barely rated a mention during this election campaign despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lamenting, a year ago almost to the day, that it was a “national crisis”.

The Coalition has announced a $90 million package and said it would create a national register of violent offenders while banning the use of mobile phones to threaten and track partners. Labor released its “commitment to women” plan, much of which is a continuation of its national plan to end violence against women and children by 2032.

The Herald has long campaigned for more to be done to address violence against women, and it is 12 months ago tomorrow that we published a rare front-page editorial on the issue, asking how many more women had to die before Australia became serious about confronting the many causes behind our rapidly worsening epidemic of gendered violence.

While state governments are responsible for the delivery of many services in this area, it seems absurd that, during an election campaign when politicians are selling us their vision for the future, confronting violence against women has not been more prominent.

If you or anyone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1800 512 348, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or the National Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

Nick Ralston is investigations editor, filling in while editor Bevan Shields takes a break.