Australia rallies together to push for end to gender-based violence

Anthony Albanese says he will join a Canberra march to say ‘enough is enough’ on Sunday as Mark Dreyfus suggests there are other ways than an inquiry to deal with the issue.

Domestic violence march in Sydney on Saturday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Thousands of Australians have rallied across the country, calling for the government to declare gender-based violence a national emergency.

Organised by advocacy group What Were You Wearing Australia, the No More: National Rally Against Violence campaign began last night in Newcastle and Ballarat, the latter where mother Samantha Murphy was murdered in February while going for a morning run.

The demand for an end to violence comes as new data from advocacy group Destroy the Joint found 26 women have been murdered this year, equating to one woman killed every four days.

However Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Saturday rejected the idea of a royal commission into domestic violence. He said the government had committed $2.3 million into countering violence against women, but a royal commission was not the way to deal with the issue. Rather, it should be dealt with via co-operation between the federal government and state and territory governments.

“I think we’ve actually identified a whole range of actions already that need to be taken, and I think what we probably can say is that we need to be working harder on the kinds of actions that have already been identified,” he said in Ipswich, Queensland.

“I’ve commissioned the Australian Law Reform Commission to look at justice system responses to sexual violence ... we know more needs to be done.

“One of the things we need to look at is whether or not the current arrangements we’ve got for ... apprehended violence orders domestic violence orders that seek to restrict potential perpetrators are in fact, enough are the right measure.”

Asked if the goverment would consider a royal commission, Mr Dreyfus said the issue should be dealt with via co-operation between the federal government and state and territory governments.

“I think we’ve actually identified a whole range of actions already that need to be taken, and I think what we probably can say is that we need to be working harder on the kinds of actions that have already been identified.”

He added: “We all need to step up … we want to see more done about it.

“Men need to talk to their sons, to their brothers, to their colleagues at work and try and work together it cannot be left to women to do something about this.”

Sydney’s march began at 1pm at Belmore Park in Haymarket with hundreds walking to Hyde Park, calling for institutional change.

The New South Wales government announced this week it will review its bail laws for domestic violence, days after Molly Ticehurst was allegedly murdered in Forbes by her ex-boyfriend.

Thousands across the country have called for an end to gender-based violence in Australia. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Thousands attended the No More: National Rally Against Violence march in Sydney on Saturday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

In a post to X, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will join with women across Australia to say “enough is enough” when he attends the march in Canberra on Sunday.

“Violence against women is not a problem that women should have to solve,” he wrote.

“Governments need to do better, men need to step up and as a society we must do better.

“We know there is so much more to do. And we will keep working.”

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was also in attendance at the Sydney march alongside his wife Lucy.

“Women’s safety is critical, it is terrible this scourge of violence against women,” Mr Turnbull told Sky News.

“Not all disrespect to women leads to violence but sadly that’s where it begins.”

Full Stop chief executive Karen Bevan told Sky News the focus cannot just be on early prevention.

“We’ve actually got to mobilise massively behind all elements of the system. We know that the specialist family and domestic violence sector is massively underfunded,” Ms Bevan said.

“By considering this a national emergency, maybe we could mobilise some of those government resources into a really tight structured major push to change these outcomes.”

In Adelaide, protesters heard from Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young at Parliament House.

Senator Hanson-Young urged Mr Albanese to declare gender-based violence an “urgent national emergency”.

“This is an epidemic that requires the full resources of government at all levels across all departments,” she said.

“We need everything we can get our hands on to stop this scourge and this epidemic.”

Hobart also held a protest on Saturday with crowds assembling on the Parliament House lawn.

Rallies will be held on Brisbane, Gold Coast, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth on Sunday.

One woman is killed every four days in Australia as according to new findings from advocacy group Destroy the Joint. Picture: Sam Ruttyn