Australia's National Crisis of Violence Against Women and Children

Dear Prime Minister Albanese,

I am writing to you as an Australian woman, a mother, and a citizen who is heartbroken, angry and terrified by the ongoing epidemic of violence against women and children in this country.

How many more women have to be murdered before this is treated like the national crisis it is?

Every time another woman or child is killed, we hear the same words: “Our thoughts are with the family.” But thoughts don’t save lives. Action does.

Women across Australia are living with the reality that someone is murdered by a current or former partner with horrifying regularity. Children are being left without mothers. Families are being destroyed. Communities are grieving. This is not a series of isolated incidents anymore, it is a national emergency.

As Australians, we pay taxes and elect governments with the expectation that they will protect the people they serve. So I have to ask: what is the point of having a government if it cannot protect more than half of its population from preventable violence?

I understand there is no single solution to domestic and family violence. However, the scale of this crisis demands stronger leadership, greater investment in prevention and early intervention, better support for victim-survivors, stronger accountability for perpetrators, and a justice system that gives women confidence that they will be protected.

This issue should transcend politics. It should unite every level of government, every political party and every Australian who believes women and children deserve to live without fear.

I don’t want my daughters to grow up in a country where they have to constantly assess whether they are safe. I don’t want them to believe that violence against women is simply another tragic headline that everyone has become accustomed to.

Australia can do better. We must do better.

I urge you to treat violence against women and children with the urgency it deserves and to make it one of this government’s highest priorities. Every life lost is one too many.

I sincerely hope that meaningful action is taken before another family has to bury a daughter, a mother or a child.

Yours sincerely,