Evidence Showing What Australians Think About the Epidemic of Violence Against Women

Intimate partner violence is on the rise in Australia, according to new data published on the back of a spate of tragedies.

Data from the Homicide in Australia 2022-2023 report shows there were 247 victims of homicide between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. 

Of these, 38 incidents were between intimate partners, and 89 per cent of those were perpetrated against women.

Dr Rick Brown, the AIC Deputy Director, said those numbers were four per cent higher than the previous year. 

The newly released data comes at a time of heightened tensions in Australia, as women take to the streets to take a stance against gendered violence.

In 2024 so far, 27 women have been murdered – amounting to one every four days.

Five women lost their lives when Joel Cauchi, 40, carried out a stabbing rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction on April 13.

Since then, 28-year-old Forbes woman Molly Ticehurst and 49-year-old Emma Bates were both found dead in their homes in separate incidents. Two men have been charged in relation to each of the tragedies.

Rebecca Young, 42, Samantha Murphy, 51 and Hannah McGuire, 23 have all tragically died in the past two months, while mother Chaithanya Madhagani, known as ‘Swetha’ was found inside a wheelie bin on March 9.

In the 2022-2023 data set published today, 14 women had been killed by April that year. That is 13 less than this year. 

The report found there were ‘160 homicide incidents… where motive was applicable. 

‘Most homicide incidents are immediately preceded by an argument between the victim and offender. Around a fifth of homicide incidents were  preceded by a domestic argument.’

Four incidents were described as being motivated by revenge, two by jealousy, another two by desertion, eight by ‘apparent delusion’, 33 due to an argument of a domestic nature and 16 had no apparent motive.

While the majority of male victims were killed by a friend or acquaintance, half of the female victims were killed by a current or former partner.

Seventeen per cent of women were killed by another family member. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would convene an emergency meeting of the national cabinet on Wednesday to discuss the crisis with state and territory ministers.

Speaking at the Canberra rally at the weekend, Mr Albanese described the problem as a ‘national crisis’ and said one or two months of funding would not be enough to solve it.

‘It’s up to men to change men’s behaviour as well,’ he said.

‘Yes, people do need to be made accountable and I’ll be accountable for what my government does.’

Organiser Sarah Williams later slammed Mr Albanese on social media, accusing him of entitlement in a scathing post.

‘Albanese abusing his power by aggressively stating when I asked the crowd if we should let him speak, ‘I’m the prime minister of this country, I run this country’ demonstrated his entitlement,’ she wrote.

Video of the event shows Ms Williams telling Mr Albanese ‘that’s a lie, that’s a flat-out lie’ after he claimed he had earlier requested to speak.

‘For him to not only demand he speak because he was being heckled, but lie was disgraceful,’ she wrote later.

‘He demonstrated today what entitlement looks like. A man with power trying to diminish a vulnerable young woman.’