Australia is experiencing a shocking epidemic of violence against women, with a devastating death toll rising across the country every week.
Emma Bates, 49, became the 26th woman to die after allegedly being assaulted this year, after she was found dead at her home in Cobram, Victoria, near the New South Wales border. on Tuesday.
His neighbor John Torney, 39, who was on a community corrections order after being recently released from prison for assault, has been charged with the alleged attack.
Just a day earlier, young mother and childcare worker Molly Ticehurst, 28, was found dead in her Forbes home after allegedly being murdered by her ex-partner, Daniel Billings, 29.
At the time, Billings was facing multiple alleged charges in relation to Ms Ticehurst, but had been released on bail due to a decision by a judicial officer.
The back-to-back tragedies have revived calls for greater action to combat violence against women, with the New South Wales government announcing a review of the state’s bail system in light of Ms Ticehurst’s death.
Molly Ticehurst (pictured) was allegedly murdered on Monday, just ten days after celebrating her 28th birthday.
However, critics say the review will take months to complete and urgent changes need to be made now to save women’s lives. And his argument is supported by statistics.
On average, a woman is murdered every nine days by her current or former partner, but so far 2024 has marked an alarming upward trend.
So far this year, a woman has been murdered in Australia every four days, with eleven more deaths up to April this year compared to this time last year.
Here, WhatsNew2Day Australia looks at four things the government could do to combat violence against women.
1. Ankle bracelets
Electronic monitoring devices are already used throughout Australia for the purposes of detention, restraint and surveillance of offenders.
GPS devices are resistant to tampering and the breakage of the straps generates an immediate alert to the authorities monitoring the person.
But while they are common for those out on bail for crimes such as drug trafficking, they have not yet been implemented nationally for domestic violence offenders.
In 2022, the federal government announced that states and territories would share $20 million in Commonwealth funding to trial GPS monitoring of high-risk domestic violence offenders.
The cash boost came after a pilot program in Tasmania was incredibly successful, demonstrating a “76 per cent decrease in high-risk incidents, an 81 per cent reduction in threats and a 100 per cent decrease in complaints of harassment”.
The study also found that 80 percent of offenders “did not reoffend” in the six months afterward.
Australian states and territories are at various stages of the testing and implementation phase, and Western Australia is due to introduce laws in the coming months that would make GPS trackers mandatory for repeat domestic violence offenders.
However, Geoffrey Watson SC, director of the Center for Public Integrity, argues that it should not be difficult to quickly deploy GPS trackers.
Watson argued that the government can implement changes quickly when it wants, as with the Howard government’s gun reforms after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
“The police need to be given, with some oversight from the courts, the power to control men charged with these offences,” he wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald. «These control orders are already well known.
‘They apply in many circumstances where there is only a suspicion of risk and in the absence of a conviction; bail laws and conditions are obvious examples.
“In other words, it’s nothing new and it can be done.”
Former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty (pictured) has called for stricter language for domestic violence offences.
2. Strengthening reporting conditions
Reporting conditions are already used throughout the Australian criminal justice system to monitor offenders on bail, with non-custodial sentences and on parole.
Watson argues that making reporting conditions stricter could help police officers gain greater control over high-risk offenders and deter them from committing more crimes.
3. Legalization of pepper spray
A petition calling on the federal government to legalize pepper spray began circulating in the wake of the Bondi Junction Westfield massacre.
Currently, carrying pepper spray is only legal in Western Australia.
The suggestion has been controversial, with some commentators questioning whether pepper spray would have been effective in stopping the mall attack.
In the domestic violence prevention community, experts have also expressed concern about the dangers of legalizing pepper spray.
For example, pepper spray can have serious side effects and even cause death. There are also concerns about the complexities of legalizing pepper spray for the gender.
4. Change the language around domestic violence: ‘fellow terrorist terrorists’
Family violence prevention advocate and former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty says stronger language is needed to convey the seriousness of domestic violence offences.
He had previously called for the perpetrators to be labeled “fellow terrorist terrorists.”
“Language matters and I think it really is a very accurate depiction of the terror and terrorization that occurs,” he told ABC RN Breakfast.
“There is an unconscious minimization of violence when we put domestic or family violence first.”
Chris Minns is pictured speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, where he announced the New South Wales government would review bail laws.
The authorities think: Layout of the land
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns announced this week that the government is considering reviewing bail laws following Ms Ticehurst’s death.
On Wednesday, the Attorney General of New South Wales made a formal referral to Crown Counsel David Kell SC, seeking advice on whether urgent legal reform was necessary to bail laws, with particular attention to criminal offences. of domestic violence.
They would also examine the role of registrars in bail application matters, focusing on matters that occur at weekends and in regional areas.
“There are serious questions the government must answer about how the alleged criminal was released on bail,” Minns said Wednesday.
‘The deep anger and loss felt by the alleged victim’s family and friends is completely justifiable. Completely justifiable.
‘We have a duty of care to alleged victims, particularly those awaiting justice through the criminal justice system.
Minns said the review would include examining the decisions that were made in relation to the granting of bail and Ms Ticehurst’s death.
“Our obligation is, of course, to protect victims of crime in this state,” Mr. Minns said.
“Our main goal is justice for the family involved.”
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, who was at a news conference on Wednesday when she learned of Bates’ death, also called for changes amid the staggering rise in cases of violence.
While she could not speak specifically about the incident at Cobram, as the exact circumstances have yet to be determined, she pleaded with Victorians to report bad behavior towards women.
“We have already seen too many women lose their lives in 2024,” Allan said.
‘They have lost their lives, either at the hands of a current or former partner, or they have lost their lives at the hands of a complete stranger who seemed determined to inflict harm on women.
“This has to stop.”
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the “horrific” alleged murder of Molly Ticehurst “should not have happened” amid a rise in domestic violence in Australia.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb also spoke out amid a rise in domestic violence nationally to condemn the alleged murder of Ms Ticehurst.
Commissioner Webb was said to have been deeply affected by Ms Ticehurst’s death, describing it as “a terrible and frankly appalling crime”, while backing an urgent government review of bail laws “as a priority”. .
“I will say from the outset that the police share the sentiment of the community,” Commissioner Webb told the Sydney Morning Herald on Friday.
“This should not have happened and, unfortunately, it is not an isolated case.”
Despite the shocking rise in cases of violence during the first half of 2024, just five months ago, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a strong message to men following the horrifying rates of domestic violence and abuse in 2023.
Speaking on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Albanese called on men in Australia to challenge the disturbingly high rates of violence, saying there is “no time to waste”.
‘It is not just the task of governments. “Changing attitudes that entrench inequality and discrimination, objectify women, and ignore consent is everyone’s responsibility,” Albanese wrote in a statement.
‘Men in particular have to step up. And male leaders have the opportunity to champion change and create the conditions that prevent violence, abuse, discrimination and harassment.’
If you or someone you know has experienced or is at risk of family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) for a 24-hour national sexual assault, family and domestic violence advice line .
Mensline Australia 1300 789 978 Supports men and boys facing family and relationship difficulties. 24/7 phone and online support, an information service for Australian men. Call 1300 789 978 for help.
If this article has raised any issues for you, please contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 for 24/7 confidential support.