Over the past three days, thousands have attended demonstrations across the country demanding for an end to gender-based violence.
In addition to showing solidarity with survivors of violence, rally attendees have a number of specific requests.
Call for training on how to support victims
This weekend’s events were organised by advocacy group What Were You Wearing.
Sydney rally coordinator Taylah Creighton said sufficient funding for community legal services and grassroots organisations — including men’s behaviour programs — would always be a top priority.
But she said trauma-informed training for first responders was an area of victim support that needed improvement.
“We just think it’s really important for the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence because they don’t always present as victims,” she said.
“In the system right now, they’re getting, re-traumatised by the treatment of police and paramedics responders.”
Adelaide rally attendee Rebekah Smith said mental health support services played a critical role in preventing further violence.
“What I do in my work is to try to build people’s mental fitness to prevent people getting violent and aggressive in the first place,” she said.
“One of the key themes I hope people take away from this is that this is not just about preventing domestic violence and it’s not just about preventing mental illness either – it’s also about building mental health and building domestic safety.”
Figures show 44 women have died this year
There are a number of unofficial counters that track deaths related to gendered violence, with research group Counting Dead Women reporting 44 women have died since the start of 2024 as of July 21.
Others attending the rallies said the number was closer to 54.
It is up from 27 deaths recorded at the time of the last series of national rallies in April.
One of the most recent fatalities occurred on July 19 when mother Kiesha Thompson, 23, was killed in an alleged hit-and-run in Logan.
Katrina Paul attended the rally in Brisbane which paid tribute to Ms Thompson and others like her on Sunday, describing the prevalence of violence in the community as “disgusting”.
“Whether it be a trans woman, a cis woman, a queer woman, a straight woman … it’s just awful how often this stuff happens,” she said.
Western Australia’s Kimberley region has one of the highest rates of family and domestic violence in the state, with recent figures showing an average of 19 reports were made to police each day.
Robyn Wewls, who was at the rally in Broome, said it was a heartbreaking situation.
“I worked at the refuge for a number of years, I’m meeting women who are coming to the refuge as grown women who I’ve known as children in various parts of the Kimberley and coming in with their children — as victims of domestic violence,” she said.
How has the political sphere responded?
The rally in Perth came two months after Jennifer and Gretl Petelczyc were shot dead in their Floreat home by Mark James Bombara, the ex-partner of a friend the pair were trying to help.
His daughter Ariel Bombara made headlines when she revealed she warned authorities three times about the threat her father posed prior to the shooting.
The 27-year-old was in the crowd on Sunday, again showing her solidarity with victims of violence.
Independent Curtin MP Kate Chaney, whose electorate office is in Floreat, said the community was still reeling from the incident.
“Since the terrible Floreat shootings, I’ve heard so many stories from women about their experience with the system and not being made to feel safe,” she said.
“I’ve heard stories of women who’ve gone to police in fear of their lives who haven’t been taken seriously.”
Greens Senator Dorinda Cox also spoke of the importance of “keeping the pressure on governments” to ensure profound change is made.
“We need to be out here in numbers and nice and loud in our voices to continue to raise the important of violence against women and children,” she said.
“I’m urging the government to do something in this term to actually address [men’s use of violence].”
Vow to continue to ‘make noise’ until change
Sunshine Coast rally attendee Brooke Gillham, who escaped a 10-year violent relationship, captured the sentiment of the crowds when she said there were no plans to stop speaking out against violence.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that we’re not going away. We’re going to continue to make noise until we get the right change,” she said.
Fellow survivor Mikki Fisher agreed.
“There are so many silent victims needing us to make noise for them to save them,” she said.
“There’s something really special about people coming together because you realise that you’re not alone, and it creates hope because you realise you’re not the only one yelling and screaming.”
