The No More: National Rally Against Violence saw participants convening in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, and various regional centers.
Protesters gather in Newcastle on Saturday. Source: Getty / Roni Bintang
Organiser Sarah Williams called for more funding, training, and law reform to combat violence.
“We require more funding for primary prevention, enhanced trauma-informed response training for police, additional crisis housing, bail law reforms, and standardized consent laws,” she stated.
Protesters outside Parliament House in Melbourne honoured the 128 women killed since the start of 2024. Source: AAP / Samantha Lock
Similar rallies played out almost simultaneously in every state capital as well as several regional cities and towns.
Hundreds gathered in Sydney’s Hyde Park, while regional centers like Newcastle and Wollongong had similar gatherings, including the family and friends of Mackenzie Anderson, a young mother tragically murdered in 2022 by her former partner.
Paper hearts were arranged in Hyde Park as a tribute to victims of gendered and sexual violence. Source: Getty / Lisa Maree Williams
Hundreds more rallied in Brisbane, carrying signs reading “We weren’t asking for it” and “Weak laws cost lives”.
In the lead-up to the rallies, organisers urged more men to attend and take accountability for violence against women.
Marchers in Brisbane. Source: AAP / Darren England
“Men listen to men … we need more male role models out there,” Williams said.
A total of 128 women have been killed since January 2024, according to the Australian Femicide Watch website.
The names of 128 women killed since January 2024 were read aloud at the Melbourne rally. Source: AAP / Samantha Lock
Its founder, Sherele Moody, read aloud the names of the women as images of their faces were laid before Melbourne’s Parliament steps.
“Violence against women is primarily a male problem … it’s not a women’s problem to solve but it’s women who are the ones who do the work.”
The rallies also called for fully funded frontline domestic violence services, expanded crisis accommodation and increased funding for primary prevention programs.
Protesters in Brisbane. Source: AAP / Darren England
Mandatory trauma-informed training for all first responders should also be rolled out, organisers said.
The re-elected Labor government previously promised to prevent domestic violence perpetrators from abusing the tax and superannuation systems.
But Moody said ministers and leaders needed to sit down with frontline services to figure out what works.
Some demonstrators in Sydney weren’t impressed with the newly re-elected Labor government’s policies on tackling violence against women. Source: Getty / Lisa Maree Williams
“All the safety nets have holes in them, and the funding barely even hits the sides,” she said.
