Nationwide Protests Address Gender-Based Violence

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Tens of thousands of men, women and children have marched across Australian capital cities and regional towns calling for determined action to end gendered and sexual violence.

Advocates say the issue was during the federal election campaign, with “barely even hitting the sides”.

The No More: National Rally Against Violence saw attendees gather in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and regional centres in between.

A crowd of people, both sitting and standing, hold signs during a protest against violence against women.

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 need to be able to stop it before it starts,” she told a 2,000-strong crowd on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne on Saturday.

“We need more funding for primary prevention, more trauma-informed response training for police, increased crisis housing, bail law reform and uniform consent laws,” she said.

Two women sit on steps holding signs that read "SAY THEIR NAMES" and "SILENCE IS VIOLENCE" during a protest.

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 met in Sydney’s Hyde Park, while the regional centres of Newcastle and Wollongong saw a similar turnout, including the family and friends of Mackenzie Anderson, a young mother who was stabbed 78 times and brutally murdered by her former partner in 2022.

A hand places a red paper heart among flyers with women's photos and other red and black paper shapes.

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”.

Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, , was also at the rally with a sign reading: “25 women killed and still not an election issue.”

In the lead-up to the rallies, organisers urged more men to attend and take accountability for violence against women.

People march with signs during a protest, some reading "STOP KILLING US" and "WE JUST WANT TO BE SAFE AND LIVE".

Marchers in Brisbane. Source: AAP / Darren England

“Men listen to men … we need more male role models out there,” Williams said.

Consent and healthy relationship education should be expanded to more schools with additional funding, and community sporting clubs and major codes could also play a role in reaching different generations, she said.

A total of 128 women have been killed since January 2024, according to the Australian Femicide Watch website.

A crowd of people is gathered at a protest, holding signs and banners with various messages.

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.

“We’re here because men keep killing us,” she said.

“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.”

Advocates say a government-run national domestic violence register is desperately needed to track the issue.

Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, marked each May, is an opportunity to raise community awareness of the impacts of violence and the support available to those affected.

The rallies also called for fully funded frontline domestic violence services, expanded crisis accommodation and increased funding for primary prevention programs.

Two women hold a sign that reads "WE WERENT ASKING 4 IT" at a protest.

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.

It has also pledged to invest more funding to stop high-risk perpetrators through electronic monitoring.

But Moody said ministers and leaders needed to sit down with frontline services to figure out what works.

A crowd of people march at a protest, holding signs, including one with a picture of Anthony Albanese.

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.

Williams also said the government should engage with a wider range of organisations and advocates in the sector.

If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit . In an emergency, call 000.

, operated by No to Violence, can be contacted on 1300 766 491.

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