May 2015 - ABC News
So far this year 34 women have been killed in Australia, including two in New South Wales who were allegedly killed by their partners in the last week.
Grandmother of five, Linda Locke died in hospital last Tuesday after her de facto partner, Jamie Walker, allegedly bashed her in their western Sydney home.
Two days before, an 18-year-old mother was allegedly killed by her ex-boyfriend, in the western New South Wales town of Brewarrina.
Of the 34, it is estimated two-thirds were killed by a partner, ex-partner or family member.
Last year, according to the website Destroy the Joint, 81 women were killed - again many at the hands of a current or former partner.
Activists and community groups have called for all governments across the country to elevate the status of protection agencies so they are directly under the control of premiers and the Prime Minister.
They also want greater funding for programs aimed at reducing violence.
Helen Brereton from the Women's Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service in NSW said domestic violence was reaching epidemic levels.
"We know that domestic violence is the leading cause of death and injury and illness for women in Australia," she said.
"The statistics have been growing steadily over time as more women are reporting.
"So it's shocking to hear these statistics but what is less shocking just for me is just how widespread this issue is.
"And its time really not to sweep it under the carpet, to have conversations about it and I think also we need stronger leadership from government, from our communities to really take some action."
The Redfern Legal Centre's Joanna Schulman said the reason for the domestic violence problem was because of a "lack of resourcing of existing programs".
"So we see the problem only getting worse," she said.
Paul Linossier, CEO of Our Watch, group dedicated to ending domestic violence, said the fundamental problem was attitudes towards women.
"We need to go upstream and understand that behind men's control of women and the murder of intimate partners sits two key drivers; gender inequality and holding to traditional and rigid gender stereotypes," he said.
"We know from the international evidence that these two factors are the core drivers of men's violence against women.
"So in societies where gender inequality is less, there is lower levels of violence against women."
A vigil is set to be held today in the Sydney suburb of Blacktown in honour of those women killed by domestic violence.
Michael Edwards
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