Following the tragic death of Cobram resident Emma Bates, Goulburn Valley residents united at rallies in Cobram, Nathalia and Shepparton over the weekend, pressing the government to declare violence against women a national crisis and to boost support for prevention services.
“I can’t believe it’s happened where we live”, one protester said.
The group What Were You Wearing, which organised rallies in major Australian cities, advocated for critical reforms, including alternative reporting options for victims and the establishment of specialist courts to handle cases of violence more effectively.
Moreover, advocates called for enhanced training for first responders and media, emphasising the need to avoid victim-blaming and to ensure victims' privacy is respected by delaying the publication of any images for at least 48 hours.
The urgency is clear — not even halfway into 2024, the statistics present a sobering reality. A woman is killed by a partner or former partner every four days in Australia, a grim reality that community rallies are seeking to change.
Moved by Ms Bates’ tragic death, school teacher Steph Sparrow and wellbeing worker Illana Ballerini spearheaded a rally in Nathalia on Saturday, April 27.
Ms Sparrow had her students in mind when she decided to take action.
“My students were deeply affected by what happened in Cobram,” she said.
“They usually see this type of event on the news, and the fact that a woman died so close to home deeply impacted them.”
“They kept telling me, ‘Miss, I can’t believe it’s happened where we live’,” Ms Sparrow said.
“I saw rallies being organised on social media platforms and thought I needed to do something here.”
“I wanted to show our communities and our students that it is important to speak out and advocate for change”, she said.
Ms Sparrow liaised with Ms Ballerini on Thursday night at 9pm, and they started organising then.
“Enough is enough,” Ms Ballerini said.
“We acknowledge the support services, the important work they do with what they have,” she said.
“But ultimately, the court decides and grants bail. There’s a gap that needs to be addressed”.
“The bail system needs to change.”
“Women can only do so much,” Ms Ballerini said.
Driven by her personal experience as a victim-survivor, and her role at Victims of Crimes, Maddie Thorpe organised a rally in Shepparton on Sunday, April 28, and about 100 Sheppartonians showed up for the cause.
People of all ages came together, holding signs and taking a stand to denounce the violence perpetrated against women and men.
Ms Thorpe felt compelled to act.
“It was crucial for me to speak up. I thought, if I don’t take the initiative to organise the rally, who will do it?”
Ms Thorpe is a vocal advocate for starting educational discussions about violence early.
“As the mother of two boys, I must set the example.”
“It is my duty to educate them and to teach them respect,” she said.
According to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare for 2020-21, most victims of domestic homicide were killed by an intimate partner.
This data also indicates a troubling increase in the frequency of incidents. In 2020-2021, while a woman was killed every 15 days by an intimate partner, this rate has increased to every four days in 2024.
This past week has been particularly deadly, with the deaths of Molly Ticehurst in NSW, Ms Bates, and now Erica Hay in WA underscoring an alarming pattern.
“This issue goes beyond government funding”, said a victim-survivor who wished to remain anonymous.
“This is about changing men’s mentalities.”