Four things that could change RIGHT NOW to save the lives of Aussie women from violence – as a famous Australian suggests a controversial new name for DV offenders

Australia is experiencing a shocking epidemic of violence against women, with the devastating death toll across the country rising every week.

Emma Bates, 49, became the 26th woman to die after allegedly being attacked this year after she was found dead at her home in Cobram, Victoria, near the NSW border, on Tuesday.

Her neighbor John Torney, 39 – who was given a community corrections order after recently being released from prison for assault – has been charged over the alleged attack.

Just a day earlier, young mother and childcare worker Molly Ticehurst, 28, was found dead in her Forbes home after allegedly being murdered by her ex-partner, Daniel Billings, 29.

At the time, Billings was facing multiple alleged charges in relation to Ms Ticehurst but had been released on bail due to a decision by a court official.

The back-to-back tragedies have revived calls for greater action on violence against women, with the NSW government announcing a review of the state’s bail system in light of Ms Ticehurst’s death.

However, critics say it will take months for the review to be completed and urgent changes need to be made now to save women’s lives. And their argument is backed by statistics.

On average, a woman is murdered every nine days by a current or former partner, but 2024 so far shows an alarming upward trend.

So far this year, a woman has been murdered every four days in Australia – with 11 additional deaths from April this year compared to this time last year.

Here, Daily Mail Australia examines the four things the government could do to combat violence against women.

1. Anklets

Electronic monitoring equipment is already used across Australia for the detention, restraint and surveillance of offenders.

The GPS devices are resistant to tampering and breaking the straps generates an immediate alert to the authorities monitoring the person.

But while they are common for people on bail for crimes such as drug dealing, they have yet to be rolled out nationally for perpetrators of domestic abuse.

In 2022, the Federal Government announced that $20 million in Commonwealth funding would be shared by the states and territories to trial GPS monitoring of high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators.

The cash boost came after a Tasmanian pilot program was incredibly successful, showing a ’76 per cent reduction in high-risk incidents, 81 per cent reduction in threats and 100 per cent reduction in reports of stalking’.

The research also found that 80 percent of offenders had also ‘not reoffended’ in the six months after.

Australian states and territories are at various stages of the pilot and rollout phase, while Western Australia will introduce laws in the coming months making GPS trackers mandatory for repeat perpetrators of domestic violence.

However, Geoffrey Watson SC, director of the Center for Public Integrity, says rushing to roll out GPS trackers should not be difficult.

Watson argued that the government can make quick changes when it wants to, such as with the Howard government’s gun reforms after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.

“The police, with some supervision from the court, should be given the power to control the men accused of these crimes,” he wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald. ‘Such control orders are already widely recognized.

‘They are applied in many circumstances where there is only a suspicion of risk, and in the absence of a conviction, bail laws and conditions are clear examples.

“In other words, it’s nothing new and it’s possible.”

2. Strengthening reporting conditions

Reporting conditions are already used across the Australian criminal justice system to monitor offenders on bail, non-custodial sentences and parole.

Mr Watson argues that tightening reporting requirements could help police officers gain more control over high-risk offenders and deter them from committing further offences.

3. Legalization of pepper spray

In the wake of the Bondi Junction massacre in Westfield, a petition began circulating calling on the federal government to legalize pepper spray.

Currently it is only legal to carry pepper spray in Western Australia.

The suggestion was controversial, with some commentators questioning whether pepper spray would have been effective in stopping the attack on the mall.

In the field of domestic violence prevention, experts have also raised concerns about the dangers of legalizing pepper spray.

For example, pepper spray can have serious side effects and even cause death. There are also concerns about the complexity of legalizing gender pepper spray.

4. Changing the language around domestic violence: ‘Intimate partner terrorists’

Family violence prevention campaigner and former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty says stronger language is needed to convey the seriousness of domestic violence.

She has previously called for perpetrators to be labeled ‘intimate partner terrorists’.

“Language is important and I think it’s really a very accurate description of the terror and terror that’s happening,” she told ABC RN Breakfast.

‘There is an unconscious minimization of violence when we place the family in front of it.’

Authorities weigh in: Lay of the land

NSW Premier Chris Minns announced this week that the government is considering an overreach of bail laws following Ms Ticehurst’s death.

On Wednesday, the NSW Attorney General made a formal reference to Crown Advocate David Kell SC, seeking advice on whether urgent legislative reform was needed to bail laws, with a particular focus on domestic violence offences.

They would also examine the role of clerks in bail application cases, with a focus on cases arising at weekends and in regional areas.

“There are serious questions the government must answer about how the alleged perpetrator was released on bail,” Minns said on Wednesday.

“The deep anger and loss felt by the alleged victim’s family and friends are fully justified. Completely justified.

“We have a duty of care to alleged victims, especially those awaiting justice through the criminal justice system.

Mr Minns said the review would also include examining decisions made in relation to the granting of bail and Ms Ticehurst’s death.

“It is obviously our duty to protect victims of crime in this state,” Mr Minns said.

“Our primary focus is on justice for the family involved.”

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, who was at a press conference on Wednesday when she heard about Ms Bates’ death, has also called for change amid the staggering rise in violent cases.

While she could not speak specifically about the Cobram incident as the exact circumstances have yet to be established, she implored Victorians to denounce bad behavior towards women.

“We have already seen too many women lose their lives in 2024,” Ms Allan said.

“They have lost their lives, either at the hands of a current or former partner, or they have lost their lives at the hands of a complete stranger who seemed intent on harming women.

‘This has to stop.’

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has also spoken out amid the wave of domestic violence nationally to condemn the alleged murder of Ms Ticehurst.

Commissioner Webb is said to have been deeply affected by Ms Ticehurst’s death, describing it as a ‘terrible and downright heinous crime’ as she supported an urgent review of bail legislation by the Government ‘as a priority’.

“I have said from the outset that the police share the sentiment of the community,” Commissioner Webb told the Sydney Morning Herald on Friday.

“This should not have happened and unfortunately it is not an isolated incident.”

Despite the shocking rise in violence in the first half of 2024, just five months ago, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sent a blunt message to men following the horrific figures of domestic violence and abuse in 2023.

Speaking to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Albanian men in Australia called on them to challenge disturbingly high rates of violence, saying there was ‘no time to lose’.

‘It is not just the job of governments. Changing attitudes that entrench inequality and discrimination, objectify women, and ignore consent is everyone’s responsibility,” Albanese wrote in a statement.

‘Men in particular need to step up. And male leaders have the opportunity to effect change and create the conditions that prevent violence, abuse, discrimination and harassment.”

If you or someone you know has experienced or is at risk of family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) for a 24-hour national advice line on sexual, family and domestic violence.

Mensline Australia 1300 789 978 Supports men and boys dealing with family and relationship issues. 24/7 telephone and online support from an information service for Australian men. Call 1300 789 978 for assistance.

If this article has caused you any problems, please contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 24/7 for confidential support.