A national leader says spending must be increased and better targeted to prevent gender-based violence, vowing to make it a federal election issue.
Australia's domestic, family and sexual violence commissioner Micaela Cronin said service systems were overwhelmed and stretched beyond capacity despite an increase in funding over the past decade.
"We need better data, we need to be thinking about absolutely funding what we know works, and we need to be evaluating every program," she told the National Press Club on Wednesday.
"We need to be evaluating so that we know that we are targeting funding in a strategic way, and there absolutely needs to be an uplift.
"I want this to be an election issue."
Ms Cronin was speaking after releasing the first report tracking the progress of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.
Engaging men every step of the way, embedding lived experience and increasing funding for frontline and crisis services are among the key recommendations.
There were about 9000 people working in the domestic, family and sexual violence sector nationwide, Ms Cronin said.
She said the 800,000-strong health sector and 80,000 police across the nation needed to recognise the scourge of violence as "core business".
Data from the Australian Institute of Criminology in the 2023/2024 financial year shows 43 women were killed at the hands of their partners, up from 34 the previous year.
Ms Cronin said the nation needed to "have eyes on men in different ways than we do now".
She described the spread of misogynist ideologies online such as the incel culture as "deeply concerning" with evidence of young men becoming radicalised.
Following the Bondi stabbing attack which targeted women, there was debate as to whether the attack should be considered a form of terrorism.
Ms Cronin said it needed to be taken as seriously.
"It is not terrorism in the same way, and I think that what we need is for the community to take as seriously threats of domestic, family and sexual violence as they take terrorist threats; act on them as urgently," she said.
Referencing the killing of Forbes mother Molly Ticehurst, allegedly by her ex-partner earlier this year, Ms Cronin said the young woman might still be alive today had people monitored her case.
Sexual violence needed to be discussed more, she said.
Community legal centres are calling on Labor to provide $95 million each year in funding to support those subjected to violence.
Community Legal Centres Australia chair Arlia Fleming said the federal budget handed down in May failed to provide the money centres need to survive or to ensure people will have access to legal assistance beyond June 2025.
Domestic Violence Prevention Assistant Minister Justine Elliot told parliament women should not have to solve the issue alone.
"Protecting our daughters is not enough - generational change depends on educating our sons," she said.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said the rate of violence against women had increased, and people needed to look beyond the raw statistics.
"These women had dreams. They had hopes and aspirations for their lives. They were loved by so many in our communities, and we have lost them," she told parliament.
"We must confront this issue with the fierce urgency we would if it was happening right here in this chamber, because it is happening and it must end."
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said Labor had provided more than $3.4 billion for women's safety in three federal budgets.
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