Australian of the Year Rosie Batty has called on the Government to reassess their priorities after a poll of 1000 Australians found they felt domestic violence was more of a threat than terrorism.
Fair Agenda’s Essential Research poll results showed that 74 per cent of participants were concerned about family violence more or as much as terrorism.
Around 48% replied it was more of a threat and 26% said it was about the same level of threat – a total of 74%. Only 18% considered it was less of a threat, while 8% said they did not know.
“We’re spending hundreds of millions extra on the war on terrorism, but women who fear for their safety are still being turned away from services because of a lack of funds,” Ms Batty said. The comparison between terrorism and domestic violence was first raised by Batty last month in a National Press Club address.
So far this year, 31 women have died at the hands of their partners. Alarming statistics estimate that two Australian women are killed by domestic violence each week.
Describing the current situation as an epidemic, Fair Agenda executive director Renee Carr said,”When a woman tries to escape abuse, she is at great risk. It’s unbelievable that with a rising murder rate, and all the talk about addressing this issue, governments still aren’t fully funding frontline services to keep women safe.”
