A dozen rallies will be held in major cities and regional towns on Sunday as part of a series of national events calling for a break in the cycle of violence that has claimed the lives of at least 26 women so far in 2024, according to Destroy the Joint.
Anthony Albanese will attend the Canberra rally on Sunday after former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and NSW Premier Chris Minns joined crowds at the Sydney event on Saturday.
A large crowd gathered in Sydney on Saturday to call for action to end violence against women. (Steven Markham/AAP PHOTOS)
A 30-year-old Perth woman was allegedly murdered with WA police taking a man in his 30s, who was known to her, into custody on Friday.
It comes after the regional town of Ballarat was rocked by the alleged murders of Samantha Murphy, Rebecca Young and Hannah McGuire at the hands of men within two months.
Two weeks ago, Jade Young, 47, Ashlee Good, 38, Dawn Singleton, 25, Pikria Darchia, 55, and Yixuan Cheng, 27, were all killed at a Bondi Junction shopping centre in Sydney when Queensland man Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing rampage.
Earlier this week, Molly Ticehurst, 28, was found dead at her home in Forbes in NSW and Emma Bates, 49, was discovered dead at a property in Cobram in Victoria.
Thousands of men and women marched through the streets of Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart on Saturday to call out gendered violence.
Rallies are calling on governments to acknowledge violence against women as a national emergency. (Steven Markham/AAP PHOTOS)
Chants of "whatever we wear, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no" and "when our right to safety is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back" erupted from crowds at the Sydney rally, attended Mr Turnbull, his wife Lucy, Mr Minns and federal MP Sophie Scamps.
Addressing a cheering crowd, What Were You Wearing Australia chief executive Sarah Williams said she hoped Mr Albanese would listen to what marchers nationwide were calling on leaders to do.
"I'm not sure what to be prepared for but I'm hoping he will name this as a national emergency and changes will be made," she said.
The weekend of action began on Friday when hundreds of people descended on Ballarat and Newcastle.
Anthony Field from The Wiggles was among the crowds calling for action at the Sydney rally. (Steven Markham/AAP PHOTOS)
The rallies, organised by What Were You Wearing, called on governments to acknowledge violence against women as a national emergency and to fund all domestic, family and sexual violence services for at least five years.
They want alternative reporting options for victims and specialist courts to hear cases of violence.
The group also wants better training for first responders and for media personnel to stop victim blaming and wait at least 48 hours before publishing images of any victims.
Demonstrations will be held on Sunday in Melbourne, Bendigo, Geelong, Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Wagga Wagga, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Orange and Cobram.
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