New government data shows the rate of women killed by a partner in Australia increased by nearly 30% in 2022/23 compared to the previous year.
It comes after Australian governments agreed on a goal to reduce the number of women killed by their partners by 25% per year, starting in 2023. This target is part of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women.
Here’s what you need to know.
National plan
In 2022, the Federal, state, and territory governments launched a 10-year plan to end violence against women.
It was the second plan of its kind, following one launched in 2010. That plan failed in its goal to reduce the prevalence of violence against women.
The Government said for the first time, the new plan included the “importance of engaging men and boys”. The plan had four key areas: prevention, early intervention, response, and recovery and healing.
Under the current National Plan, there are two five-year ‘action plans’. One of the key targets for the first action plan is a 25% reduction per year in female victims of intimate partner homicide.
Last year, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth was asked if this goal was too ambitious. She replied: “[The targets] are ambitious, but we need to start aiming for something.”
New data
Today, the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) revealed rate of women killed by a partner increased by 28% compared to the year prior.
The data shows that of the 34 women killed by an intimate partner last year, all were killed by a male partner.
It also found the rate of homicide is far higher for First Nations women.
It comes amid a rise in the number of women killed in the first four months of this year, compared to last year, according to Counting Dead Women Australia.
While deaths increased between 2022-2023, the report said there had been a 66% decrease in the overall number of women killed by a partner in the last 34 years.
The target
The 25% reduction target is set to start in the year 2023/24. The numbers released by the AIC today are for the year 2022/23.
AIC Deputy Director Dr Rick Brown said: “The figures in this latest report provide an important baseline to measure progress… to reduce female [intimate partner homicide] by 25% per year over five years.”
