We're six weeks into 2026, and six Australian women and three children have been killed by male perpetrators. High profile cases like that of Julian Ingram have made headlines, while others have flown under the radar.
It's hard to miss that we have an epidemic of mens violence against women in Australia. The statistics used to be that one woman a week dies at the hands of a current or former intimate partner. Sadly, this number has only increased over the last three years. In 2024, it was closer to two per week.
Mens violence is an immensely complex problem to address as it's not a behaviour that emerges overnight. It's a pattern that is cultivated by a patriarchal society and then fed by a culture of misogyny. It's allowed to run wild by government policies that do nothing to mitigate risk factors and then propagated by red-pill ideology online.
This is why some experts are calling for a national royal commission. While policies, laws and reforms like Clare's Law (where partners are able to contact police to understand if their current or prospective partner has a history of domestic violence) or the no-bail-for-dv-offenders reform can help and address parts of the problem, they don't get to the roots. And the only way to find out just how far the roots spread is to dig into the depths of the issue and find out. Any plan to combat intimate partner violence needs to include a prevention strategy, as well as support and intervention after the fact.
What exactly is a royal commission?
A royal commission is essentially just a big investigation, but with a broader scope and powers.
It is the highest form of independent public inquiry. They're established to investigate matters of extreme public interest or important. They also carry stronger legal powers that other investigations. A royal commission has legal power to take evidence under oath and compel witnesses.
At the end, a final report is produced that include detailed guidance for Government action.
What is the argument against a royal commission?
The major arguments boil down to two things: royal commissions are very expensive and cost tax payers a lot of money, and some believe a royal commission won't provide meaningful answers or results.
There have been many enquiries in national cabinet meetings and also at the state level. South Australia has actually already run its own state-based royal commission into domestic violence. There is evidence that the findings from these have yielded little change so far.
Criminology professor Vincent Hurley went viral after his comments on an episode of QandA where he spoke about bail reforms. Among his comments, he asserted that Australia does not need a royal commission and that better funding of frontline services, and criminal justice changes would address this issue.
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Are the current strategies working?
The Albanese Government has been more active on the issue of domestic violence and intimate partner violence than other governments. It's put more than $4 billion into funding programs and initiatives and has initiated two National Plans to End Violence Against Women. The first plan commenced in 2022, but since that time rates and reports of domestic violence and mens violence has only increased. While some have chalked the stats up to simply an increase in reporting domestic violence incidents, the death toll does not lie.
In 2024, two years since the first National Plan, we had one of the highest country-wide female death tolls from mens violence on record. Additionally, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows that domestic violence related murders in NSW have increased by 40 per cent since 2021.
The Domestic, Sexual and Family Violence commissioner, Micaela Cronin has remarked that the level of progress in combating domestic violence is not at all in line with the current funding supplied by the Government – and a key reason is that Government agencies are not acting on or implementing advice.
There have been more than 1,000 recommendations from at least 25 inquiries at the Federal, State and Territory level since 2010. Many of the same guidance is repeated in report after report, but is not being widely implemented.
What could a national royal commission into domestic violence do differently to what's already been done?
When Our Watch investigated the root cause of mens violence it said that "no single person or organisation can bring about an end to violence. A collective, national effort is needed."
Many experts and advocates have been calling for a national royal commission including current MP Zali Steggall. She says that while many groups say the money spent on a royal commission would be better invested into funding crisis services, a national royal commission would increase accountability. She explains that the current Government says they're already funding key services, but a royal commission would force Federal and State Governments to work together to evaluate what is working and what is not – and actually act on the advice that has already been provided.
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Steggall has spoken about previous mitigation strategies around reducing gambling advertising and alcohol delivery hours that are still just "sitting on the shelf" instead of being implemented.
Feature image: Rad Pozniakov on Unsplash
