STATEMENT - For the Newcastle March for Mackenzie Anderson

29 March 2022

Id like to thank What Were You Wearing for bringing our community together this evening to remember Mackenzie Anderson and the other thirteen women this year who have been killed through acts of violence. Im sorry I cant be with you in person as Parliament is sitting in Canberra. Its hard to articulate the profound horror and sadness we all feel in the face of such senseless violence against women. Today we march to remember Mackenzie Anderson and the lives of all women lost to domestic and family violence and stand with our national community united in our grief and our outrage. Every death from domestic and family violence is unacceptable and a tragedy. In the last week alone, five women have been allegedly killed by domestic violence in Australia. We are confronting an epidemic of gender-based violence in Australia. The Counting Dead Women Australia register for 2022 currently stands at 14. Australian women want real leadership and they arent getting that from this Government. It will take more than just words it will take real action to lead a process of genuine and lasting change. Its not enough for me to say that we need to put greater pressure on the government to do better - we just need to change the government. A safe workplace, a safe place to live, fair and equal pay, access to quality education, and a justice system that works for survivors should not be too much to expect in 2022 it should be the bare minimum. I stand with you in solidarity to end this national scourge of violence against women and children.