This article contains references to domestic violence.
A Labor minister has defended Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after he was singled out over his absence from rallies across Australia calling for more action to end violence against women, and honour those who have been killed.
A dedicated group of protesters braved heatwave conditions in many of the 14 cities and towns where rallies were held on Saturday.
But organiser Sherele Moody said she was disappointed many invited politicians had failed to attend and add their voices to the desperate plea.
"Leaders were invited, especially [Prime Minister Anthony] Albanese ... There's been no presence from him," Moody told the Australian Associated Press from Melbourne where she said 500 people had gathered.
Moody said state and federal politicians had been invited across the nation.
"There's no one turning up for the rallies in WA, no one bothering to turn up the huge rally in Alice Springs, Brisbane, Canberra, they're just, it's like they don't care," she said.
"Heading into the national election ... people need to vote for the parties that give a s*** about women."
People listen to speakers during a 'Stop Killing Women' rally in Sydney. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts
Rishworth said in a statement the Albanese government has made ending family, domestic and sexual violence "a national priority from day one".
"It is something as Minister for Social Services I have thought about, and worked on, every day since taking on this portfolio and this work will continue," Rishworth said.
"I have attended rallies, community events and regularly engage with and listen to women’s safety leaders and organisations to better understand and address community needs."
Albanese attended an event celebrating Holi — a Hindu festival — on Saturday in Sydney's west. On Sunday he was in Melbourne where he addressed reporters following virtual "" talk.
'They're individual lives'
Moody is a journalist, femicide researcher and founder of Australian Femicide Watch, which counts female victims of violence, including Australians who have died overseas.
According to her research, violence has resulted in the deaths of 117 women since January 2024, including 14 killed since the start of 2025.
According to the advocacy group Destroy the Joint's project Counting Dead Women, 79 women were killed in 2024. The project has counted eight deaths due to violence against women this year, as at 5 March.
On Saturday, protests have been held or are scheduled in Alice Springs, Adelaide, Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Orange, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, Sydney, Newcastle, Roebourne, Hobart and Port Macquarie, organised and funded by Australian Femicide Watch and the Red Heart Campaign.
They are intended to be memorials for the women lost, and a call for politicians to take more decisive action to combat violence against women.
"They're individual lives," Moody said.
"Tens of thousands of women experience abuse in Australia every day.
"We are doing everything we can to wake Australia up."
'It's not enough'
Rishworth said the federal government $4 billion in more than 113 initiatives into women’s safety across the four domains of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 across its three budgets.
However, Moody told reporters that "too many women are falling through the cracks", and called for more funding, better policy and "a lot more services".
"The money they [governments] are putting in is piecemeal, it's small, it's spread over years ... it's not enough. A lot of that money is hard to access," she said.
Greens senator Dorinda Cox is expected to speak at the Perth rally, urging MPs to rise above politics to tackle the national emergency of femicide.
"We expect the prime minister to fix this and for him not to attend one of the rallies is telling, because this should be a national priority," she said prior to the event.
"This is a state of emergency."
While groups such as Australian Femicide Watch document the number of female deaths to violence, advocates say a national register is needed to track the issue.
"We don't have any good nationally harmonised data — we count the road toll but not the number of women who die in this country," Cox said.
In November 2023, the government announced a new online system would provide more timely reporting on female victims of intimate partner homicide.
The Australian Institute of Criminology's (AIC) dashboard was released last June, including data from January to March 2024.
"Every single one of these lives lost is a tragedy. We all have a role to play in ending violence against women and we know that all governments have more work to do," Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a joint release at the time alongside the ministers for women and social services.
"The dashboard will allow for more timely reporting and enable police, governments, policy makers, and all those who are working to end violence against women and children, to better understand the scale of the issue and develop priority responses."
According to the dashboard, there were 37 female victims of intimate partner homicide between 1 January and 31 December, 2024.
If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit. In an emergency, call 000.
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