With the federal election so far documented by competing cost-of-living and energy policies, frontline workers are concerned the rise of violence against women is being left behind. One woman is killed every nine days – on average – in Australia with calls for funding to be fast tracked to help those escaping violence.
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00:00Kiara Collins's first experience of violence was as a young child in her family home.
00:07Having to patch up holes in the walls so people didn't see them when they came over, that's probably not normal.
00:15She now helps other women escape violence.
00:18How are we still fighting this? When will we have the right to walk safely without fear?
00:25One woman is killed every nine days on average in Australia by a current or former partner.
00:32A series of deaths last year prompted nationwide rallies and calls for change.
00:38This is indeed a national crisis.
00:40It is completely unacceptable.
00:42A year on, as Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton hit the campaign trail, advocates are demanding it be declared a national emergency.
00:51If you're a young person escaping a violent home without a protective parent, you have no door to enter into the family violence system.
00:59So what's being done about it?
01:01Last year National Cabinet agreed to spend more than $4 billion on ramping up frontline services for people leaving family and domestic violence,
01:10boosting legal aid services and interventions for high-risk offenders.
01:15Community legal centres say the extra money is still not meeting demand.
01:20The women's legal services across the country are turning away at least 1,000 women per week.
01:26It's very difficult to do the bigger pieces of work around prevention, healing and recovery when the entire system is in crisis mode.
01:35Demand for homelessness services is skyrocketing, making it harder for women to escape violence.
01:41The housing crisis makes it much tougher for people when they're leaving a situation of violence.
01:47With thousands again joining recent rallies, those on the frontline are watching to see what politicians offer before voters go to the polls on May 3rd.