The Weekly cover star and Australian of The Year, Rosie Batty received thundering applause in her address at the Crown Autumn Ladies Lunch in Sydney today.
The event, which is in its second year, was held at David Jones in Sydney CBD.
Hosted by Roslyn and Gretel Packer and Francesca Packer-Barham the lunch raises funds for women’s shelters including The Luke Batty Foundation.
Some of Australia’s most influential women attended the event including Sarah Murdoch, Leigh Sales, Annabelle Crabbe, Jesinta Campbell, Jessica Gomes, Marina Go and Kyly Clarke.
In a Q&A with The Weekly editor-in-chief Helen McCabe, Batty said the underlying cause of violence is gender based.
“This is a gender issue that is about power and control and a man’s sense of entitlement. And as much as that is very uncomfortable that is the cause of violence,” she said.
Ms Batty, whose son Luke was killed by his father at cricket practice in Tyabb, Victoria, in February 2014, said one-in-three women is affected by family violence, and this year two women-a-week have been killed in a domestic dispute. Ms Batty said she wanted to use her role as Australian of The Year to affect change.
“This time last year we largely did not know (about the statistics),” she said.
“We largely went along in our everyday lives unaffected by what was happening. It was happening in every neighbourhood, in every suburb. You can be in the poorest of neighbourhoods or the richest of neighbourhoods… What I am very encouraged about is now the topic is being openly discussed. It’s coming into mainstream media. Mainstream conversation. I am very hopeful that now we have created an awareness. We can say ‘this cannot continue to happen.’”
Ms Batty said the government needs to better support women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
“[Court cases are] being dismissed because the rights of parents to have access to their children is more important than the very safety of those children,” she sais.
“We have a government cutting frontline services.”
When McCabe asked how Batty find the strength to get through every day, she said sometimes she doesn’t.
“At a point in every day there are tears that well up. We are all human. Emotion is OK.”
Batty said we all need to address this issue.
“As a community we need to be outraged, we need to be furious and we need to demand change.”
Rosie Batty and The Weekly’s Helen McCabe on stage.
Montana Cox, Francesca Barham and Jessica Gomes
Francesca Packer-Barham, Roslyn Packer and Gretel Packer
Rosie Batty.
Sarah Murdoch.
Kyly Clarke.
Jesinta Campbell.
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