NSW Premier Chris MinnsDion Georgopoulos
Violence against women exploded as a political issue following the April 13 knife attack at Bondi Junction that killed five women and one man. That was followed by the killing of NSW woman Molly Ticehurst by a former partner out on bail despite facing sexual assault charges. And now new data links the disturbing rise in women killed by partners to NSW murder statistics.
Using NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data between 2014 and 2024,thebased on Sydney postcodes as well as regional local government areas,pinpointing where murders physically took place,murder victims from that area and residents accused of committing murder.
A disproportionate number of murders occurred in suburbs and areas where many people are trapped by socio-economic disadvantage:for example,17 people were killed in the 2770 postcode,centred on Mount Druitt but also encompassing smaller satellite suburbs. This was the most murders in any NSW postcode. Liverpool (14) and Bankstown (13) postcodes had the next highest numbers. Ten people were murdered in the Sydney CBD,with nine in Green Valley,eight each in Wentworthville and Guildford,and six in Parramatta,Peakhurst,St Marys,Kings Langley and Bossley Park. Outside of Sydney,the Central Coast recorded 31 murders,Newcastle 23,Lake Macquarie,Tweed and Wollongong 16 each and Shoalhaven,nine.
But despite tabloid hysteria often surrounding a murder and politicians wanting to bang the law-and-order drum,the truth is that Sydney is a relatively safe city. The BOCSAR data showed. Against this,FBI statistics for New York,a city not quite twice the size of Sydney, over the period 2010-2019.
BOCSAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said the NSW murder rates hit a historical low during the pandemic and was down 6.5 per cent over the decade. “There has been a small bounceback,but we’re still way fewer than before,” she said. “If you go back to March 1996,130 people were murdered – it’s actually half that now.”
However,one of the key points found in the BOCSAR data is the rise in women killed by partners. The incidence of domestic violence murders had been trending down over the last decade but in 2022-23 there was a 28 per cent increase in women killed across Australia. Of the 17 murders in Mount Druitt’s 2770 postcode,seven were domestic violence deaths. Domestic violence killings were also harrowing in Liverpool (7 of 14),Wyong (5 of 9),Blacktown (2 of 3),Newcastle (10 of 23) and St Marys (3 of 6).
Whatever is unveiled in Tuesday’s budget,. Budget figures reveal NSW allocated $417.2 million in the 2022-23 financial year compared to Victoria’s $613 million. Victoria poured money into addressing domestic violence after holding a royal commission prompted by the 2014 killing of Rosie Batty’s son Luke by his father.
Premier Chris Minns ruled out a royal commission,saying NSW did not have the time nor money for a lengthy inquiry. He said his government would invest $230 million to address both the cause and effect of violence against women last month. But NSW’s financial commitment still lags. The new data linking the rise in women being killed in the murder statistics indicates the pressing need for more serious thought and serious money to counter such a tragic trend.
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