Australian PM joins mass protests against gendered violence

CANBERRA - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has joined nationwide protests calling for an end to violence against women.

Tens of thousands of Australians on Sunday gathered at events across the country to demand action to address gendered violence.

In Canberra, protesters were joined on their march to Parliament House by Albanese, who earlier in April said Australia was facing a crisis of violence against women, and senior government ministers.

According to activist group Destroy the Joint, 26 women have been violently killed in Australia since the start of 2024.

"Violence against women is an epidemic. We must do better," Albanese wrote in a post on social media on Sunday morning. "Governments need to do better and as a society, we need to do better."

Speaking at a press conference earlier on Sunday, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said more time was needed to determine if the 10-year National Plan to End Violence against Women implemented by the government in October 2022 was yielding results.

The plan set a goal of eradicating violence against women within a generation.

"The results will take some time to see the change we need to turn things around," Rishworth said on Sunday.

She said she was hopeful the current national conversation would bring sustained resolve across society to address the issue.

The federal government has dismissed calls for a royal commission into domestic violence to be established, instead prioritizing the national plan.