Australia Has a Problem
On male violence against women, femicide, and what Australian men refuse to confront
There are a few things that are unique to, or more common in, certain countries. Gun violence is a uniquely American problem, specifically school shootings. In Australia, bushfires are pretty unique to us. Yes, there were the California wildfires, but every summer Australia braces for the inevitable fires that ravage our beautiful landscape. There’s also another thing that stands out in Australia, and it is male violence against women. This is not to say that male violence does not exist everywhere around the world, because it certainly does.1 However, its frequency in Australia is rather shocking and deeply concerning.
Why? Well, for starters, Australia is considered a first-world / developed country, a democracy with a fairly progressive government. We have good education, free healthcare, freedom of speech and expression, and yet there is a portion of the population killing another portion of the population, and I am sick of it.
So far, in 2026, five women have been killed, by men. In 2025, seventy-seven women were murdered, mainly by men.2 I see a lot of people talking about this and saying, “That’s seventy-seven sisters, daughters, aunts, cousins.” But it actually doesn’t matter what they were to somebody. Whether they were someone’s daughter, partner, sister, or cousin, what matters is that they were human beings. These were women who had lives. They had dreams, aspirations, opinions, jobs, friends, families, and they had the right to live. That right was cruelly snuffed out by men.
Now, there are people (usually men) who will say, “Actually, no, men are more likely to be beaten by other men, and men are more likely to be mugged in the street,” and then rattle off all these statistics in response to women sharing their fears of being fucking raped and/or murdered. But here’s the thing: the common denominator is men. Men are the ones who commit most global violence.
And don’t worry, you (fake) little fact-checkers, this essay has footnotes, references and statistics for all of the claims I am making, because I know there will be people like you who read this and shake your heads and go, “That doesn’t sound right. That doesn’t sound true. Where’s your research for that?”3 (even though we all know you’re too lazy and too stupid to actually read the evidence I’ve provided).
But it is true. Men commit more violence than women. Some feminist thinkers, philosophers, and activists argue that this violence is something innate to men. Others say it is the result of how men are raised, particularly within a patriarchal society. I’m not a scientist and I’m not a scholar. However, I think it’s a bit of both. I don’t want to be a bio-essentialist, but I also don’t want to ignore the problem and give men an excuse to continue their bullshit.
What I do know for certain is this: men in Australia have a fucking problem. There is a fucking problem with the way men and boys are socialised in Australia.
These men and boys come in all shapes and sizes. They might remind you of Steve Irwin, Crocodile Dundee, or some other stupid stereotype. It doesn’t really matter, because all of these blokes are part of the culture that enables and ignores male violence against women.
They’re the type of bloke who might describe himself as a “larrikin” or a “free thinker,” or just dismiss himself as some stupid teenage boy making a few “harmless” jokes here and there, jokes about his missus driving him mad and how he could kill her. Or jokes about how women are only good for washing dishes, or “nice legs, shame about the face.” And when you say to him at the dinner table, “Did you hear that seven women in Australia have already been killed by a man this year?”, he’ll respond with, “Yeah, well, what if the shoe was on the other foot?”
What shoe? And on what foot? Are you guys fucking Cinderella? What even is that “argument”?
Do you mean, what if seven men had already been killed in 2026 by women? Because if that were the case, we would never hear the end of it! If men had periods, we would have found a treatment for period pain. If men had to go through childbirth, we would have found a way to ensure men didn’t have to give birth. If men were being disproportionately murdered by women, we would make sure it never happened again. There would be cabinet inquiries, special recommendations, TED talks, panels, speeches, endless discussions about this terrible, terrible epidemic.
For fuck’s sake, we already do it with the so-called male loneliness epidemic!
Men have created this narrative that they are in a uniquely lonely position that constitutes a public health crisis4, and that women somehow don’t experience loneliness. And here’s the thing: I have no doubt that men are lonely. I also have no doubt that women are lonely. But there is no real way to measure loneliness because it is self-reported. What does it mean to be lonely? To feel alone? To be alone? To not have friends, or not have many friends? We don’t actually know, yet it is treated as a fucking epidemic.
And when you look at the reasoning and examples given for the male loneliness epidemic, it’s not actually that men feel lonely. Instead, they say things like, “Men don’t feel like they can approach women because they’re scared women will accuse them of being harassers or rapists,” or “Men don’t feel like they can use dating apps anymore because it’s too woke now.”
So it’s not really an epidemic. It’s men saying, “Bitches are too fucking woke now. Girls won’t put up with it when I sexually harass them. Girls communicate their boundaries, and it makes me angry.”
And to those men, I say this: if you want an excuse to be horrible to women, and you find women’s boundaries annoying, you deserve to be lonely. You deserve to have no one around you. If you find it an affront to your manhood that women don’t want to be around you, for whatever fucking reason, then you are the problem, and you deserve to be alone.
Maybe self-reflect. Maybe stop asking your (poor) girlfriend to organise hang-outs with your mates. Why don’t you make the effort, pick up the phone, and organise dinner with your friends? Why not put in the emotional labour that women constantly put into maintaining friendships? Instead of sitting in online communities, stewing in resentment and talking about how much you hate women.
And maybe, just maybe, if you stop killing us, when you’re walking behind us at night we won’t immediately divert to a well-lit path to avoid you. Maybe when you approach us at a club, we won’t scowl and look away.
When you stop murdering half the population, maybe the world will feel a little less empty, and a little less fucking lonely.
I was going to finish the piece there, end it on a “fuck you” and a “get a grip.” And as justified as that would be, I think it’s important to talk about the five women I mentioned earlier who were murdered this year.
Much of this information comes from The Red Heart Movement - Australian Femicide Watch, which I love. It is an organisation founded and run by the phenomenal Sherele Moody, a feminist, activist, researcher, and journalist working to end violence against women and children. She documents all women and children who are killed, regardless of the perpetrator’s sex or relationship to the victim, although the majority of the time the perpetrators are men. Her work is vital! Please follow, sign up, and if you can, donate.
The first woman killed this year was Velvet Crystal Sky Pesu. She was 46 years old and lived in Queensland. Velvet was a mother and a sister, but she was also a singer and a care worker. Her body was found on January 12, 2026, in a home on Waterford Tamborine Road, Buccan. She had disappeared two days earlier. Wael Abdallah Saleem Alfar, for whom she provided care services, is charged with her murder. Alfar has not yet faced trial. If you are able, please donate to Velvet’s daughters here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-velvets-daughters
The second woman murdered this year was Richarna (Charna) Ryan-Prior, a 35-year old Queenslander. Charna had a tough life. She lost her mother when she was young, later lost her partner, and went on to become a beloved and hardworking childcare professional. She was murdered in her home on January 18 at Pritchard Close, Gordonvale. Charna’s male cousin, Jackiah Panadura Allen is charged with her murder. Allen has not yet faced trial.
The third woman was 25-year-old Isabelle Quinn, who was pregnant at the time of her death. On January 22, 2026, Isabelle, her unborn baby Sophie, her 32-year-old friend John Harris, and her 50-year-old aunt Nerida Quinn were shot to death at a property on Walker Street, Lake Cargelligo, New South Wales. Julian Ingram, 37, is wanted for their murders. He is Sophie’s former partner. He had previously been charged with multiple domestic violence offences and was subject to an AVO. In the months leading up to the killings, police did not oppose him being granted bail.
The fourth woman, if you didn’t already gather from above, was 50-year-old Nerida Quinn, Sophie’s aunt. If you are able, please donate to the Quinn family here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lake-cargelligo-family
The fifth woman murdered this year is currently unnamed. She was killed on January 25, 2026, in her home on Saltlake Boulevard, Wollert, Victoria. She was 77 years old. Her 80-year-old husband is charged with her murder. He has not yet faced trial.
To read more about these women and keep up to date on their cases, click here: https://australianfemicidewatch.org/database/
I know I said five women were killed, but it feels inappropriate to leave out the death of a child, so I want to acknowledge him as well. He too was murdered by men.
This child’s name was Ater Good. He was 16 years old and was shot to death near a police station, close to the corner of King William and Brunswick Streets in Fitzroy, Victoria. Three men are charged over his death and have not yet faced trial. If you are able, please donate to Ater’s family here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-ater-good.
You can also read more about Ater’s case here: https://australianfemicidewatch.org/database/
I want you, dear reader, especially if you are male, to look at all of these women and this young boy and tell me whether you still think we should be talking about “what if the shoe was on the other foot.” Are you gleeful that Ater was a boy who was murdered? Does it satisfy your sick fantasy or double standard? Does his tragic death make you feel better knowing it’s not just women disproportionately targeted and killed by men, but men too? Does it earn you oppression points? Does using a child’s murder to boost your ego make you feel justified?
Too cringe? Too soppy for you? Okay, fair enough. I shouldn’t have to use photos and emotions to persuade you. So just read these words:
Fuck your shoe. Fuck your foot. These women’s and this child’s deaths are not up for your bad-faith, statistically incorrect whataboutisms and fantasies. Show some respect, and start listening when people tell you there is a problem.
Further Reading
Namrata Mukka, “Five essential facts to know about femicide,” UN Women, November 25, 2025, https://unwomen.org.au/five-essential-facts-to-know-about-femicide-2/
Australian Government, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Domestic homicide, last updated July 30, 2025, https://www.aihw.gov.au/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/responses-and-outcomes/domestic-homicide.
Australian Government, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Family, domestic and sexual violence, https://www.aihw.gov.au/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence.
Australian Government, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Who uses violence, last updated July 30, 2025, https://www.aihw.gov.au/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/understanding-fdsv/who-uses-violence#:~:text=more%20people%20have%20experienced%20violence,(11%25%20or%202.2%20million)
UN-iLibrary, Femicide Briefs, https://www.un-ilibrary.org/content/papers/31053386.
Footnotes
UN Women Australia, Facts and figures: Ending violence against women, https://unwomen.org.au/facts-and-figures-ending-violence-against-women/
The Red Heart Movement, Database, Australian Femicide Watch, https://australianfemicidewatch.org/database/
Ileana Exaras, “Violence against women: UN sheds light on global femicide crisis, digital abuse,” UN News, November 25, 2025, https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/11/1166452
Nick Baker and Isabelle Summerson, “Middle-aged men are among the loneliest in Australia. What could help to change that?,” ABC News, July 14, 2023 , https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-14/middle-aged-men-experiencing-high-level-loneliness/102563492.
I have to believe the socialization component is significant, or else what is the point? And the fact that, even if males are predisposed to be more violent, there are a significant number of them who are NOT violent, gives me hope that as feminists we can keep demanding change and slowly move the needle.
We can't say this enough. Men create an enormous burden on society through their violence, and our justice systems don't do enough about it.
General contempt for women seems more common in the Commonwealth countries than in the U.S.--perhaps because of the history of hierarchy in British society? Between your column and what I read from Collective Shout I'm horrified by what is going on in Australia, and by the popularity of Andrew Tate in Britain.