Women in Victoria report daily inability to access support services for violence, even as the state records Australia's highest femicide toll this year. This systemic failure leaves working-class women and children exposed to an ongoing "epidemic" of domestic and family violence, according to campaigner Sherele Moody.
Hundreds gathered in Clyde North, Melbourne, on Sunday, lighting candles for Brooke Stephens, 29, one week after her alleged murder. Her partner, Jorden Turney, 32, faces murder charges and will appear for a committal hearing in November.
Ms. Stephens' two young sons have lost their mother, a "beautiful, loving mother" and "good role model," family members Kelly-Ann Faulkner and Lachlan Timmins stated. Faulkner described the family as "still in shock," noting the boys "won't get to grow up with their mum." They'll go to bed every night wondering where their mum is.
Vigil organiser Em Ross spoke of acknowledging Ms. Stephens' life and the "devastating loss." Ross stated the event aimed to show the family they "are not alone" and to commit to "creating a safer community." Five hundred candles were prepared for the vigil; when they were all taken, people began lighting their mobile phones.
However, the collective grief highlights a deeper structural issue. Sherele Moody of Australian Femicide Watch, present at the vigil, described domestic and family violence as "a continuing epidemic in this country." She directly criticized the state government for its "perceived inaction."
Systemic Neglect and State Priorities
Victoria currently holds Australia's highest femicide toll for the year, a stark indicator of the crisis. Moody receives daily contacts from women across Victoria who cannot access essential support services after experiencing violence. "We're not even remotely near where we should be to end violence against women and children in this country," Moody asserted.
She placed the responsibility squarely "on the state governments to step up and deliver proper fully-funded support services." The state's failure to allocate resources to these public services effectively privatizes safety, making it inaccessible for many. This systemic underfunding ensures that the most vulnerable remain unprotected.
The widespread inability to access support reveals how the state prioritizes other expenditures over the protection of its most vulnerable. While capital accumulation continues unchecked, the social infrastructure meant to protect working families crumbles. The state's role, in this instance, is one of neglect, allowing violence to persist through a lack of material support.
This collective action underscores the community's demand for safety, a demand the state consistently fails to meet. The illumination of the winter night by mobile phones became a spontaneous act of solidarity against a backdrop of official neglect.