Violence against women not a new 'crisis' as this community well knows

As Anthony Albanese prepared to meet with the nation's leaders at an online Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Ms Seaton was finalising preparations for the fifth annual fundraiser to support local women and children fleeing family and domestic violence.

The owner of the Traverse Alpine Group welcomed this week's stance by the PM amid an outcry over the deaths of women as thousands marched in protests across the country.

"This is not a women's issue, it is a national crisis and we have to take responsibility for addressing it as a nation," Mr Albanese has said.

Ms Seaton said the crisis had been "decades in the making".

"This is not just something that happened in the last week or two years ago," she said.

But she agreed the recent spate of women's deaths had galvanised the community and leaders.

Ms Seaton said she was particularly moved by reports of a 20 per cent jump in calls to Lifeline on Sunday - its busiest day on record - on the back of a groundswell of public emotion and demand for action.

"This really leapt out at me as it shows the stress that is being felt collectively," she said.

Tellingly, the number of women killed by an intimate partner was already rising sharply before the weekend's events.

The number of women murdered by former or current partners rose by 28 per cent in the year to June 2023, the latest Homicide in Australia report shows.

This week The Guardian revealed half of the 26 women killed so far this year have been in regional parts of the country.

Among them was Cobram woman Emma Bates, 49.

The fact this is an issue that can strike so devastatingly close to home is not lost on Rosy Seaton.

It's why, five years ago when she first came across the work of Albury women's refuge Betty's Place, she said it was a "no brainer" to support women and children in need.

The first fundraiser, hastily organised in three weeks, raised $10,000.

Last year a record $75,000 was raised and organisers are hoping to push that figure towards $90,000 at the May 3 event at The Boat Shed Lake Hume.

There are still a handful of tickets left and Ms Seaton would love to see the event completely sold out at 190 people.

"It's another $1000 we can put directly in the kitty," she said.

She believes one of the strengths of the fundraiser is that it's about women helping women.

"It gives me goosebumps," she said.

"It's a feeling of sisterhood and the feeling that we have to do something here in this community."

Ms Seaton said she was buoyed by the ongoing support and sponsorship of the event each year.

"I think one of the reasons it's supported so well is that locals can see where the funds are going," she said.

"From the people who attend the lunch and buy raffle tickets to the businesses who come back year after year - even though it is a tough time."

Ms Seaton concedes that there are a lot of causes out there.

But the statistics show that when you get a gathering of close to 190 women - like Friday's fundraiser - there is every likelihood you could be sitting next to someone affected by gendered violence.

"It could be happening to any one of us," Ms Seaton said.

"It's everywhere and it's tragic that this could be someone else's life gone."

There are simple things you can do to make a difference to the lives of local women and children fleeing domestic violence, says YES Unlimited's Di Glover.

If you don't want to donate cash, vouchers are a great option or even "donate what you already do", says the chief executive of Albury's leading homelessness agency.

"Vouchers for movie tickets, beauty treatments or places like Bounce (where mums and kids can go and have some fun together) are always welcome," Ms Glover said.

"Or, if you are a hairdresser for example, you might donate three haircuts.

"We currently can't accept donations of clothing or furniture because we have nowhere to store it."

Ms Glover has cautiously welcomed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's statements and call to action this week.

It follows a critical and "unprecedented" increase in the number of women seeking help for family and domestic violence on the Border.

"We are seeing 8 to 10 women a week presenting after a domestic violence assault," Ms Glover has reported.

On Tuesday, April 30, she said she would hate to see a "knee-jerk reaction" from government "when there are no simple answers to a complicated problem".

Measures to strengthen prevention efforts, tackle online harms and share information between law enforcement agencies about high-risk perpetrators will go before Wednesday's national cabinet meeting.

Ms Glover agrees the response needs to be thoughtful, planned and encompass a range of preventative and crisis measures across the whole system.