Three women killed in domestic violence attacks in NSW

Three women were allegedly murdered by men known to them within 10 hours in NSW over the weekend, as pressure grows on authorities to take action on violence against women.

Federal Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said: “There is no easy solution.”

“If there was one, we would have already put it in place.”

The spate of alleged domestic violence-related murders comes as new rental reforms for victim-survivors came into effect on Monday in NSW.

Here’s what you need to know.

Alleged attacks

On late Saturday morning, a 23-year-old woman was stabbed at a home in Kooringal, in Wagga Wagga, west of Canberra.

The woman died at the scene.

Later that day, a 31-year-old man was charged with the murder of his partner and will stay in custody until 18 November.

In a separate case on Saturday, a 90-year-old woman was stabbed at a home in Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

She died at the scene, and a 47-year-old man known to her was later charged with domestic violence-related murder.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna said on Monday the man is believed to be the woman’s grandson.

That night, also in a separate case, a 37-year-old man allegedly entered a property in Mole River, about 40 minutes west of Tenterfield in NSW’s New England region, where police allege he assaulted a 74-year-old man.

Police later found the body of a 70-year-old woman at a neighbouring property, which had been partially damaged by fire.

The 37-year-old man was charged with murder, with NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna saying the man and the woman are believed to be mother and son.

Meanwhile, a child has died and two of his siblings are in a critical but stable condition after they were allegedly stabbed by their mother in the Blue Mountains on Sunday.

Their mother, who is in her 40s, is also critically injured in hospital and has been identified by police as the sole suspect in the alleged attack.

Govt response

On Monday, Federal Minister for Women Katy Gallagher told ABC Radio National: “It’s hard to get your head around the level of violence across, particularly aimed towards women and children in families across Australia.”

She said: “Governments can’t alone deal with this.”

“It is a whole-of-community effort in every workplace, in every organisation, in every government,” Gallagher said.

You have read 0 articles this year.

Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.

She added that the Federal Government is finalising consultation for its Second Action Plan.

The Second Action Plan is the next step in the 10-year National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, which was released in 2022.

Under the First Action Plan, state and territory governments worked with the Federal Government to launch 583 initiatives covering consent, gender equality, child protection and culturally safe care.

NSW Premier Chris Minns also said: “We can’t become numb to the pain or the violence that we see.”

“We still need to take action and commit ourselves across government agencies, law reform, our prisons, NSW Police and education.”

Opposition

Speaking to ABC Radio Sydney, NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said: “Something is broken and we’re failing women in our state and our country.”

Sloane flagged that despite the “best efforts of our police,” NSW had “an almost 11% increase in domestic violence-related assaults” in the past three years.

The latest Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data shows the rate of reported domestic violence-related assaults was around 9% higher in the 12 months to March 2026 than in the 12 months to June 2023.

Housing reform

On Monday, new reforms to protect victim-survivors escaping domestic violence came into effect in NSW.

Victim-survivors will no longer be required to tell an alleged perpetrator if they remove themselves from a shared lease.

Penalties for breaking leases will also be waived for tenants who declare they are experiencing domestic violence.

Victim-survivors can change their locks without landlord approval if an alleged perpetrator is legally barred from accessing the property under an Apprehended Violence Order, court order or bail condition.

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which handles residential tenancy disputes, can split rental bonds and order payments to co-tenants affected by violence.

Victim-survivors will also not be held liable for property damage caused by an alleged perpetrator.