I forgot to post this one in March when I drafted it! Everyone, pretend you already saw it in March! 😅
Image source: compilation of stills from Adolescence on Netflix
Netflix’s popular new 4-episode show, Adolescence, is being hailed as a masterpiece in unveiling incel culture in young boys. And I agree, it is a brilliant performance by talented actors, and it is well-filmed, with each hour -long episode being filmed in one shot.
But even the show’s male producer, Stephen Graham, doesn’t seem to understand how his own misogyny creeps into his performance as Jamie’s father on the show.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Graham claims that his character is just an ordinary Dad, “a hard-working man” who works long hours.
“I didn’t want him to be a violent dad who would raise his hand to his children,” says Graham.
So why do we see this supposedly non-violent male character, being abusive against his wife and children throughout the series, before he violently attacks a young man in public in episode 4?
If this is what the “good guys” think makes a good father… If this is the type of non-violent man who “couldn’t stop” his son from becoming a murder?
Or – more likely – is this series just one more example of a man looking for someone else to blame for men’s violence?
In fact, social media itself isn’t the only scapegoat in this series.
Katie, the girl who was brutally murdered by Jamie, is blamed for her own death.
The detectives and Jamie’s family claimed Katie was “bullying” Jamie, when all she really did was say “no” when he asked her to go out with him, and posting a single emoji – albeit loaded with meaning – on one of Jamie’s posts.
Yes, and this gets cleared up fairly early in the series: In Episode 1, CCTV footage shows Jamie and Katie in an altercation. She pushes him, and he pushes her, and then he stabs her repeatedly.
What’s being said on the internet is not new. This was first all said in grumbling tones by men at the pub, and then shouted at women when those men stumbled home.
Social media isn’t the problem.
Men’s violence is.
Take action against men’s violence today:
Sign the petition to the federal government petition to STOP abusers from suing victims who dare to report to police or speak up to warn others.
Donate to frontline services who are actively helping women and children leave – and stay out of – violent relationships. I recommend DVConnect for their crisis helpline, RizeUp Australia for providing accommodation and emergency furniture, BRISSC for free counselling and art therapy, and Women’s Health and Equality Qld (WHEQ) for community events and education.
Loudly disagree whenever you hear victim-blaming language. (No matter who’s saying it!)
Hold boys accountable whenever they hurt girls or women.
The Family Court of Australia has made some really odd decisions in the past decade, which it uses as precedents when making decisions now.
There are a long list of cases that will blow your mind, and today, here’s just one of them.
In Josey & Meibos [2009] FMCAfam 470, the Family Court harshly reprimanded a mother when she changed her kids’ school to try to keep herself and her children safe from their father, who had a history of violence and anger against them.
Not only that, but the court ordered her to re-enroll the kids in their original school and creche, and ordered the mum to make all decisions like this jointly together with the dad in future.
New research released by the Australian government has found that more than 1 in 3 average Aussie men freely admit to having committed domestic violence against their partner.
It proves what many women in Australia have known for years – even if it’s “not all men”, it’s more than 1 in 3.
And that is just the men who are happy to say, yep I’m committing violent acts against against people I claim to love. The rest, we are left to wonder about.
These statistics come from the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), in a longitudinal study that compares men’s health and self-reported behaviour in 2023-24 and 2013-14.
I dislike the name of this study, but I really hate the truths that the study uncovered.
In 2013-14, it was only 1 in 4 Australian men (25%) who freely admitted to having committed domestic violence against their partner.
It is not okay that more Aussie men than ever before are abusing women.
And it’s not okay that more men than ever before think this behaviour is so normal, that they’ll happily admit to committing literal crimes against women.
It cannot be overstated – these are self-reported behavioural statistics, from a huge sample size of 26,000 men.
This means these statistics really do represent what men think and do in Australia.
Horrifically, during 2025’s Australian federal election campaign cycle so far, 4 women have died in one week (see Women’s Agenda).
A 45-year-old woman was murdered and her two young children grievously injured in Sydney.
Louise Hunt (42 years old) was allegedly murdered by her husband in Geham, Queensland.
Kim Duncan (65) was shot in her own living room.
And Claire Austin (38), who died in hospital after fleeing from a man believed to be her abuser. She had a court date set to get an apprehended violence order (a restraining order / protection order).
The men involved were all known or suspected of being violent or abusive before killing these women.
So with the election on this Saturday, and early voting happening at record levels, we should all ask ourselves: What are the political parties doing to keep women and children in Australia alive?
It’s a huge question, but the response from the Big Boys, Peggy Sue (Peter Dutton) and Albo (Hon. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese), has been tiny, and tokenistic at best.
In contrast, the response from The Greens and some keys independents has been massive, and meaningful for victim-survivors.
Want to keep women and children alive? Here’s who you should vote for in the Australian election.
Let’s break it down by political party.
What The Greens are doing to stop domestic violence
The Greens already do a lot to help victim-survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV) and advocate to prevent further men’s violence.
My local Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather puts a huge amount of their own salary into providing free community dinners every Monday, free school breakfasts, and advocating for housing for people at risk of being evicted.
They work with residents to fight against big developers who are trying to force them out of their own homes.
They were in the mud during the floods of Cyclone Alfred, making sandbags together with volunteers, and helping people get back on their feet.
They’re campaigning to stop pubs and clubs from adding more pokies, because we know that along with alcohol, gambling and debt are some of the most common factors in men choosing to commit violence against women.
They even have a free food pantry at their office, so you can come for a free meal, and ask for help with housing or homelessness.
Looking to the future, The Greens have launched a $15 billion comprehensive plan to address the national crisis of family, domestic, and sexual violence.
And it’s all funded by making the big corporations and mining giants pay tax – because they currently pay less tax than I do as a student teacher and support worker.
So the Greens’ plan will protect women and children, without any tax hikes against vulnerable workers like women, non-binary, and child workers.
But they’re not waiting until election day to act!
If you’re ready for a hilarious and engaging listen this weekend, start with Pod Like A Girl’s breakdown of the charity fails by “The Better Blokes” podcast.
You can listen to Pod Like A Girl on all the podcast apps, or visit the website to listen to it there:
Or you can watch this important conversation with video on YouTube:
Or you can even download the mp3 file to listen to it another way.
Full disclosure, it’s not just amazing, it’s also enraging, but only because we’re talking about the unashamed misogyny and idiocy of these two man childs.
And Rach and Mia are absolutely the right women for the job, because they’re intelligent and informed.
They’ve also spent years advocating to eliminate misogyny, sexism, and violence from Australia’s culture – and advocating for victims of this misogyny, which we know also harms men themselves.
The men who are going to The Better Blokes project for advice are more likely to be harmed, not helped, by what these blokes are spouting.
It’s the Aussie brand of the Andrew Tate manosphere, where men are encouraged to be a real man, and women are NOT welcome.
Like their videos telling women to “shut the f*** up” and let men speak (direct quote). 🤢 🤮
Which is a problem, because their governing legal documents, their charity charter, says they exist to improve men’s mental health… Not to indoctrinate men with misogyny and encourage violence against women, non-binary people, and even kids.
Every 4 days in Australia in 2024, another woman was murdered by a man. In addition, men were responsible for killing people of colour, children, people throughout the gender and sexuality spectrums, disabled people, and more.
Just like I did in 2024, I want to record the names and tributes to the woman who have been killed by men in 2025. I don’t want to forget them. My goal, as a writer, is to focus on the lives they lived, rather than the brutal and tragic way in which they died.
Because their death was not their fault. In each case, a man made a violent choice to hurt a woman or child, and that is the only reason why that person died.
Most of the deaths were caused by acts of domestic and family violence (DFV) committed by men. Almost always, that man is a straight, white man who was sentenced to less than the maximum sentence designed for their crimes.
(Want to see those sentences? You can filter by crime type in databases such as SCL Queensland.)
And as you will see below, most of these murders could have been easily prevented:
Politicians should be making laws to stop men’s violence (instead of tax breaks for the rich), funding programs to help victim-survivors recover and rebuild their lives, and commissioning programs targeted at men to reform them before they kill someone.
Police should be investigating and making arrests and prosecutions, which research shows is one of the most effective ways to prevent future DV crimes… instead of what they do at the moment, which is to dismiss most reports of domestic violence and frequently arrest victims.
Courts should be convicting and sentencing these crimes in a way that recognises the heinous and deliberate nature of these crimes.
The corrections system should be doing more restorative justice to prevent future offending.
These institutions have benefited – directly or indirectly – from doing less work than they could have. In failing to do their jobs adequately, they have sentenced women and children to death. For example, we knew in October 2024 that the Queensland Police Service (QPS) had deliberately blocked “damaging” reports about their Service Delivery Program’s dealings with DFV victim-survivors. To date, I am not aware of QPS apologising for this, or making any plans to do better to protect women and children from men and domestic violence.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers, please be aware there are some photographs of women who have died. I won’t include any images of women I know are First Nations Australians.
Women killed by men in Australia in 2025
I have made every effort to only hyperlink to articles that included names and photographs after seeking consent from the families of these women; however, the media doesn’t always do this. And if you are a First Nations reader, please know that some of the articles I’ve linked to might include photographs of the women who have died.
Alice Springs Woman, 51
This woman was an Aboriginal Australian, so we are not sharing her name out of respect for culture. She was an amazing artist, a mother, and a loved and respected elder. She was 51 years old and lived in Alice Springs, Northern Territory (NT). She had lived a hard life, but she deserved dignity and respect.
This Aboriginal Australian woman was murdered on Monday, 13 January 2025. Her husband Patrick Jungala Nolan (49 years old), a Papunya man, was charged with murdering her, after he called emergency services to the crime scene near the Todd River. She was the first confirmed Australian victim of femicide and domestic violence homicide this year.
This should have been prevented. Patrick Jungala Nolan was on a domestic violence restraining order when he killed his wife. Northern Territory Police knew he was violent, and dangerous. And according to police reports to the media, he was continually breaching domestic violence orders against her, and he had been violent with other women previously. So why wasn’t he behind bars? Each breach of a domestic violence order is punishable with jail time – even in the territory – as far as I can tell. And the previous assaults against women – why did he get away with that? Why did he walk away from every interaction with police knowing that he could get away with murder?
See more details in Femicide Watch by Sherele Moody, or see some of the least objectionable media reports about this NT woman. (I don’t think you’ll be surprised to see that both of the articles I’ve hyperlinked here were written by women writers. There were plenty of other articles written by straight, white men about how she was living with addiction – but those articles were hideously misogynistic and encouraging racist stereotypes. They are not worth the keystrokes they were typed with.)
WA Woman, 81
This WA woman was 81 years old and she was coming home from a holiday with her daughter (56 years old).
This WA woman was murdered on 13 January 2025 in Cloverdale, WA. It was a deliberate car crash that also killed her daughter and their taxi driver, Sendeku Tesema (58 years old). The killer, Rabin Rawal (43 years old), then committed suicide on the Leach Highway. Police said the killer did not know this woman or the other victims, meaning he hadn’t cared who he hurt in his attempts to kill himself.
I was very disappointed to see more media reporting about the taxi driver and the male killer than about these women. Everyone carries some form of identification, so it’s strange they identified a male taxi driver, but not the two female passengers. This is very clearly gendered reporting, which dehumanises these women. The media haven’t tried to find out these women’s names, and multiple channels have focused their reports on the male victim and the male killer. To make matters worse, the WA Premier Roger Cook started his victim-blaming almost immediately, saying that he could only focus on investments in road infrastructure: “But we need people to make good decisions, as well.”
This type of reporting deliberately encourages the misogynistic thinking that creates more male killers like this.
Katie was a popular burlesque performer and plus-size model in Melbourne, performing as Vivien May-Royale, and she also worked at Victoria University. Her vivacious nature springs out of every photo of her, and I found it hard to choose just one photo to remember her by.
Image source: Canberra Times, ACT.
Katie’s mum called her “our beautiful soul”. Friends told Femicide Watch that she had “incredible talent and creative skills” and she was “the kindest soul you had ever met”. She was 27 years old.
Katie Tangey was murdered on 17 January 2025 in Truganina, Victoria, while house-sitting and pet-sitting for her brother. Two men are accused of killing her by firebombing the house, and police believe the killers chose entirely the wrong property, because no one in Tangey’s family has any criminal history or criminal associates.
Victorian Police have not found the two killers at the time of writing. And in a surprising act of negligence, they did not release a safety alert to warn people in the area who might be accidentally targeted by these killers.
Merril was a school teacher, Chair of the board of Northern District Community Health (NDCH), where she served for 27 years, and a volunteer described as “a force to be reckoned with”. She founded the Quambatook Community Resource Centre, which is now providing free counselling to people living in her region of Quambatook, Victoria.
She was 70 years old when she died, and her friends joked that although she was “diminutive in stature”, she was a “giant in spirit”. She personally made sure the Quambatook Memorial Pool stayed open every summer. And a whole generation of Quambatook school kids remembered her reading Enid Blyton’s The Faraway Tree to them. They knew her for “always seeing the best in people and giving more than anyone could ask”.
Her town’s residents came together to write a tribute to Merril, which was full of love and praise for her:
“A truly caring, humble, modest and unpretentious leader of our community, Merril was the mortar that connected the individual groups into a cohesive force.
“Her diplomacy, steady leadership, and never-give-up attitude were essential in keeping community projects alive.”
Merril Kelly was murdered on 21 January 2025, in Quambatook, Victoria. Brian Barnes (67 years old) has been charged with murdering her. He can’t crush her community, though.
I loved seeing this quote from NDCH’s new Chair, Meghan Stewart: “I often find myself saying, ‘What would Merril do?’“
Hazley was only 8 weeks old, and she was beautiful and perfect. She is one of the youngest victims of Australia’s epidemic of men’s violence.
Hazley Ellen Shanks was murdered on 22 January 2025. She died in hospital three days after a domestic violence assault by her father, in Gracemere (QLD).
Hazley’s mum, Sarah Shanks, wrote, “I love you baby girl. I’ll carry your heart always; I’ll carry it in my heart.”
Rachel was a loving and devoted mum to her 7-year-old son, Leo, and her family said she “looked forward to many adventures with her precious son”. She was known as generous, vibrant, and loyal.
Rachel McKenna was murdered on 31 January 2025, in Ascot Vale (Melbourne), Victoria. Her estranged, male partner killed her, then fled the scene and killed himself, to avoid any accountability for his horrific actions.
Rachel’s family made this powerful call for justice in public statements:
“Her death was an unnecessary tragedy, one we never dreamed would impact our family.
“Something must be done to stem violence against women in this country.”
Rachel was a quiet, friendly person who loved her pets. She could remember the lines from her favourite movies. She was loved by her family and friends, including her friends at AC Care. She was a memorable figure, with her big, “frizzy” hair, always wearing a work jacket, and a slight limp when she walked. She was 55 years old and lived in Mount Gambier, South Australia (SA).
A close friend of Rachel’s, Jarad, said despite her struggles, she always bounced back in ways that inspired him: “If something had to be done, she would build her way to it. She had freedom, so she made the most of her life and lifestyle to improve it.”
Friends said Rachel was “in a good mood” the night before she died, because she had recently ended a relationship. Frustratingly, we know from Australian research in 2024 that the most vulnerable time for a woman to be attacked by a male ex-partner is when she breaks up with them or tries to leave, and sadly, this was true for Rachel.
Rachel Moresi was murdered on 5 February 2025 in her home. Her ex-partner, Troy Earle James (53 years old), was charged with murdering her, and attempted to destroy the evidence in a horrific and dehumanising way.
I loved reading this quote from Rachel’s friend Jarad:
“I helped her believe in herself, and she taught me the same thing. Believe in ourselves.”
This woman was an Aboriginal Australian, so we are not sharing her name out of respect for culture. She was a mum of four and a talented Aboriginal artist. She was 41 years old and was an Alice Springs local, staying in the Warlpiri town camp in Braitling, Northern Territory (NT).
This Warlpiri woman was murdered on 9 February 2025, at Ilperye Tyathe (Warlpiri) town camp in Alice Springs, Northern Territory (NT). Her partner, Christopher Dickson (39 years old) was charged with murdering her.
Jussy was a loving mum to two daughters, and worked for a local gardening and cleaning business. She was going to turn 43 years old in just a few days. Friends and her family in Aoteroa (New Zealand) say she was a “kind, amazing, warm-hearted person”.
Jussy Hammond was murdered on 9 February 2025, in Nashdale, NSW. Her partner Rolong Stanley (30 years old) was charged with killing her through negligent driving causing death in his attempted murder-suicide, and with breaching an AVO (domestic violence restraining order) that should have protected her.
Elizabeth was a marine biologist, and she was a clever young person who was just starting out in her scientific career. She was 24 years old and lived in Perth, Western Australia (WA). Her family said, “Our beautiful, bright girl brought sunshine to our lives.”
Elizabeth Pearce was murdered on 15 February 2025 in Dalkeith, WA. Rhys Bellinge (45 years old) was charged with manslaughter, for killing her by speeding in his high-powered car and crashing into the Uber she was in.
Why was Rhys Bellinge not charged with murder, when his actions were intentional? His lawyer said he was angry because he had recently been dumped – not by Elizabeth – SO WHAT? Anger is not an excuse for deliberately killing people, driving drunk, or any other horrific things he did that day. The media has been reporting about how this man’s career as an obstetrician, and his rich family. What they should be reporting is how callous it is (for a doctor, of all people!) to end a young person’s life, and making it clear that anger is no excuse. Thankfully, at least the Magistrate took Elizabeth’s death seriously, and refused bail or house arrest, saying Rhys Bellinge poses “an unacceptable risk to the community” because of his behaviour.
Elizabeth’s Uber driver, Muhammad Usman, was also severely injured in the crash and attended her funeral in a wheelchair. He called Elizabeth a “young and pure soul” and asked everyone to keep her in his thoughts and prayers, as he did.
Kara was a mum of three, and she had recently celebrated her son finishing primary school and winning an award. She was 27 years old and an Aboriginal woman, so I’m following the lead of the National Indigenous Times in sharing her name here. Her family is devastated by her death, which came so soon after the death of her brother Nicholas in November 2024.
Kara Jade Weribone was murdered on 26 February 2025, in Toowoomba, Queensland. James Ramsey (29 years old) was charged with murdering her. He knew her, and he shot her down in broad daylight.
This page is in the process of being edited, so please come back regularly for updated life stories.
In addition, men in Australia have murdered several children so far in 2025, tragically cutting short these little lives.
One of these precious children was Kingsley Field, who was only 2 years old; he was killed by a man the family knew, in an act of domestic violence (see Femicide Watch for details).
An unnamed 4-month-old boy was murdered on 21 January in Tamsworth, NSW, in an act of domestic violence (see Femicide Watch for details).
Some people were lucky, and survived horrifying attacks by men. Linley Anyos was shot by a male on 8 January 2025, in Tallebudgera, NSW, suffering life-threatening wounds. She survived – a brave fighter – but her dad says this violent act has understandably broken her faith in humanity, and she no longer wants to be around people.
Destiny Otton-Rakuraku survived her former partner’s attempt to murder her. Her family say she is “strong and determined” despite severe ongoing pain. The psychological trauma of these experiences is another type of malicious wound from men’s violence, and it’s one which all victim-survivors are familiar with.
From the point of view of many victims, there is no excuse for men’s violence – not their mental health, not their level of education, and not any claims of “provocation” (a long-disproven concept).
So as always, friends, we must condemn men’s violence against women, and keep condemning it until men change.
Until the governments believe victims, and act on it.
I just read the most heartbreaking message from 41 children who have been ignored and unheard when going through the Family Court of Australia.
One, 15-year-old said they felt “squashed”.
I just had to do what I was told and be quiet and suck it up, even if it wasn’t what I wanted.
Two sisters were ordered by the court to spend time with their father, even though they told the court they didn’t want to because they would not be safe with him. One of the sisters said:
That was always one of my biggest regrets because I’m like, maybe if I had said something differently, or emphasised it more, they would have understood what I was trying to say and actually listened… It wouldn’t have made such traumatic memories, which happened afterwards, when we were forced to see him.
The main themes they highlighted match previous research that looked into the fundamental flaws in Australia’s national “child-centred”, “DV aware” court.
For example, studies about the Family Court process and judges’ decision-making have found that:
“The courts are seemingly prioritising protection of the child from the risk of psychological harm by the mother due to her failure to facilitate meaningful ties with a father over the risk of alleged physical or sexual harm by the father. We see this as a serious concern.” (Easteal, Prest, & Thornton, 2019)
There is a “lack of fit” between the types of cases that end up in the Family Court, which “are invariably complex, and likely to involve allegations of domestic violence and/or child abuse, mental health concerns, high conflict, and substance misuse”, and the court’s repeated focus on shared parenting by both parents, “reflected in decisions that appear not to reflect the system’s overarching principle of the ‘best interests’ of children and may also pay insufficient attention to the safety of women and children.” (Laing, 2017)
So what is the Family Court of Australia actually supposed to be doing for children, and why is it refusing to meet its legal obligations?
Is it really that bad? What the MAFS manchild squad has done on screen
Well, let’s start with Paul.
Paul punched a wall when he lost his temper – an act of physical violence that meets the legal definition of domestic violence, and is a high risk factor for assault and murder of an intimate partner.
It’s harder to say “happy new year” when you remember that 101 women were killed by men in 2024 (Femicide Watch Australia, 2024).
It might not sound like a huge number, until you compare it to the 46 women who were killed by men in the 2022-23 financial year (AIHW, 2024).
Men killing 101 women in 12 months is horrific because it is a doubling of violence against women in Australia.
Domestic and family violence is a national emergency, with 1 in 4 Australian women having experienced violence from a male partner (White Ribbon, 2024).
With that in mind, I read the following books last year, and I believe they would help any Australian man who wants to understand the current war on women and children in our nation.
More importantly, this information can help any person who wants to help us end the war on women.
I was thoroughly impressed by the way these writers gathered measurable data and research from all around Australia and sometimes internationally.
I’m sure you’ll find the statistics astounding – because I did, and I’ve already been reading on these topics for 20 years.
A note on gender references: All references in this article to “women” include trans women. Much of the data on “women” also includes non-binary people, who are routinely marked as female “for insurance purposes”.
Always was, always will be, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land, air, and waters.
So I was delighted to see First Nations Senator Lidia Thorpe call out the current King Charles… and disgusted to see mainstream media reporting it as “angry woman attacks 80-year-old man with cancer”.
Senator Thorpe is a Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab Wurrung mother, grandmother, and advocate.
Senator Thorpe had tried earlier that month and that week to arrange a private meeting with King Charles to discuss these matters outside of the public forum, but he had refused.
She waited politely until King Charles had finished his speech before she made her statement to him.
Then Lidia Thorpe delivered her now already-famous speech.
Lidia Thorpe’s speech to King Charles
“You are not my king. You are not sovereign. You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us, our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty in this country. This is not your land. This is not your land. You are not my king. You are not our king. Fuck the colony.”
TJ Withers 