Rosemary Batty

After her son was killed at the hands of her former partner, Rosemary addressed the media: "Family violence happens to everybody. No matter how nice your house is, how intelligent you are. It can happen to anyone, and everyone. This has been an eleven- year battle. You do the best you can. You're a victim, and you're helpless. An intervention order doesn't stop anything like this from happening.”

Her message, strength and courage resonated with many and jolted Australia into recognising the pervasive nature of family violence.

Since then, Rosemary has actively championed efforts to fight family violence, and in doing so, has put family violence on the national agenda. She is a fierce advocate for social support services for victims of family violence, and has made hundreds of media and public speaking appearances to shine a spotlight on the issue. In 2014, she established the Luke Batty Foundation to assist women and children who have experienced family violence.

Rosemary's story sparked a national discussion on the issue, which resulted in the establishment of the Royal Commission into Family Violence by the Andrews Labor Government in 2015. In the same year, Rosemary's efforts were recognised as she was awarded Australian of the Year. Most recently, she was appointed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott to a new panel which will advise the Council of Australian Governments on family violence.

Rosemary's incredible strength, selflessness and willingness to speak out make her an inspiration to many other victims, and an asset to the fight against family violence.