Australian PM calls leaders' meeting amid gendered violence crisis

CANBERRA -- Australia's Prime Minister has called an emergency meeting of the country's leaders to address a crisis of violence against women.

Anthony Albanese will on Wednesday hold a meeting of the national cabinet, which is composed of federal, state and territory leaders, to discuss plans to prevent male violence against women.

"We need to look at the full suite of policy measures that can make a practical difference here," he told state media Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television on Monday.

On Sunday, the prime minister was one of thousands of Australians who joined protests across the country demanding an end to gender-based violence following a wave of incidents.

According to the advocacy group Destroy the Joint, 27 women have died violently in Australia so far in 2024, more than double the 12 in the first four months of 2023.

Addressing protesters in Canberra, Albanese dismissed organizers' calls for the government to declare family violence a national emergency, instead making the case for long-term action to address the national crisis.

He told the ABC on Monday that an emergency declaration would trigger immediate one-off government actions, such as emergency payments during natural disasters.

"What we need here is not one-off actions. What we need here is a concerted plan," he said.

Earlier on Monday, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said that misogyny online was working against government policies aimed at reducing violence against women.

She told Seven Network television that adolescent boys in particular are being fed violent content online that is supporting misogynistic attitudes.