Wake Up Australia

An outpouring of emotion on social media has followed the tragic death of Tara Brown; the young mother who died in hospital after she was ferociously bashed by her former partner while she was trapped in her car.

As her friends and family mourn the tragedy, Australians are left with the question – how did we fail Tara Brown?

How did this 24-year-old woman end up dead, in the most horrific of circumstances, just days after she sought help from police?

Ms Brown had taken out a temporary protection order against her ex-partner Lionel Patea – a former Bandidos bikie, police revealed yesterday and a  “significant history” of domestic violence ­between the couple was reported in The Courier Mail.

Friends accompanied the young mother when she reported her fears to police at the Southport Police Station last Thursday; showing officers text messages from her former partner to the officers. She did not get the help she was seeking.

Then the unspeakable happened…

After Ms Brown dropped the couple’s young daughter at child care on Tuesday police allege Patea ran Ms Brown’s car off the road and then used a cast-iron fire hydrant cover to bash her repeatedly in the face while she was trapped in the damaged vehicle.

Tara Brown has become another woman killed by acts of domestic violence.

She is one of the two on average women killed every week by domestic violence in Australia.

Earlier this year the only new funding allocated to the fight against domestic violence was a national, state and territory total of  $30 million compared to $1.2 billion for national security and the fight against terrorism.

Program host Lisa Wilkinson criticised Treasurer Joe Hockey on the TODAY Show in May, saying the funding was “meagre” and failed to significantly support the national helpline, women’s refuges or homeless shelters around the country.

“Treasurer so far this year, two women are dying a week through acts of violence, and no one at this stage in 2015 has died from an act of terrorism, fortunately, do you really think you have your priorities right when it comes to women in these situations?” Wilkinson asked.

Why does this keep happening?

This morning the popular TV presenter put the desperation Australians are feeling into words beside  a photo of Tara Brown posted to her Instagram page.

“This is the face of 24yo “smart, intelligent, beautiful” Gold Coast mum #TaraBrown,” Wilkinson wrote.

“Tara died this morning after allegedly being viciously bashed to within an inch of her life while trapped in the car she had just crashed after her ex forced her off the road. Last Thursday in fear of her life, Tara had gone to police for help to leave her partner but was turned away and told to seek help elsewhere. Tara leaves behind her young daughter who she had just dropped off at childcare.

“Tara’s tragic death comes on a day when another thug in Queensland who bashed his girlfriend until she passed out walked free from court, while yet another man with a criminal history was allowed out on bail to kill mother-of-two Jodi Eaton, a woman was shot dead at a McDonalds on the Gold Coast, and as we mourn the death of a NSW grandmother and her 7 year old grandson allegedly at the hands of her own son.

“This country is in crisis. Real crisis. Domestic violence has reached epidemic proportions. And this is all happening against a backdrop of shelters being closed, and helplines losing funding.

“Please, don’t let Tara’s death – or all the hundreds of others we are losing in ever-greater numbers each and every year to domestic violence – just pass by unnoticed.

“Let’s get #TaraBrown and #StopViolenceAgainstWomen trending. Let’s put REAL pressure on our politicians, our beaurocrats and a system that turns women like Tara – and her young daughter – away in their moment of greatest need. And please, please spread the word with a double tap.

“Thank you,” the post concluded.

We can not let the momentum be wasted. We all have a responsibility to help each other. We can campaign for the government to wake up, to change laws, to fund support – so that we do not hear another story like Tara Brown’s.