Protesters marched in Newcastle on Tuesday night calling for an end to domestic violence, following the death of 21-year-old Mackenzie Anderson in Mayfield on Friday.
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An estimated crowd of up to 1000 people marched from Newcastle Museum to Nobbys Beach to remember women who have been killed through acts of violence in Australia this year.
Protest organiser and founder of domestic violence support service What Were You Wearing? Sarah Williams said she hopes the march will help bring the issue to light and convince policy makers to implement change.
"We are uniting all as one to march together to put an end to domestic violence. We want to pay our respects to the five women who were killed in the past seven days," she said.
"The change we want to see is more funding for domestic violence shelters, more funding to go to the support organisations that are for domestic violence survivors, more law reform, taking survivors more seriously if they come to you with reports that they might be in danger, and serious action rather than just a band aid sort of fix.
"We want to call out and get people like Scott Morrison to see that our community are actually wanting change, and they are wanting real change and they are wanting it now. All the numbers and everyone standing together is what does that."
Tyrone Thompson was in court this week charged with the murder of his former partner Mackenzie Anderson in Mayfield. He is yet to enter a plea.
Ms Williams said more domestic violence reform and funding is needed.
"There is a lot more that needs to be done, starting from the justice system. If someone has an AVO and calls worried that someone is going to approach them police need to take victims and people who report it seriously. They need to actually go figure out what is happening because there is always that chance.
"There now needs to be a lot more law reform around it, including harsher sentences and a lot more funding, especially for organisations that have shelters to be able to give protection.
"If domestic violence shelters like Nova for Women and Children had more funding they could set up more housing for domestic violence victims. But without that funding from the government they can't really do much.
""While there is organisations like What Were You Wearing? and others in Australia, we don't have the funding to do proper change.
"We need all the support from the public, policy makers, politicians and people in power supporting all our different movements to be able to then spread our message."
Ms Williams said spreading awareness about domestic violence should not stop.
"The issue is getting more recognition, but I want everyone to be concerned and making change everyday from the march onward.
"We can go to the march and stand up for our rights as women but if we just stop it there we will see more and more deaths.
"We need the march to be the start but not the end."
