Women's Psychological Health

22/10/2025

Well done NSW. Harsher penalties for murder of a partner or former partner is a good step towards acknowledging the unacceptable nature of this all to common crime.

The New South Wales government has moved to legislate a minimum non-parole period of 25 years in prison for anyone convicted of the murder of a current or former partner.

The proposed law brings the murder of an intimate partner in line with other offences that attract the most severe sentences, such as the murder of a child.

The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences) Bill 2025, introduced in parliament on Thursday, will amend the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999.

It is likely to be debated in parliament next week.

According to NSW government statistics, 59 people across the state were murdered by a current or former intimate partner in the five years to June 2025.

Forty-two of them were women.

Family and domestic violence support:
- 1800 Respect national helpline 1800 737 732
- Women's Crisis Line 1800 811 811
- Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
- Lifeline (24 hour crisis line) 131 114
- Relationships Australia 1300 364 277
- NSW Domestic Violence Line: 1800 656 463

Full story: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-16/grieving-mother-s-fight-leads-to-proposed-dv-murder-law-change/105898636?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

Personalise your news and stay in the know with the ABC NEWS app: https://ab.co/abcnewsapp

01/10/2025

It is Mental Health Awareness month.

Time to check in on your lifestyle and see what you can do to improve your mental health.

Some of my top tips are:

🌳spend some time outdoors
🚶‍♀️go for a walk
😴have a regular sleep and wake time
📱put your phone away
👭spend time with others
🥪eat regularly through the day
🎶listen to music
📝journal

15/08/2025

A beautiful sunrise is good for the soul ❤️

30/07/2025

So many women experience this condition on a daily basis…and unfortunately suffer in silence with little validation or recognition 😔

This week is Chronic Pain Australia's National Pain Week.

We’re shining a light on persistent pelvic pain (PPP), which is pain in your pelvis, or lower abdomen, that is felt most days and lasts for more than 6 months.

PPP is complex. While conditions like endometriosis and adenomyosis can contribute to this type of pain, other factors – like stress, sleep, and even your work environment – can also contribute.

With so many women affected, it’s important that everyone feels informed and supported when it comes to managing this type of pain.

💡 Head to the link in the comments for tips, information and support.

23/07/2025

The bond between mother and baby is not just emotional it’s physical and it’s forever 💕

During pregnancy, something quietly extraordinary happens inside a mother’s body.
Tiny fetal cells—belonging to the baby—begin to cross into the mother’s bloodstream. They don’t stop there. They travel through her body, nestling into her tissues, her bones, even her brain. This process is called fetal-maternal microchimerism, and it’s nothing short of miraculous.
For 9 months, these cells move back and forth—mother to baby, baby to mother. And after birth? They stay.
Decades later, those cells can still be found in a mother’s body, forming a kind of invisible bond—etched in her very biology. Scientists have found fetal cells embedded in a mother’s heart, where they rush to help heal after injury. Some settle in her brain. Others help restore tissue or strengthen her immune system.
Even in pregnancies that don’t reach full term, the baby leaves a part of themselves behind. A cellular imprint. A silent love note, woven into the mother’s DNA.
Maybe that’s why so many mothers feel their children, even when they’re far away. Maybe that’s why a mom’s intuition so often rings true.
Your child was never just in your arms—they’re part of your heart, your skin, your memory. And long after the world stops seeing you as “expecting,” your body still carries the quiet echo of motherhood.
Science has just begun to explain it. But every mother has always known it.

~Words by Weird Pictures and News

21/07/2025

Domestic violence remains one of Australia’s biggest unresolved problems.

Not every Queenslander celebrated the State of Origin win.

While the Maroons scored a 24–12 victory in the Origin decider, for many women and children, game night brought fear, not footy fever.

📈 DVConnect reported a spike in calls to its Mensline during each Origin game last year, with increases as high as 71% compared to the monthly average.

After this year’s Game One, calls rose 27% above average, with the largest surge happening the day after.

“Our call volume was 37% higher than average the day after Game One last year,” said Michelle Royes, DVConnect Director of Social Impact.
“This year, we saw a similar trend.”

Dr Alison Evans, CEO of the Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing, says the link between major sporting events and gendered violence is “well recognised.”

⚠️ It’s not the sport itself, but the culture surrounding it:
• Excessive drinking
• Gambling
• On-field aggression

“This promotion normalises harmful behaviours,” Ms Royes said, “undermining efforts to make the games safer and more inclusive.”

We must face the uncomfortable truth: domestic and family violence increases during major sporting events.

📰 Read more in Natalie Brown’s article:
https://pulse.ly/eawh8z5qrt

If you or someone you know needs support:
🚨 In danger? Call 000
📞 PoliceLink QLD (non-urgent): 131 444
📱 DVConnect (24/7): 1800 811 811
📱 1800RESPECT (24/7 counselling): 1800 737 732
⚖️ Free DFV legal help – WLSQ (Mon–Fri, 9 AM–4:30 PM): 1800 857 857

15/07/2025

Statistics show the importance of Perinatal Care

🧠 What the 2022 AIHW Perinatal Mortality Data Update Tells Us

In 2022, 1% of births in Australia resulted in perinatal death, equating to 10.3 deaths per 1,000 births, the highest perinatal mortality rate since 2007. The adjusted perinatal mortality rate, which includes deaths following termination of pregnancy at ≥20 weeks or ≥400g birthweight, remains stable.

Concerningly, disparities are worsening.

🔹 Young women under 20 face the highest rate of perinatal death: 28.2 per 1,000 births.

🔹 Rural and remote, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and First Nations women continue to experience disproportionately poor outcomes.

🔹 Low antenatal care attendance (0–2 visits) was linked to a staggering 108.8 deaths per 1,000 births

🔹 Congenital anomalies and maternal conditions remain leading causes, with concerning increases in hypoxic peripartum deaths.

🔹 The difference between the adjusted and unadjusted perinatal mortality rates suggests that the sharp increase in perinatal mortality rates in 2022 was related to variation in the reported number of terminations of pregnancy — this distinction matters in informing responsive action to reduce preventable perinatal deaths across Australia.

📢 Access to timely specialist referral pathways and midwifery continuity of care that meets the needs of young women, socioeconomically disadvantaged women, First Nations women, and rural and remote communities is vital. Ongoing action to reduce preventable perinatal mortality is Australia must remain a priority.

Learn more: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mothers-babies/australias-mothers-babies/contents/stillbirths-neonatal-deaths/stillbirths-and-neonatal-deaths-in-australia-2022

14/05/2025

20 years ago! It feels like yesterday! I want to thank everyone who has supported me in my professional journey over the past 20 years. It’s been very fulfilling ☺️💕

28/10/2024

I am saddened to say that 71 women have been killed in Australia by domestic violence this year. Unfortunately this only represent the reported cases many of which go unreported.

My deepest condolences to all families of these beautiful women 💕

Australia stop diluting what domestic violence is. It is abuse, it is violence, it is control, it is fear, it is torture and it is death!. It destroys lives, souls and families!

Australia you are not doing enough to protect women in our country.

02/05/2024

Vincent Hurley you are absolutely correct! It’s not that hard people! Stop making this a complicated issue! It’s not!
The judicial system is not working.
DVOs do not protect women. Giving bail to a perpetrator does not protect women! Get the basics right first before trying solve prevention of DV. Urgently save lives by focusing on protection first!

23/04/2024

16.5 weeks into the year and there has been 25 women murdered by a partner or former partner in Australia…and these are only the ones that have been reported.

At least 1 female is murdered in her home each week in Australia. If this was any other group in society including diverse, cultural or religious group being murdered, society would be outraged but because it’s women, it’s no big deal!

Women have the basic right to be safe in their own home. Women experience the most injustice of all social groups. I am appalled by this.

My heart goes out to all the families who has lost a loved one in this way, especially the children who have lost their mothers to these horrific crimes 💔

31/03/2024

Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful Easter