Over four days in July, two women, Lavanya Chappa and Jana Armstrong, and two girls, Layla Jeffery and an unnamed 17-year-old Yolŋu girl, were killed, allegedly murdered by men known to them.

According to the Australian Femicide Watch, they are counted among the 38 women killed and 17 children killed so far this year.

Their alleged murders coincide with allegations the Liberal National Party (LNP) is hiding domestic and family violence (DFV) reports from public scrutiny and abandoning its own taskforce’s recommendations. Meanwhile, it has announced tens of millions in dollars in cuts to DFV prevention. Recently released 2026–27 budget papers reveal plans to cut funds by $38.5 million. 

Further, Queensland’s budget papers from the previous financial year reveal the LNP failed to spend $22.7 million of allocated DFV prevention funding. This brings the real cut to $61.2 million over two years.

By contrast, the same budget papers revealed the LNP administration spent $50 million, over 2025–26, on advertising campaigns. The Australian Financial Review reported on July 19 that the $15.5 billion earmarked for the Olympic and Paralympic games is likely be an underestimation: $3.5 billion is slated for the cost of the athlete’s villages alone.

A pilot program designed to support victims escaping DFV into housing is among the programs slated to be scrapped.

When pressed about this on July 13, Amanda Camm, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, offered her “sincere condolences” to Armstrong’s family before refusing to answer questions on why funding for pilot programs had been discontinued. She instead........

© Green Left Weekly