As NSW grapples with an horrific weekend of alleged domestic violence deaths, state MP Philip Donato has foreshadowed calling for mandatory life imprisonment for murder in defined and carefully prescribed domestic and family violence circumstances. Three women are reported to have been killed in separate incidents across NSW on Saturday alone. On Tuesday, Mr Donato tabled a notice of motion for the Crimes Amendment (Mandatory Life Sentences) Bill 2026 in NSW Parliament. Mr Donato said his proposed Bill would identify circumstances in which a murder committed in the context of domestic and family violence would attract a mandatory life sentence. “Those circumstances will include the murder of involving persons either in a current or former domestic relationship, where existing protection orders or bail are in place to protect the victim from the offender, and other prescribed aggravating circumstances," he said. “The Bill is intended to provide the strongest possible legal denunciation of domestic and family violence murder and to ensure the Parliament directly determines the consequences for these defined offences." Mr Donato said the motion was not an attack on judges, but the weekend was an alarm to legislators that they must do more. “Judges sentence according to the law Parliament gives them," he said. “This is about Parliament deciding whether the current law goes far enough. "If Parliament believes that deliberately murdering an intimate partner in defined circumstances of domestic and family violence should carry mandatory life imprisonment, then Parliament has the responsibility to legislate." Mr Donato's motion also follows the sentencing of Daniel Billings for the murder of 28-year-old Forbes mother Molly Ticehurst in April 2024. Billings was on bail for serious allegations involved Molly, and subject to an AVO, when he took her life in what should have been the safety of her own home. Earlier this month, Billings was sentenced to 28 years' imprisonment, with a 20-year non-parole period, after a reduction for his guilty plea. “Molly deserved to grow old," Mr Donato said. "She deserved to watch her son grow up. She deserved to come home safely. "We cannot bring Molly back. But we can decide what happens next. “We must do better. And we must legislate for it." Domestic Violence NSW, in a statement released to media, is calling for long-term commitment, coordination and sustained national investment to the national emergency of domestic violence. "The devastating deaths reported across NSW this weekend are a reminder that women of every age are being killed in violence happening in homes and communities across our country," the organisation's statement said. "We stand with the families and communities grieving their loved ones." Domestic violence touches every postcode and community, and no single government, service or system can solve it alone. "That means dismantling silos, connecting systems and keeping victim-survivors at the centre," the statement said. "It means properly resourcing specialist DFV services and strengthening the connections between DFV, mental health, health, housing, justice, child protection and education. "It means calling men and boys into the conversation, not shaming or blaming, and challenging the attitudes and behaviours that drive violence. "It means effective perpetrator interventions and accountability, alongside the specialist support victim-survivors need to stay safe." A 31-year-old man has been charged with domestic violence murder after emergency services were called to a Wagga Wagga home on Saturday. Despite paramedics' CPR efforts, a 23-year-old woman has tragically died. Another man, 37, has been charged with murder after the death of a 70-year-old woman in Mole River - west of Tenterfield - overnight Saturday. Police will allege in court they were known to each other. A 47-year-old man was charged with domestic violence murder after the death of a 90-year-old woman in a Bondi Beach unit on Saturday. One child has died and two other children and a woman are in a critical condition after emergency services were called to a vehicle in the Blue Mountains on Saturday. While - at time of preparing for press - no charges had been made NSW Police said they were not looking for any other people at the time. NSW Premier Chris Minns has described the weekend as "profoundly distressing". "We have numerous examples and allegations of individuals alleged to have committed horrifying acts against what are often defenceless family members," Mr Minns said. He said programs under way need to continue - including education and public awareness programs that confront the idea that family and domestic violence are a private or family matter rather than something all of society must confront together. "We can't become numb to the violence that we see," Mr Minns said. "We still need to take action and commit ourselves across government agencies, law reform, our prisons, NSW Police, and education as well across civic society to confront domestic violence when we see it and ensure we are making all available changes to keep people safe."
