Federal ministers spent the day avoiding the T word after the domestic violence commissioner said family violence offenders should be tracked like terrorists.
Except one, who came very close.
Dr Anne Aly, who has been an advisor to the UN Counter-Terrorism Directorate and once addressed US President Barack Obama’s Countering Violent Extremism summit at the White House.
Dr Aly also recently made violence against women a personal issue, when she wore a hand-crafted gown to a ball emblazoned with flowers representing those who died at the hands of violent partners.
"It is an absolute scourge in this nation and something we all need to take seriously," Minister for Youth Dr Aly said on Thursday.
Dr Aly said every time she speaks to those who have survived violent situations, a pattern emerges that reminds her of how counter-terrorism strategies work.
"As you know, I've worked in countering violent extremism before, where there is also a pattern of behaviour," she said.
"Wherever there is a pattern of behaviour, there is an opportunity, an opportunity for us to step in early and undertake early intervention work."
Not all experts agree, but the suggestion from Australia's domestic violence commissioner Micaela Cronin to "track" offenders like terrorists has been repeated around the world.
Ms Cronin on Wednesday released the first report monitoring the progress of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.
"We take terrorism around the country, and around the world, very seriously," she told ABC television on Thursday.
"We put a great deal of targeted resources into thinking about how to prevent terrorist acts.
"What we need to do more of is translating those tools to situations where women are being murdered."
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said violence needed to "absolutely" be treated the same as terrorism, but would not use the same wording.
"I'm not sure you could say that everyone has a role in combating terrorism, but everyone has a role in combating family and domestic (violence)," she said.
"When it comes to high-risk offenders, actually sharing information across jurisdictions was something that was reported at national cabinet," Ms Rishworth said later in the day.
Professor Peter Martin at the Griffith Criminology Institute told AAP that while domestic violence offenders need close tracking the issue can't be directly conflated with terrorism.
"But it also should be recognised that domestic and family violence offenders and terrorism suspects are very, very different entities and they exist at very different ends of the continuum and they pose very different threats," he said.
Key findings of the report released by Ms Cronin include service systems being overwhelmed and stretched beyond capacity, despite an increase in funding over recent years.
Asked if Labor would provide the $1 billion boost requested by the sector, Ms Rishworth said current levels were set by five-year agreements with the states and territories.
"This is a joint responsibility ... the attorney-general is working very hard about what we do next in terms of that legal partnerships agreement with states and territories," she told ABC Radio National.
"We've always recognised that, where we can invest more, we will look to do that."
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said he was working on the new agreement that will come into effect on July 1, 2025.
He said he wanted the new agreement to have "increased funding for legal assistance services because they are part of this frontline response".
Ms Rishworth will receive the "rapid review" on Thursday, commissioned out of the dedicated national cabinet called by Anthony Albanese to make recommendations about the action needed to support the national plan.
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