Federal MP Zaneta Mascarenhas has joined Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and Adelaide MP Louise Miller-Frost in backing calls for a national inquiry into suicides connected to domestic and family violence, describing the issue as a “national tragedy” that demands urgent attention.
Mascarenhas said the time had come to recognise suicide related to domestic abuse as a distinct crisis requiring its own investigation. “We are already seeing real outcomes from the recent financial abuse inquiry—including the changes to Services Australia we passed this week to better support victims of coercive control,” she said. “But we know financial abuse is just one part of a much deeper crisis. Domestic violence-related suicide deserves its own dedicated inquiry—one that goes beyond the financial to confront the full scale of this national tragedy.”
She expressed strong support for Miller-Frost, who has been leading the push for the inquiry, praising her commitment to families affected by domestic and family violence. “Louise Miller-Frost MP has my full and heartfelt support in her work!” Mascarenhas wrote.
Her statement follows Minister Plibersek’s speech calling for the inquiry earlier in the week, which has drawn increasing support from advocates and parliamentarians.
Mascarenhas, who represents the Western Australian electorate of Swan, said her thoughts were with those who had lost loved ones. “To all victim-survivors: your courage is extraordinary. My heart is with you. As it is with the loved ones and families of those we have lost.”
The call adds to growing national pressure for systemic reform, as Australia continues to grapple with high rates of family and domestic violence, which remains a leading driver of homelessness, mental health struggles, and preventable deaths among women.
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