“Enough is enough”: 3,000 people expected at walk calling for end to gender-based violence

Sydney, Australia, 7 September 2026 – Around 3,000 people are expected to gather at Sydney’s Centennial Park on 13 September, calling for an end to violence against women and children and raising critical funds for frontline domestic violence and homelessness services.  

Now in its seventh year, the annual Walk for WAGEC comes at a critical moment. More than two years after domestic and family violence was declared a national crisis, 49 Australian women have been killed this year alone.  

This year, the Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre (WAGEC) is calling on the community to help raise $1 million to provide safe refuge, support and recovery programs for women and children experiencing violence and homelessness. WAGEC currently supports around 200 women and children every night.  

Brittany Higgins, Executive Director of Vida Fund; Tarang Chawla, renowned anti-violence campaigner; Nicole Yade, CEO of WAGEC; and Jenny Holmes, Dharawal/Darug woman and WAGEC’s From Now Program Manager, will speak at the Sydney event’s opening, helping to kick off the walk and call on Australians to stand together against gender-based violence. 

WAGEC is expecting notable attendance on the day from Her Excellency the Hon. Ms Sam Mostyn AC, Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Hon. Rose Jackson MP, the Hon. Jodie Harrison MP, and Allegra Spender MP, among others. 

Nicole Yade, CEO of Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre, said: 

“Two years after domestic and family violence was declared a national crisis, we find ourselves confronting the same tragedies. Forty-nine women have lost their lives this year. That is 49 families, 49 communities and 49 lives that will never be the same. 

“Enough is enough. Heartbreak and outrage must be met with action, accountability and sustained investment in the services that keep women and children safe. 

“Walk for WAGEC is our chance to come together, take a stand, and send a message that violence against women is not inevitable, it is not acceptable, and we will not stand by and watch it continue.” 

Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia and Patron of WAGEC, said: 

“WAGEC’s work supporting women and children experiencing domestic and family violence and homelessness is vital. Every person deserves to live safely and free from violence, and I am proud to support an organisation working every day to make that a reality. 

“Walk for WAGEC is a powerful demonstration of what can happen when communities come together – standing alongside women and children, supporting the frontline services they rely on, and showing our collective commitment to a future free from gender-based violence.” 
 

Brittany Higgins, Executive Director at Vida Fund, said: 

“Behind every statistic is a person whose life has been changed by gendered violence and often a community carrying that impact with them. 

“Walk for WAGEC is an opportunity to stand alongside women and children experiencing violence and homelessness, support the organisations doing the real work every day, and make it clear that Australia will no longer accept violence as inevitable. 
 
“We cannot wait for another tragedy or another headline about gender-based violence before we act. We need to keep investing in the frontline services helping victim-survivors find safety, recover and rebuild their lives.” 
 
“I’ll be walking for WAGEC because this is a fight that belongs to all of us. Every person who turns up sends a message that gendered violence is not inevitable, and that we as Australians should expect better.” 

Tarang Chawla, writer, academic, and advocate for victims of domestic violence, said: 

“My sister Niki was only 23 when she was murdered by her partner. I wish she were here to walk beside me. She should be. I’m walking in her memory, and because our grief and outrage must become action: supporting WAGEC to keep women and children safe, and all of us, especially men, taking responsibility for ending men’s violence.” 

——-ENDS——-

Media contact:

For more information or to request an interview, contact Maddison Bates-Willis on maddison@wagec.org.au or 0408 384 826. 

Sydney event timings: 

• 7:00am: Event opens 

• 7:20am: Media arrival  

• 7:30am: Soundbites with spokespeople 

• 8:00am: Formalities (Welcome to Country and speeches) 

• 9:00am: Run and walk commence 

Imagery and video:

To download imagery from previous Walk for WAGEC events, click here.   

To download videos from previous Walk for WAGEC events, click here.  

About Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre (WAGEC):

Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre (WAGEC) is a feminist, specialist homelessness and domestic violence service supporting women, trans and gender-diverse people, and children experiencing homelessness, violence and systemic disadvantage. 

Since 1977, WAGEC has been one of Australia’s leading frontline and advocacy services. Today, WAGEC supports 200 women and children every night by providing crisis accommodation, housing and recovery programs.  

WAGEC also works to address the underlying causes of gender-based violence through primary prevention and systems change through advocacy, all with the aim of ending gender-based violence in a generation. 

About Walk for WAGEC:

Walk for WAGEC is an annual 5km walk or 10km run raising funds for women and children impacted by violence. Every year, people come together to walk for change and call for an end to Australia’s domestic and family violence crisis. In 2026, it will be hosted on Sunday 13 September at Centennial Park in Sydney, with a virtual option available between 7-18 September for people across Australia to take part in solidarity from wherever they are.