The 2026 section of Ballarat’s She Matters mural has doubled in size in two months

In March, a mural featuring a portrait of each woman murdered in Australia since January 2024 was installed on Ballarat’s Hancock Lane. At the time of installation, the 2026 section hosted 11 names. 

It has since grown to 24. 

“Last week we installed pictures 23 and 24, and during that week three more women were killed - in a 48-hour period - so there will be more pictures added to the mural soon,” Ange van den Berg of Women’s Health Grampians told the Brolga. 

What happened: The She Matters campaign began with the Red Heart Movement and Australian Femicide Watch, founded and run by journalist Sherele Moody. Moody began the project in 2015 to track the deaths of Australian women and children following horrific deaths in her own family. 

• Moody worked closely with Women’s Health Grampians to bring the mural to Ballarat.

Why it matters: Following the murders of three Ballarat women by men in quick succession in 2024, a spotlight was shone on the region.

• According to the charity and community group the Ballarat Foundation’s 2025 Vital Signs Report, family violence in the region increased by 28.8 percent in 2025, against a state-wide increase of 8.86 percent.

• In Australia, family and domestic violence accounted for 2 in 5 homicides. 

• What’s that: The Vital Signs report is designed to capture a portrait of “areas of vulnerability” around Ballarat. 

Last of its kind: Previously, a similar mural adorned Hosier Lane in Melbourne, a street famous for its artwork. The venue that hosted the mural, the Forum, said the installation was blocking rectification renovations and emergency exits. The mural was removed in April. 

The City of Melbourne has said it will work to find a new home for the mural. 

Crisis work: In response to the high-profile murders of Ballarat women, Respect Ballarat was launched two years ago. The state government committed just under $10 million in funding over four years to aid the initiative. The focus is prevention and intervention, rather than response once the violence has already occurred. 

The initiative recently announced 11 grant recipients from a $3.76 million pool.

• One recipient will fund a “Respect Round” in a local football league. 

• Another will produce new programs for the construction and trade sector to attend. 

• Mitch Brown, Australia’s first openly bisexual player, also visited the city in 2025 as part of the What Kind of Man Do You Want To Be? campaign that aims to target toxic masculinity, funded by the statewide initiative Respect Victoria. 

The organisation employs what it calls a “saturation model”. This means the messaging about gender equality and respect remains present and consistent through workplaces, sporting clubs and beyond. 

The impact: The mural has had a palpable effect, van den Berg said. 

🗣️: “The conversations we have been hearing at the mural are mostly positive, it’s been a great conversation starter, even strangers are talking about this with each other. My colleague spoke to a man whose daughter works in the sector and he was very proud that this mural is in Ballarat. We have heard people saying they had no idea the issue was so widespread.” 

• “People have remarked on the fact that many of the women in the mural are Indigenous or from a CARM background. They are disproportionately represented.” 

Although an important conversation starter, the mural has also become a place to pay respects. 

🗣️: “We have seen things like flowers and small tokens of remembrance left at the site.” 

Van den berg told the Brolga the mural has been used for informative talks for the community, such as Youth Ambassadors, a homelessness team and men’s behaviour change participants. 

What next: The mural will be up until March next year, as a constant, evolving reminder of Australia's domestic violence crisis. 

“Every time we go down there for maintenance or to add another card there are people there having conversations about gender-based violence and remembering the women who have been killed,” van den Berg said.  

Help is available 24/7 via 1800RESPECT.

In Western Victoria, Meli, Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre, Emma House, Orange Door and Child and Family Services Ballarat are also available to provide resources and support.

Header Image: Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare