This file photo taken on Feb 27, 2022 shows people looking at a petition including the names of victims of domestic violence during a "March 4 Justice" rally against sexual violence and gender inequality in Melbourne, Australia. (PHOTO / AFP)

CANBERRA - Australia's Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese has called for Australian males to step up to end violence against women and children.

In a statement released on the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women on Saturday, Albanese declared urgent action was needed to address Australia's domestic violence rate.

According to the Australian Institute of Criminology's National Homicide Monitoring Program (NHMP), 60 percent of adult female victims of homicide in Australia are killed by a current or former intimate partner.

As of May, the government had invested 2.28 billion Australian dollars ($1.5 billion) in its National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032

In 2020-21, one woman was killed by a current or former partner every 14 days in Australia, according to the latest NHMP data.

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"Changing the attitudes that entrench inequality and discrimination, and objectify women and disregard consent, is everyone's responsibility," Albanese said.

"Men in particular have to step up. And male leaders have an opportunity to champion change and create the conditions that prevent violence, abuse, discrimination and harassment."

The government on Saturday committed to establishing a new system to provide quarterly updates on intimate partner homicides.

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Data is currently available on an annual basis from the NHMP, but Albanese said that in order to end violence against women, authorities needed to be able to measure it accurately.

In a statement, minister for women Katy Gallagher and Amanda Rishworth, the minister for social services, said the new system would support law enforcement, policymakers, and the domestic and sexual violence sector in developing priority responses.

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"Up-to-date and accurate data is crucial to supporting us in our efforts to end this violence and ensure women's safety," Gallagher said.

As of May, the government had invested 2.28 billion Australian dollars ($1.5 billion) in its National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.