And as we all watched and listened across Australia, we are all too aware of the sacrifice Luke's mother, Rosie, has made since February last year.

Rosie Batty is Australian of the Year in the most terrible of circumstances. She was appointed to the position because of the way in which she took charge of her life when so many of us would have been sobbing in bed for years.

She took charge of her own life so she could help others take charge of theirs. She has defended those who cannot speak up because they are voiceless; and those who cannot speak up because they are too frightened.

There can never be a resolution for Rosie. No-one can bring back her darling son. She will never see him age. She will never be a grandmother.

But her work on domestic violence in Australia will save the lives of many who are today living in fear.

The coroner's findings, delivered after months of painstaking work, listening to evidence, going through all the research, all the policies, all the protocols, delivered one sacred verdict.

Rosie, it wasn't your fault. You could never have known.

As Ian Gray said on Monday, Luke's death was "not reasonably foreseeable by any person, including Ms Batty".

He made it quite clear when he said Luke's father was "solely responsible for his death".

I was relieved to hear those words, relieved to hear that the coroner had delivered a stinging rebuttal to those wicked people who say Rosie should have known, that she could have somehow predicted the man with whom she fell in love all those years ago would turn out to be a terrifying murderer.

With those few words, the coroner has answered all the critics. I doubt he will have silenced them because their views are such comfort to the violent, to the aggressors; and some have billowing egos and eternal platforms for their bile; some are protected from ever having to justify what could be described as hate speech.

Gray said on Monday: "Violence perpetrated by a family member is particularly shocking given that the family unit is expected to be a place of trust, safety and protection." But we don't all have that.

And some of us do not know how to access the systems which should keep us safe. And some of us – politicians in particular – do not seem to understand the importance of grassroots support for victims of family violence. Much of the government's $100 million will be spent on how to change the future.

It is the grassroots services which focus on the present.

Coroner Gray made that very explicit when he said that every single opportunity for engagement should be taken. And what he means is that every single service, health, education, police and justice, every single service should engage – should work with the families living with domestic violence.

"It is a central lesson from this case," he said.

Coroner Gray revealed the missed opportunities for agencies of all kinds to become involved in the case – Luke's father was admitted to hospital for a psychiatric assessment but no-one followed up. There were delays all along the way in response to the case.

Everyone has a story of a service that needs help: of the community legal centres turning away thousands of the needy each year; of the emergency wards who cannot deal with the flood of women, battered and bruised; of police officers who need better training; of those who support bail despite all the evidence.

This inquest has been rigorous – there are now strong recommendations that if acted on, will effect real change. This needs to happen for every family violence death. And it doesn't.

Rosie is speaking up for everyone.

I admire Rosie's persistence with politicians. She has been working with them nearly since the beginning, teaching and nurturing their understanding, since the days after Luke's death. If she felt she could have a worthwhile conversation with a member of Parliament, no matter what stripe, she would go, day and night: Abbott, Shorten, Andrews; and now Turnbull. If the call came, she answered it. Always brave, always resilient. I am confident she will be able to persuade the government to fund the small amounts that help these services work.

Late last year she told me: "People explain to me, 'if you could just see the difference you are making'. But I just do what I feel is right. People give me encouragement and reinforcement and the alternative of not doing this is just too difficult.

"I can't imagine what else I would be doing just trying to get through the day. It keeps me busy, it's my coping strategy. It utilises my strengths and this is right for me."

Rosie, your presence and advocacy is the best possible intervention in domestic violence in this country. On behalf of Australians, I thank you for your service.

Twitter @jennaprice or email jennapricejournalist@gmail.com