Federal government-commissioned research has found that women still get blamed for aggression towards them, while the behaviour of the men involved tends to be excused as a "rite of passage".
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The research, which Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says paints a "disturbing picture about how Australians think about domestic violence", finds that even though most Australians want to see violence against women stopped, there is a poor understanding of where the issue begins.
To coincide with International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Mr Turnbull will release the study by research company TNS. It involved interviews in August with about 255 young people and parents, who were given a hypothetical scenarios of disrespectful behaviour.
It found high levels of "automatic" victim-blaming among those interviewed as well as a "strong desire to avoid blaming males". It also found that many actions that were disrespectful and aggressive towards women were considered by adults as "social misdemeanours" rather than something that should be "corrected".
The results will inform a national campaign, due early next year, which aims to change attitudes around gender equality - and get parents and teachers to take more responsibility for how young people think about violence.
Mr Turnbull said while not all disrespect ended up in violence against women, "all violence against women begins with disrespecting women".
"[The study] tells us that far too many people excuse, diminish and blame the victim when it comes to violence against women."
Social Services Minister Christian Porter described the research as "eye-opening".
Mr Porter pointed to girls in the research group who excused aggressive behaviour with "he's probably just trying to get a bit of attention". Boys similarly said, "he is just trying to be heard".
One in six Australian women over 15 have experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or former partner. One in four women has experienced emotional abuse from a current or former partner.
This comes as Labor leader Bill Shorten will announce on Wednesday that, if elected, his government would include five days of paid leave in the National Employment Standards. Casual workers would get five days of unpaid leave.
"Domestic and family violence leave will benefit both those who have experienced violence as well as business through improved productivity, increased employee retention and reduced absenteeism," Mr Shorten said.
"Consider the time required in courts, meeting with lawyers, financial advisers, the school principal, counselling sessions for people who have experienced violence."
The National Employment Standards set out the minimum entitlements for all employees who are covered by the workplace relations system.
Labor's pledge follows a longstanding call from the Australian Council of Trade Unions to boost protections for domestic violence victims in the workplace.
The ACTU has argued that while more than a million employees, such as those at Telstra and IKEA, have access to paid domestic violence leave, the provision should be extended to all workers.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
