The swing of an axe that ended the life of mother-of-three Tara Costigan was the trigger for an overhaul of how the ACT responded to domestic and family violence, but there's still a long way to go.
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There's no taking away from the fact that the ACT in particular has made leaps and bounds in how we respond to domestic violence.
Sadly though, every week in Australia the news is punctured with another tragic story of a woman killed in an act of domestic violence.
When three women and one man were murdered in acts of domestic and family violence in 2015 it was one of the darkest years in Canberra's history. It was also the catalyst for change.
Ms Costigan was murdered by her ex-partner as she cradled their one-week-old baby at her home in Calwell; Sabah Al-Mdwali was stabbed to death by her husband as she breastfed their baby son at their home in Gordon; Daniela D'Addario was killed by her ex-boyfriend at her apartment in Bruce; and Neal Wilkinson was bashed to death by his step-son in Wanniassa.
They were horrific acts of family violence that all occurred within three months of each other.
The deaths, now recognised as potentially preventable tragedies, sparked public outrage. After decades of being something that occurred behind closed doors, the issue became front and centre of community debate.
Over the past five years there has been significant change to the way the ACT government, police and community services view and respond to domestic and family violence.
In the wake of the 2015 tragedies, Canberra made a pledge to combat the scourge of violence perpetrated mainly against women and children.
Culture change is now on the agenda, and it's something everyone needs to play a part in.
We've had laws changed, services funded, community awareness raised.
The ACT is leading the nation on perpetrator intervention programs like the innovative Room for Change model run by the Domestic Violence Crisis Service.
But as individuals and as a community, we need to address the underlying issue. Violence is not acceptable in any form. We need to encourage gender equality, and speak out against violence against women and children.
Domestic violence is not a private, family problem. It's a crime.
Ms Costigan's death taught us it can escalate from controlling behaviour to murder in a single action. Let's remember the victims as we move forward to better our society.
