In Australia one woman is killed almost every week and one woman is hospitalised every three hours because of domestic violence.

The World Health Organisation says intimate partner violence is the most common type of violence against women and affects 30 per cent of women worldwide. One in four children is also exposed to domestic violence.

These are frightening statistics. As alarming are the latest results of the National Community Attitudes Survey on Violence Against Women. The survey results, released in September, show that a sizeable number of Australians still believe there are circumstances in which violence again women can be excused.

Attitudes about violence against women have changed little in almost 20 years and the incidence of violence against women is not declining. Two out of every five women experience some form of physical or sexual abuse and half have experienced sexual harassment since the age of 15.

While there are some encouraging survey results, these are dwarfed by some startling findings. The survey found that one in five people believe that there are circumstances in which women bear some responsibility for violence. It is shocking that this type of victim blaming is still pervasive in our community.

More than half of those surveyed believed women fabricated cases of domestic violence to improve their prospects in family law cases. Nearly eight in 10 agree that it's hard to understand why women stay in a violent relationship and more than half agree that "women could leave a violent relationship if they really wanted to". The Tasmanian Women's Council chair Lindy O'Neil is right when she said the findings should be an important wake-up call. Misconceptions about the causes and impacts of violence against women prevail. If we are to make any progress, violence against women must be elevated to a national debate.

This is a crisis that confronts women and girls across every state and territory. It is a crisis that pervades families and communities from any postcode. It is a national shame. We cannot merely pay lip service to the issue. Domestic violence ruins lives and we cannot turn a blind eye to it.

We know that we must bring it out in the open and change people's views on stereotyping women and trivialising violence against women. We must encourage women to speak out against family violence. We must tell men that violence against women is not acceptable and we must tell women that there is no excuse. It is a crime.

Police Commissioners agree that changing the "vulgar and violent" behaviour of some men is the only way to tackle a crime that kills one woman every week. They believe that the high rates of violence will not stop until men's attitudes change.

Tasmania's Police Commissioner Darren Hine believes cultural change can begin with people of influence such as sportsmen, businessman, actors and other personalities - standing up to condemn violence against women and children. I commend the Tasmanian Police Commissioner, who with fellow White Ribbon Ambassadors and other Tasmanians, is leading the charge in raising awareness.

We know that our culture must change. And if we are ever to combat this national crisis we must all speak up to stop violence against women. To stop violence against our sisters, our daughters, our mothers, our neighbours and our friends we must not stay silent.