‘‘I want to tell everybody that family violence happens to everybody, no matter how nice your house is, how intelligent you are,’’ she told them, her face raw, her voice low, in February last year.

Ms Batty has ensured we haven’t looked away since, running a tireless campaign on the issue of family violence.

The painfully personal story combined with a no-bullshit approach has seen real change – or at least movements towards real change – within the sector nationwide and she was announced Australian of the Year in January for her commitment to the issue.

Does Australia know the real Rosie?

‘‘I am who I am,’’ she told The Examiner on Monday.

‘‘I can be bad-tempered, I can be cross, I am strong-willed, determined. I challenge things I know are not right.

‘‘I’ve always been like this, but I’d like to think I still have a lot to learn.’’

Ms Batty visited Brooks High School and an Anglicare forum in Launceston on Monday and will continue to travel the state before flying back to Melbourne on Wednesday night.

It’s a busy schedule and indicative of Ms Batty’s life since the heartbreaking tragedy that took her son’s life.

Her most recent campaign, Never Alone, was launched on what would have been Luke’s 13th birthday and asks Australians to stand in solidarity with victims of family violence.

Her focus is now on driving change in education.

‘‘I think that it’s futile to keep throwing money into systems and processes that clearly are not working well enough,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s not just the crisis responses to violence that we need to invest in, although that is imperative, we also need to invest in prevention, and one of those largest areas in that space is actually with young children and the sooner we start to do that the sooner we start to see a cultural shifting further down the track.’’

Tasmania Police responds to more than 50 family violence calls each week, but advocates believe the actual figure could be up to three times that.

Nationally, two women are murdered at the hands of their partners weekly while one in three women and one in four children will be affected in their lifetime.

Ms Batty said she believed Tasmania, like the rest of Australia, was headed in the right direction with its response to family violence but more could always be done.

‘‘I’m absolutely determined to make sure that when I finish as Australian of the Year this topic, this issue, this problem stays at the top of the radar,’’ Ms Batty said.

‘‘Each time I hear someone say something like ‘You’re making a difference’, I realise that Luke hasn’t died in vain.’’

■For help or information regarding domestic violence, call the Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800737732  or see

1800respect.org.au.