Sydney woman dies in domestic violence incident days before court hearing

Paramedics rushed her to St Vincent’s Hospital in a critical condition.

The marketing executive, who was born in Britain but had lived in Australia for the past decade, spent three days on life support.

She died on Tuesday.

It can now be revealed an application for an apprehended violence order (AVO), submitted by police on Austin’s behalf, was due to be heard at Waverley Local Court tomorrow.

Loved ones rushed from the United Kingdom to Sydney after receiving a devastating call from doctors on Saturday. They arrived just hours before she died.

Austin’s death has sparked an emotional outpouring from domestic violence campaigners and one of the state’s top cops.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell said the incident was “an absolute tragedy and the loss of another precious life”.

“People have to stop dying in situations of domestic violence.

“Whether it’s women or men, and most of the time it is women who die in [domestic violence] situations. It is tragic, and it has to end.”

Prominent domestic violence campaigner Michelle Faye, who is running for the Senate in Queensland in upcoming elections, said Austin’s death was “not only tragic, but also infuriating”.

“No woman runs through a glass door unless she believes what’s on the other side is safer than what she is running from.

“That’s the level of fear she was [allegedly] living with. It’s heartbreaking knowing that she’s not the only one. Women are living with this fear and risk every day.

“This must stop. It’s not good enough.”

Faye said instances of domestic violence continue to rise, but there had been “no significant change to our systems to mitigate the crisis”.

“These stories keep ending the same way, with a woman’s life cut short and no response from policymakers with solutions. They don’t even publicly acknowledge the deaths of these women. There is definitely a ‘don’t discuss domestic violence’ attitude in the political arena.

“I keep talking about awareness to instigate change, yet nothing ever changes. The people with the ability to make real change don’t seem to want to acknowledge the gravity of this situation we face with gender-based violence in Australia.”

Similarly, Kathy Kaplan, founder of the support service Impact for Women, shared her sympathies and frustration in a post on Facebook.

“May her dear soul rest in peace,” Kaplan said.

Austin’s death is the third alleged domestic violence-related fatality in 24 hours, she added.

“We’re halfway through our election campaign. Has anyone heard either [Australian Prime Minister] Anthony Albanese or [Liberal Party leader] Peter Dutton mention gendered violence or domestic violence as an issue?”

A NSW Police spokesperson said a 44-year-old man known to Austin was taken from the scene by detectives for questioning on Saturday but later released without charge.

The Telegraph reported the man was admitted to a mental health unit last night.

A friend who spoke to the newspaper about their shock at Austin’s death revealed she had been in the process of moving to Queensland.

New South Wales Police have established Strike Force Lydoch to investigate the death.

“No arrests have been made at this time,” a NSW Police spokesperson said.

However, police are treating her death as a criminal matter, Thurtell told the Telegraph.

“This is a tragic loss of life, and we are determined to work out exactly what happened,” he said.

Austin was a marketing and events executive and has worked for several companies since landing Downunder, including the acclaimed event SXSW Sydney.

She most recently worked with award-winning agency The Misfits.