Treasurer Chalmers defends funding response to violence against women amid calls for royal commission

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has defended the government's approach to tackling violence against women and children after being asked whether it would support a national royal commission into the issue.

Speaking publicly, Chalmers said the government had chosen instead to increase resourcing for child, family and domestic violence services. He pointed to measures including additional security funding within the housing system as part of a broader effort to address the causes of such violence.

Chalmers also referenced what he described as "monetised misogyny" spread online as one of several contributing factors, telling the national broadcaster that the government was working to address "a whole range of factors feeding in here."

"We do acknowledge that all of this violence is obviously entirely unacceptable. It's horrific in every way," Chalmers said, adding that more needed to be done to address the issue.

The comments come amid ongoing public debate in Australia over the adequacy of the government's response to gendered violence, with advocates and some political figures continuing to press for a national royal commission — a high-level independent inquiry with powers to investigate systemic issues — into violence against women and children.

Chalmers' remarks did not include a firm commitment on whether the government might reconsider its position on a royal commission in future, with the treasurer instead emphasising the funding increases already under way.