Ask Rosie Batty how often she thinks of her late son Luke and this is what she'll say: "Every moment of every day".
"I never stop thinking about him," the former Australian of the Year told a Brisbane vigil.
"It doesn't matter how hard I work.
"I cannot bring him back."
Luke, 11, was killed by his father at a suburban cricket ground outside Melbourne on February 12, 2014.
Speaking at the Red Rose Foundation's annual candlelit vigil, Ms Batty said her constant grief often meant suppressing tears and striving to "keep it together".
"But this is one of those evenings when you can't," she said, her voice cracking.
Hundreds gathered at the South Bank precinct on Wednesday evening for the annual event, which is now in its 12th year.
The crowd heard 71 lives were lost to domestic and family violence across Australia last year, including 18 in Queensland.
"Domestic and family violence does not discriminate. It knows no bounds," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told attendees.
Opposition Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence spokeswoman Ros Bates also described her own experience of the "insidious crime".
"I know what it's like to feel scared in your own home," she said.
Thousands more victims were coming forward to police, with growing numbers of domestic violence applications both "disturbing and encouraging", Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Brett Pointing said.
The vigil comes as Queensland marks Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month in May.
