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Luke didn't die in vain: Batty inquest

Rosie Batty says the Victorian coroner's findings on the death of her son offer closure and hope that more will be done to prevent family violence.

Rosie Batty speaks after the Luke Batty Coronial Inquest
Perpetrators of family violence must be made accountable for their actions, Rosie Batty says. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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For Rosie Batty, the release of the coronial findings on her son's tragic murder shows that her only child didn't die in vain.

For Victoria Police, it was confirmation they're on the right track with reforming the force.

And for the Victorian government, it was another step in a journey that is partly complete.

State Coroner Judge Ian Gray's findings on Greg Anderson's murder of his son Luke, 11, will be fed into the Royal Commission into Family Violence, which will report to the Victorian government early next year.

"It's a monumental day - it's kind of, I guess, a degree of closure but really, a great degree of hope," Ms Batty told reporters after listening to the coronial findings on Monday.

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"Luke has not died in vain. That's what I've been working for."

Ms Batty said the inquest had rightly highlighted systemic failings without apportioning personal blame.

She said it underscored how abusers must be made more accountable for their actions, and that federal and state governments were already moving on this.

Ms Batty, who is 2015 Australian of the Year, became a tireless anti-domestic violence campaigner following Luke's murder by his mentally ill father at a Victorian cricket oval on February 12, 2014.

The case marked a turning point in Australia's awareness of family violence, and triggered major changes within Victoria Police which says it now leads the country in its approach.

"We have established a dedicated Family Violence Command, providing a central focus within the organisation to drive the next wave of reform and improvement," Victoria Police spokesman said.

"This is the first time in Australia that family violence has been given such a central focus within any police force."

The coronial findings will be reviewed by a Victorian government taskforce within cabinet.

Police Minister Wade Noonan said they would also be wound into the royal commission's findings next year, which the premier had said "would be implemented and implemented in full".


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