Thousands rally against gender violence in Australia

STORY: Thousands took to the streets in Sydney on Saturday (April 27) urging tougher laws on gendered violence.

Spurred by a wave of violence against women - the government says a woman has been killed every four days this year.

Six people, including five women, were killed in a mass stabbing in Sydney this month.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called violence against women an "epidemic" on Saturday (April 27), as protests took place in cities across the country.

This demonstrator in Sydney gave her name as Natalie.

"I think the government needs to declare this devastating thing that's happening to women as a national emergency. Enough women have died, 26, and it's just, it's really, really upsetting. We are human, we shouldn't be getting killed."

Former Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull also turned out:

"And so we really have to make sure that men respect women and that men do not respect other men who disrespect women. So there's a huge role in this for men, they are not just the perpetrators, they're also the friends and relatives, employers, employees, colleagues of men who commit these crimes and they have to be held to account."

Similar protests were scheduled across the country through the weekend, with Albanese saying he'd join a rally in Canberra.