A QUEENSLAND petition to block the world’s highest paid athlete from entering Australia eclipsed its target in one day.

TheChange.org petition joins anti-domestic violence advocates lobbying to reject American boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather’s visa for his promotional tour next week due to his history of domestic violence.

Domestic violence crisis worker Angela Burrows, who works at a women’s shelter in Townsville, launched the petition yesterday claiming his visit sends a “terrifying message” that repeat abuse “isn’t serious”.

The petition, addressed to newly-appointed Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, surpassed its target of 25,000 signatures on its second day—over 10,000 people signed the petition in four hours, the tally reaching more than 30,000 signatures this afternoon.

Mayweather, who served a jail term for assaulting a former partner in front of their children, was due to tour Sydney and Melbourne from today but was forced to reschedule when he still didn’t have an approved entry visa as of lunchtime yesterday.

“Allowing a chronic perpetrator of violence like Floyd Mayweather to visit Australia sends a terrifying message – that vicious, repeat abuse isn’t serious,” Ms Burrows wrote in her letter to Mr Dutton.

“It says if that if you’re high-profile and successful enough the abuse doesn’t matter. That it can be swept under the carpet. That’s just wrong.”

media_camera Floyd Mayweather.

A spokesman for the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, said the department is aware of the “concerns expressed by the community” in regards to Mayweather’s visit.

They asked the community to understand regardless of Mr Mayweather’s status the department has to follow due course in the processing of any visa, including satisfying character requirements.

A 2001 lawsuit filed by former partner Melissa Brim said Mayweather hit her in the jaw with a car door before pushing her inside and punching her face and body several times.

Five months later the lawsuit claimed Mayweather asked a friend to hold their daughter before he hit Brim in the neck while shopping at a mall.

“I couldn’t sit by after hearing this. I see some of the victims of this kind of abuse every day,” Ms Burrows wrote.

The petition to deny Mayweather’s visa comes after Rosie Batty was awarded Australian of the Year this week for her powerful work on domestic violence.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott responded by announcing his Government would put domestic violence in the forefront of this year’s political agenda.

media_camera The petition calling for Mayweather to be barred from coming to Australia.

On Tuesday Mr Abbott announced the establishment of a National Domestic Violence Order Scheme that would consult with Ms Batty to establish a national order.

Domestic Violence Victoria chief executive Fiona McCormack had already called for a ban on the champion boxer.

Ms McCormack told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell on January 21 that the ban would send a strong message to men.

“Apart from sending a strong message to Floyd Mayweather ... what we need to be doing is sending a very, very strong message to men in our community (that) this behaviour is not accepted by men and women in your community,” she said.

Yesterday his Sydney publicist, Max Markson, said Mayweather was auctioning “extremely rare” championship belts, with proceeds going to the Exodus Foundation funding literacy programs for indigenous children in the Northern Territory.

It was reported the sudden philanthropy left Markson “quietly confident” the visas would be approved for Mayweather and his 31-strong entourage.

Markson told the Herald Sun Mayweather’s visit would be “of social and economic benefit to Australia” as well as generating employment.

“Money” Mayweather has earned an estimated $420 million from boxing. He is expected to use the visit to announce an anticipated fight against Manny Pacquiao.