Tonight Q&A will dedicate an entire episode to family violence, and so it should.

Family violence has killed 13 Australian women already this year. It is estimated that 1.6 million women in Australia have experienced domestic violence and it is the leading cause of death or injury in women under 45.

Domestic violence is the theme of tonight's Q&A on the ABC. Credit:Jason South

A woman a week is being killed by a past or present relationship.

These figures should shock and outrage. Even in a news environment saturated by vicious cyclones and political storms, this national conversation cannot wait.