I'd like to see a discussion on what is said Rosie Batty's book. I bought the Kindle version online from Amazon and also went to her book launch at the National Library in Canberra. I'm interested in learning what makes her a "domestic violence expert"...I'm still trying to find the answer.

I doubt if you will ever get a university degree in DV. R Batty expertise comes from first hand knowledge and experience.

No doubt a lot happened before the relationship dissolved. It is hard to understand why he did what he did, that is where the mystery lies.

@doog "No doubt a lot happened before the relationship dissolved." The relationship dissolved before her son Luke was born. Batty wasn't living with Anderson at that time or at any time during the 11 or so years that followed. You could say a lot happened following the dissolution of the relationship and that was over Batty interfering with the father's relationship with and access to his son. Not long before the tragedy Batty got a court order(ex parte?) which really applied the screws to that. Anderson was already on a downward spiral being apparently unemployed, financially drained, living rough and suffering from gross humiliation, long running legal battles yet he had no criminal convictions to his name. Yes there were allegations a plenty.

" It is hard to understand why he did what he did,..." ...NO its not.
The whole business with Batty and the legal system had sent him mental. As Batty herself says she was winning. One thing is for sure...it didn't end up that way.

I suggest you read the book and then tell us where you think I'm wrong. When one reads the book it is easy to see how this was always going to come to a bad ending.

Ms. Batty is no expert as I have said in the main area of OLO. In fact, her presence on a committee and on the media is, to put it kindly, of no use whatever. She is probably a good woman, deserving of sympathy, who feels that she has something offer - or she has been made to think that by a hardened spin doctor touting a government "fix", which is never going to occur. I feel sorry for the woman; I think she is being exploited by cynical political forces who know damn well there is very little that can be done about domestic violence, aside from appropriate punishment when it is too late. I wasn't aware that there was a book, butI shall not be buying it. To me there is something a bit off about people going through a tragedy, then writing about it and talking about regularly on the media, and keeping it on the boil. I regard grief as private, to be shared with family and friends; not a public display leading to an Australian of the Year award. We have a not-very-bright in woman SA who was pre- selected for a safe seat, and is now in parliament, where she has been forgotten on the back bench, silent as the grave. Here qualifications - her son was killed by a king hit thug.

@ttbn, interesting to read your comment...just about all of it I agree with particularly where you say:

"To me there is something a bit off about people going through a tragedy, then writing about it and talking about regularly on the media, and keeping it on the boil."

Her book launch in the National Library theatrette was opened with television news footage from the fateful day, projected onto its big screen. The format of the occasion was Ms Batty seated one on one on-stage chatting for about an hour with a gushingly sympathetic Canberra Times newspaper journalist. At the end from an the audience of a few hundred people only about three questions got asked.

Roscop why on earth would you waste your money on a book you know you won't like, and then get all uptight about it?

I have no intention of reading it, as I read a review that said it is a sad, confronting book about the violent killing of a little boy by his father.

Everyone on this forum knows how you feel about divorced/separated women, family courts, domestic violence, and women in general, so you really didn't need to go through all this hysteria about a grieving mother and her book.

All I hope is that the mental health system will be improved as a result of this violent act.

She is making something positive happen out of an unspeakable tragedy, and most reasonable people would not begrudge her that.