Why State of Origin will be a night of terror for many Australians – as Anthony Albanese speaks out about the dark side of the big game

Not everyone is looking forward to the annual State of Origin series, with thousands of women and children across the country finding the event a terrifying evening.

Researchers have found a significant spike in the number of attacks and emergencies around major sporting events, such as the Melbourne Cup, Formula 1 and the NRL and AFL grand finals.

And the same will apply to tonight’s match between the Blues and Maroons in Sydney, with new research showing a roughly 40 per cent increase in domestic violence in the 12-hour period between 6pm and 6am on Origin nights.

MP Zali Steggall outlined the shocking figures, drawn from six years of data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, during question time last week.

State of Origin is a terrifying night for many Australians, with research showing an alarming increase in domestic violence

State of Origin nights see an increase of around 40 percent in domestic violence

“To the Prime Minister,” she began.

‘Next week, on State of Origin game night, statistics show that women and children in New South Wales are almost 40 per cent more likely to experience domestic violence.

“Alcohol and gambling are known drivers of domestic violence, and Australia’s government violence prevention frameworks have been reluctant to tackle the multi-billion dollar alcohol and gambling industries.

“When will your government take greater steps to regulate these harmful industries to keep Australian women safe in this national crisis and encourage greater prevention strategies from sporting codes such as the NRL?”

Mr Albanese acknowledged the link between the sporting event and domestic violence, saying he “fully accepted the surprising statistics that the member raised with me earlier today about a spike (in domestic violence) that will occur when a major sporting event such as the state of origin game is held’.

The research looked at statistics from Wednesday evening two weeks before the first Origin game of each series to two weeks after the final game, revealing the relevant trend.

White Ribbon director Brad Chilcott has told fans to beware of aggression from their friends and themselves towards women.

“Thousands of fans are looking forward to game night tonight, but unfortunately we know we can also expect an increase in male violence and abuse of women,” he said.

Mr Albanese acknowledged the link between the event and domestic violence

‘Support services and experts are concerned that the pressures of COVID and associated lockdowns could increase the danger of male abuse and disrespect towards women, which has been shown to increase around the time of major football matches.

‘It is the responsibility of every person to play an active role in preventing this.

“I ask every man, and especially every footy fan, to be extra vigilant in calling out disrespect and sexism if they see it over the next two months.”

In 2018, Michael Thorn from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education said there was a link between Origin games and an increase in domestic violence.

‘The causes of domestic violence are complex and many disturbing findings suggest, however, that the particular celebration of heavy drinking, masculinity, tribalism and the toxic level of aggressive alcohol promotion in the state of origin have collided in such a way. encouraging excessive drinking and domestic violence,” he said.