A woman has narrowly escaped being killed by a former partner after allegedly being stabbed and doused in petrol on the mid north coast of New South Wales, according to authorities.
NSW Police confirmed the Port Macquarie woman was ambushed in her home and believe the 36-year-old man was waiting for her before attacking her on Thursday night.
The 28-year-old woman had been in a relationship with the man for "a short period of time" and had taken out an Apprehended Violence Order prior to the incident, according to NSW Police.
The woman managed to run to a neighbour's house for help during the incident and the 36-year-old man was confronted by police near Coffs Harbour.
The man, who was armed with a knife, was later shot dead by police after a confrontation. The woman remains hospitalised in a serious condition.
The State Crime Command's Homicide Squad are now investigating the incident, which is subject to an independent review.
The statistics show on average, at least one woman is killed by a partner or former partner every week in Australia.
Two organisations dedicated to ending the scourge of domestic violence and sexism across Australia, Destroy The Joint and Counting Dead Women Australia, count the number of women killed by male violence across the country.
Researchers from Counting Dead Women Australia claim 63 women have died in 2016. In November alone, four Australian women have been killed.
NSW Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Pru Goward said domestic violence is one of the biggest social issues affecting the lives of not just women, but men and their children.
"It is a major priority for the NSW Government to address the alarming statistic that one in four Australian women have experienced violence by an intimate partner," Goward told The Huffington Post Australia.
"The NSW Government has now created a domestic violence system which supports victims and puts perpetrators in the centre of the frame."
"It is a major priority for the NSW Government to address the alarming statistic that one in four Australian women have experienced violence by an intimate partner."Pru Goward
The state government -- which has allocated $53 million of the budget over the next four years -- is investing $22 million over four years to roll out specialist teams to target domestic violence offenders.
"The NSW Police are targeting perpetrators through a new state wide roll out of Police Suspect Target Management Plans for domestic violence perpetrators," Goward told HuffPost Australia.
"The NSW Police Force have adapted a proven policing strategy to target domestic violence perpetrators. The Suspect Target Management Plan targets perpetrators just like police do for other crimes, such as gang crimes or drug crimes.
"Police High Risk Offender Teams are being established to target serious recidivist offenders and investigate serious domestic and family violence matters."