Standing side by side with Kathleen Kirby, at the location where her daughter Audrey Griffin was killed on the NSW Central Coast, Premier Chris Minns made a personal promise.
He said the state government would provide $2 million for security cameras and lighting along Erina Creek and parts of Gosford, to make the areas safer after dark.
“We want to be in a position where we’re making a difference, making a change so that another family doesn’t go through this … we want to make it safer,” Mr Minns said.
“This was a crime that affected the Central Coast community but I think everybody in NSW had a gut punch after we heard the news … it’s just such a shocking crime.
“Every woman and young person should feel safe in their community and make it home at the end of a night out.”
Kathleen Kirby (right) with her 19-year-old daughter Audrey Griffin, who was murdered while walking home from a night out (Supplied: Kathleen Kirby)
For more than a year, Ms Kirby campaigned for security improvements after her daughter was killed in a random attack while walking home from a night out with friends in Gosford.
“It’s one of the stepping stones that I wanted in regards to the situation,” Ms Kirby said.
“If I get some kind of justice … then I feel one step closer to feeling a little bit more relieved.”
Ms Kirby has also called for better public transport options late at night.
It is something the premier is looking at.
Chris Minns placed a flower at the location where Audrey Griffin died. (ABC Central Coast: Sarah Forster)
“We have to improve public transport on the Central Coast, we know that,” Mr Minns said.
“The pressure is on us to improve public transport, improve CCTV, improve lighting … do whatever we can, to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Central Coast Council will oversee the rollout of the security infrastructure after consulting with women and young people.
Gender violence still a problem
Ms Griffin had never previously met her alleged killer, Adrian Torrens.
At the time he was accused of murdering her, he was on bail on a string of unrelated domestic violence offences.
He was arrested in April 2025 and found dead in a Sydney jail cell just days later.
Audrey Griffin had been walking home from a night out with friends in Gosford. (ABC Central Coast: Sarah Forster)
Mr Minns said bail laws had been tightened for people accused of domestic violence, but admitted there was a “long way to go”.
“Our number one responsibility as a government is to keep the public safe and in too many cases, we haven’t done that,”
he said.
“We’ve got a long way to go; there is too much violence against women in our community.”
He said while tougher laws and sentences should act as a deterrent, there was more to do.
“It’s also a societal change, to ensure that we’re sending a message that in all circumstances, wherever … that this kind of violence can never be tolerated.”
Kathleen Kirby says the premier’s commitment is one of the stepping stones she wanted in response to her daughter’s death. (Supplied: Kathleen Kirby)
Mother’s fight for answers
With her quest for lighting and security cameras successful, Ms Kirby is now seeking justice for her daughter in other ways.
She is hopeful a coronial inquest will deliver some of the answers a criminal trial might have.
“I don’t understand why it’s taking so long … it should be brought forward,” Ms Kirby said.
“I feel that they want me to give up. That’s how I feel.”
Ms Kirby said she wanted to know why police initially treated her daughter’s death as not suspicious and dismissed it as misadventure.
“They need to be held accountable and their jobs should be on the line because they’ve treated my daughter with no respect at all.“
The case is still under review by the coroner. A hearing date is yet to be set for an inquest.
