Watchdog seeks better figures on violence

The Human Rights Commission says there is a big gap in information on domestic violence deaths in Australia, which could affect services for those most at risk.

The commission on Tuesday released a report calling for a national system for a domestic and family violence death review.

A death review is a forensic investigation into the factors and circumstances behind family violence deaths.

The Northern Territory, Tasmania and the ACT do not collect data on all family violence deaths.

Commission president Gillian Triggs said this meant there was no national picture of domestic and family violence deaths, but it was known at least 70 women died in such incidents last year.

"We do not currently have authoritative nationwide data that would help us identify patterns and risk factors to prevent avoidable deaths from domestic and family violence," Professor Triggs said in a statement.

In the United States, death review team reports have led to changes to policy such as tougher sentences for perpetrators, greater support for violence victims and improvements to court processes.