Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has vowed to overhaul the state’s broken domestic abuse system, agreeing to sweeping reforms proposed by Australia’s first royal commission into family violence.

The royal commission, which was established by the Victorian government last year after the death of 11-year-old Luke Batty, made 227 recommendations including safety hubs, better housing and special courts.

Mr Andrew has told The TODAY Show the problem was the “number one law and order issue in our nation today.”

“Well, look, the story is one of pain and anguish – we could fill the MCG with the number of women coming forward and reporting incidents of family violence to Victoria Police,” he said.

“Of course, there are many more families who are tormented by violence in the home and don’t, for a range of reasons, come forward to seek help.

“We are very proud to be leading our nation in terms of providing the answers and, fundamentally, the recognition that this is a broken system and one that is failing far too many people.

“We can’t promise that everyone will be safe, but we can certainly promise to try, and that’s exactly what this Royal Commission was all about. Those recommendations will save lives, I’m certain of that.”

Family violence is more common in regional and rural areas, with offences 65 per cent higher per capita compared to metropolitan Melbourne.

Isolation, challenges with maintaining anonymity, privacy, and limited resources are all contributing factors to a higher rate of family violence in regional Victoria.

“Family violence is alarmingly higher in some regional and rural areas, and we know living in a remote place can increase a person’s risk of family violence,” said Jaala Pulford, the Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development.

“The Andrews Labor Government will be a voice for victims and survivors in regional Victoria as we overhaul our family violence system.

“We need lasting generational change for Victorians from all parts of the state – and we’ll be working to make the system better for all Victorians, no matter where they live.

– TiVi Tuan-san