My friend Samantha Fraser was murdered by her estranged husband Adrian Basham. A simple device meant she might still be alive today

A woman murdered by her estranged husband might have survived if she had one simple device, her best friend has claimed.

Adrian Basham, 46, murdered Samantha Fraser inside her Phillip Island, Victoria home in 2018, before arranging the scene to look like a suicide. 

Friend Lija Matthews said Ms Fraser was in fear for her safety and had two phones but was unable to call the police the day she was ambushed and killed by Basham. 

Ms Matthews said Ms Fraser might still be alive today if she had a duress alarm.

'If she had one and pressed the button, the emergency services could have gotten to her quicker and things could have been different,' she told the Herald Sun.

'I knew the fear she felt. She feared being alone, was always looking over her back and frightened she was going to be attacked.'

The Change for Sam organisation, which was set up by Ms Fraser's friends after her murder, provides women who have escaped from violent relationships with duress alarms, known as safety pendants.

At the time of her death, Ms Fraser had finally escaped Basham's abusive clutches and was set to give evidence against him after he was charged with repeatedly raping her in 2014 and 2016.

Ms Fraser told friends before her death that she was 'feeling stronger and looking forward to a new life'.

Police alleged Basham lay in wait for two hours while Ms Fraser dropped their children off at school before sneaking into the garage when she returned.

She was found dead in the garage on July 23, 2018 - the day after her 38th birthday.

The alarm was only raised when she failed to pick up her children from school.

The multiple recent cases of the murder of women, many of them at the hands of previously abusive partners or ex-partners, have refocused attention on duress alarms which an investigation by Victoria's coroner John Cain found could save lives.

Last week, Coroner Cain called on the Victorian government to change how it deals with women in the high-risk period immediately after surviving an act of violence or asking for protection. 

he said Family Safety Victoria should expand victims' access to devices such as personal duress alarms so they can immediately alert police when their lives are threatened. 

Ms Matthews, who runs the Change for Sam organisation, said it is 'about saving lives'.

She said violence against women has been 'a national crisis for a long time' and that duress alarms allow women to 'feel safer in their own home knowing someone is listening in at the touch of a button'. 

The devices, which are issued by the Salvation Army and Safe Steps - Victoria's 24-hour crisis response service - provide instant connection to a security company which records audio and GPS coordinates and contacts the emergency services.

Evidence gathered by the devices can be used in criminal proceedings.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan claimed that her state is ahead of all other Australian states and territories in addressing family violence, but that more needs to be done.

'This is a national crisis and needs a national response,' she said. 

'This week's national cabinet is an opportunity for us to share what we have learnt from the Royal Commission with our state and federal colleagues, but more importantly to work together on next steps to address men's violence.'

Duress alarms are also offered by Safe Steps, the state's 24-hour crisis response service, which provides protective housing for victims escaping family violence.

1800 Respect National Helpline: 1800 737 732

Safe Steps: 1800 015 188