A woman found dead in her home near Mildura at the weekend worked at the local council, where she was an advocate for the White Ribbon program, which is aimed at preventing men's violence against women.
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Mildura Rural City Council employee Karen Belej was found dead at her Montana Avenue home in Cardross shortly after 7.30pm on Sunday.
A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is assisting police with inquiries. The death is being treated as suspicious.
A human resources officer, 31-year-old Ms Belej was at the forefront of the council's push to become a White Ribbon accredited workplace.
Mildura mayor Glenn Milne said council staff were "hurting" and "teary" after learning about Ms Belej's death.
"To have somebody just disappear out of your office, out of your life, with no notice, no nothing, it leaves a huge gap," he said.
"Under the circumstances, it's just an absolute tragedy and it will take a long time to get over, because when people turn left and right there will be a space there, and they'll all know why the space is there, and that will be hard to deal with for quite some time."
Police are remaining tight-lipped on the case, which is being investigated by homicide squad detectives who arrived in Mildura late on Sunday.
A title search of the house where Ms Belej was found shows she jointly owned the property before it was transferred into her name in 2012 due to the "breakdown of a relationship".
