ARGUMENTS happen. Violence must not.
As a sportsman I know as well as anybody that emotion and tension can get the better of us. In the stress of a heated moment, we can explode - yell and say things we don't mean. 
But there is no excuse, ever, at all, for violence against women. Like many Australians I have been left heartbroken and dismayed by the instances of domestic violence splashed over the front page of newspapers around the country in recent days.
A mother allegedly belted to death by her enraged husband on the Gold Coast. A woman shot dead by her ex-husband at McDonald's.
There is a huge problem lurking behind the front doors of Australia and its name is domestic violence.
To me, there is no excuse, no reason, ever, to hurt a woman. It is a thought process I can't comprehend.
I understand there is no single solution - education, raising awareness and improved laws are all key.
But I want to send a very clear message about this: Men, we are responsible and only we can end it.
It's time we stand up to this hideous vice. It's time to let other men know that it's unacceptable. A low, low act.
No matter what the problem is, no matter what the issue is, no matter how angry you are, there is a big difference between having a disagreement and taking the next step.
Once you lay your hand on a woman in anger you have crossed a boundary that should never be crossed.
Imagine that poor little girl in Queensland who will never see her mother again. She has lost her mother forever.
I can't fathom what that could possibly feel like.
I don't think I was blessed to be brought up in a family where the woman was always respected. I think that's the way Australia was and that's the way we need to get back to - an Australia where women are treated with complete and unwavering respect.
We owe it to the future and each other. A child who witnesses his father hurting his mother or his sister, his aunty or his grandmother, is damaged for life.
I saw a frightening statistic that one in four children are exposed to domestic violence, which has to be a form of child abuse. One in four! That is just unbelievably sad and just another reason why, as a society, we have to do something.
There needs to be a feeling throughout this country that you can be open, you can be honest, you can tell the people you need to or ring the right person if you encounter this sort of violence.
As a young boy or girl, if you see Mum or Dad getting hurt, you need to feel comfortable enough to go and tell somebody, to pick up the phone.
We need to be open and honest about this. If you're doing this to a woman you shouldn't get away with it.
The more people who support the notion that it's unacceptable, the better we are.
Take it from me. I devoted my career to Australia and the Australian way. This is not the Australian way.Michael Clarke is a former Australian cricket captain