Sara wants Victoria to criminalise coercive control, but family violence and legal experts are split on the issue
3 years, 9 months ago

Sara wants Victoria to criminalise coercive control, but family violence and legal experts are split on the issue

ABC  

The rules were there from day one, Sara* says, but they became more intense after the birth of her first child. "We believe coercive control should be criminalised because it is a form of family violence," says chief executive Michal Morris, describing inTouch as an "outlier" in the debate. "Just by criminalising it itself will not make the system better, but we feel that if you criminalise coercive control it will act like a trigger that needs to change the system," she says. "Coercive control is enshrined in Victoria's legal definition of family violence, and before introducing new laws, it is important to analyse and understand how existing laws are applied." "Our research is reaching out to victim-survivors of coercive control across Australia," says Associate Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon, director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre.

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History of this topic

NSW Police investigating more than 80 cases of coercive control, with senior officers tasked to enforce new domestic violence laws
5 months, 2 weeks ago

NSW Police investigating more than 80 cases of coercive control, with senior officers tasked to enforce new domestic violence laws

ABC  

Police are investigating more than 80 cases of coercive control in the three months since it became a criminal offence in NSW with Commissioner Karen Webb revealing senior officers have been tasked with enforcing the new laws. Commissioner Webb said domestic violence had been one of her "main priorities" from the day she took office in 2022. Commissioner Webb responded …

Coercive control ad campaign launched NSW government criticised for doing too little as services plead for more funding
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Coercive control ad campaign launched NSW government criticised for doing too little as services plead for more funding

ABC  

In short: The NSW Government has rolled out an ad campaign about coercive control. As the domestic violence crisis casts its grim shadow over the political debate in New South Wales, the Minns government will today launch an advertising campaign aimed at raising public awareness about coercive control. "The purpose of the invitation was to certainly acknowledge the work done …

Coercive control the most sinister form of abuse, but it's still not a standalone offence in most states
1 year, 3 months ago

Coercive control the most sinister form of abuse, but it's still not a standalone offence in most states

ABC  

Joanna* knows what it's like to be subjected to coercive control, a sinister form of abuse which combines threats, violence, and financial control to frighten someone and restrict their movements. Key points: Coercive control is considered a particularly sinister form of abuse It creates fear and often restricts the victim's liberties Women with disabilities are viewed as being at increased …

Domestic abuse victims who do not live with abuser ‘to get better protection’
1 year, 11 months ago

Domestic abuse victims who do not live with abuser ‘to get better protection’

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

NSW parliament makes coercive control a criminal offence, passes lower house vote
2 years, 4 months ago

NSW parliament makes coercive control a criminal offence, passes lower house vote

ABC  

New South Wales will be the first Australian jurisdiction to criminalise coercive control despite opposition from domestic violence groups about the way the offence is defined. Key points: The bill makes coercive control a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment England and Wales passed similar laws in 2015 The offence will not be enforced until 2024 …

NSW government rushes to pass coercive control bill despite opposition from domestic violence advocates
2 years, 5 months ago

NSW government rushes to pass coercive control bill despite opposition from domestic violence advocates

ABC  

The NSW government says it is matter of life and death that coercive control is criminalised this year and it doesn't want concerns from domestic violence advocates to cause delays. Key points: The coercive control bill was introduced to the lower house today Some domestic violence groups fear the bill could be dangerous if passed in its current state Labor …

Victim survivors fear NSW coercive control legislation could be used against them
2 years, 7 months ago

Victim survivors fear NSW coercive control legislation could be used against them

ABC  

Standing in front of a magistrate, Nina was doing the unimaginable — defending herself against charges she believed should have been laid at her husband's feet. Family and domestic violence support services: If you need help immediately call emergency services on triple-0 1800 Respect National Helpline: 1800 737 732 Women's Crisis Line: 1800 811 811 Men's Referral Service: 1300 766 …

NSW government releases draft coercive control bill, proposes seven-year jail term
2 years, 8 months ago

NSW government releases draft coercive control bill, proposes seven-year jail term

ABC  

A draft bill released by the NSW Attorney-General would see people convicted of coercive control in intimate partner relationships jailed for up to seven years. Key points: The NSW government plans to outlaw coercive control It comes after a parliamentary inquiry found current laws were not adequate Some stakeholders have raised concerns over a short consultation period It comes after …

More prison sentences for people who breach family violence orders in Victoria as police crack down on perpetrators
2 years, 10 months ago

More prison sentences for people who breach family violence orders in Victoria as police crack down on perpetrators

ABC  

More people than ever are being imprisoned for breaching family violence orders in Victoria as police have become increasingly responsive to the state's scourge of abuse, recording a fivefold increase in the number of breach offences in the decade to 2020. A new report by the Sentencing Advisory Council released this week shows Victoria's response to family violence has shifted …

How will Queensland criminalise coercive control in domestic violence relationships?
3 years, 3 months ago

How will Queensland criminalise coercive control in domestic violence relationships?

ABC  

Queensland has been urged to begin a widespread education campaign and underlying reforms on a pathway to criminalise coercive control. The taskforce recommends the creation of a standalone offence of coercive control in Queensland, however there's still plenty of groundwork to do first. While the taskforce was complimentary of the Queensland Police Service's leadership, specialist units and individual officers, it …

Task force recommends staged approach to criminalising coercive control in Queensland
3 years, 3 months ago

Task force recommends staged approach to criminalising coercive control in Queensland

ABC  

The Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce has recommended a staged approach for Queensland to criminalise coercive control. "The task force also includes several recommendations aimed at improving both police and judicial responses to domestic and family violence," Ms Fentiman said. The report recommends an independent commission of inquiry to examine "widespread cultural issues" within the Queensland Police Service relating to …

Victoria Police launches Australian-first policy for dealing with family violence perpetrators in its ranks
3 years, 4 months ago

Victoria Police launches Australian-first policy for dealing with family violence perpetrators in its ranks

ABC  

Victoria Police has launched a landmark policy for dealing with perpetrators of family violence in its ranks that it claims will stop abusive officers from being given "special treatment" and prioritise victims' safety. Key points: Victoria Police is the first police force in Australia to create a standalone policy for dealing with DFV involving employees A new unit will be …

Coercive control should be criminalised in NSW, parliamentary committee finds
3 years, 8 months ago

Coercive control should be criminalised in NSW, parliamentary committee finds

ABC  

Coercive control should be criminalised in NSW amid a "pandemic of domestic abuse" that cannot be ignored, a parliamentary committee has found. Key points: The committee found coercive control is a "red flag" for preventable murders of Australian women and children It advised a multi-agency taskforce be set-up to oversee implentation of the updated laws The committee also recommended an …

Queensland domestic violence taskforce proposes 13 changes to legislation including electronic monitoring
3 years, 9 months ago

Queensland domestic violence taskforce proposes 13 changes to legislation including electronic monitoring

ABC  

An independent taskforce set up by the Queensland Government has released 13 proposals to address domestic violence, following a series of murders and attacks on women and children over the past year. Loading YouTube content 'Traumatising for victims' Betty Taylor, the spokeswoman for Red Rose Foundation, which works to end domestic and family violence, said adding offences should not be …

Queensland domestic violence cases still rising sharply, expert warns coercive control law will be no quick fix
3 years, 10 months ago

Queensland domestic violence cases still rising sharply, expert warns coercive control law will be no quick fix

ABC  

Reports of domestic violence are still rising sharply across Queensland, with the latest figures revealing police responding on average to more than 400 cases a day. Key points: Queensland police responded to 113,779 DV cases from July to the end of March Researcher Heather Nancarrow says coercive control laws are no fix-all She says some perpetrators could be intensifying efforts …

How demands for dowry and domestic duties can become weapons of coercive control
3 years, 11 months ago

How demands for dowry and domestic duties can become weapons of coercive control

ABC  

Every morning, Shalini* had to be up at 4:30am to cook a hot breakfast and prepare lunch for her husband and his parents before leaving for work. "The essential nature of domestic violence is coercive control," Dr O'Connor said. Dr O'Connor says coercive control includes: Domestic servitude Coercive demands for dowry payments Taking over income Denying access to money Social …

Coercive control underpins most domestic violence deaths but making it illegal is complicated
4 years ago

Coercive control underpins most domestic violence deaths but making it illegal is complicated

ABC  

It's almost always a factor when someone kills their partner but coercive control isn't widely understood. "Coercive control is not defined by incidents, it's not even really defined as a form of abuse, it is a pattern of entrapment," she told the inquiry. Over three days this week, women's organisations, domestic violence workers and advocates, police, prosecutors and academics gave …

What's coercive control, and why is there a push to make it a crime?
4 years, 1 month ago

What's coercive control, and why is there a push to make it a crime?

ABC  

Like a lot of us coping with the stress and loneliness of the past year, Caitlyn* moved in with the guy she was dating during lockdown. If you or anyone you know needs help: 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491 Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491 Lifeline on …

Coercive control inquiry hears harrowing accounts of shame, humiliation and abuse
4 years, 1 month ago

Coercive control inquiry hears harrowing accounts of shame, humiliation and abuse

ABC  

Of the 100-plus submissions put forward to the NSW Parliament's Joint Select Committee on Coercive Control, it is the personal stories that are most harrowing. Key points: The three-day inquiry will explore the introduction of new coercive control legislation in NSW Behaviours can range from controlling money and withholding children, to physical violence and murder England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland …

Coercive control taskforce created in Queensland
4 years, 1 month ago

Coercive control taskforce created in Queensland

Daily Mail  

Queensland has taken the first step towards criminalising coercive control by abusive partners, in memory of murdered mum Hannah Clarke. The primary indicators of coercive control according to healthline are: Isolating you from your support system - this includes suggesting joint social media accounts, moving you away from your family, monitoring your phone calls or convincing you that your family …

Queensland sets up taskforce to investigate coercive control laws one year after Hannah Clarke's murder
4 years, 1 month ago

Queensland sets up taskforce to investigate coercive control laws one year after Hannah Clarke's murder

ABC  

The Queensland Government has announced plans to set up an independent taskforce to consult on potential coercive control legislation, almost a year since Brisbane mother Hannah Clarke and her three children were murdered by her estranged husband. "We've seen legislation against coercive control in places like the UK, and it's important that we too have legislation in place to better …

New domestic violence laws may criminalise coercive control in the Northern Territory
4 years, 1 month ago

New domestic violence laws may criminalise coercive control in the Northern Territory

ABC  

The Northern Territory Government could soon criminalise coercive control abuse, as domestic violence rates climb across the Territory. Key points: New laws are being considered as part of a domestic violence review The NT has the highest rate of domestic violence-related offences in the nation The Criminal Lawyers Association says current laws are enough, and the focus should be on …

Hannah Clarke's domestic violence murder highlighted coercive control — but has anything changed?
4 years, 7 months ago

Hannah Clarke's domestic violence murder highlighted coercive control — but has anything changed?

ABC  

It's been almost six months since Brisbane mother Hannah Clarke and her three children were murdered by her estranged husband, Rowan Baxter, in a crime that caused widespread public shock. Key points: Coercive control has been described as "intimate terrorism" and often accompanies physical violence South Australia is among the states considering legislation that would criminalise it The move coincides …

Coercive control: The 'worst part' of domestic abuse is not a crime in Australia. But should it be?
5 years, 4 months ago

Coercive control: The 'worst part' of domestic abuse is not a crime in Australia. But should it be?

ABC  

For decades survivors have been reporting that the most difficult thing about domestic abuse is not necessarily the physical violence: the bruised ribs, chipped teeth or broken bones. Stark's research has found 60-80 per cent of women who seek help for abuse have experienced it, and that the "level of control" in such relationships is a predictor of severe and …

Domestic violence royal commission: Family violence 'vile social ill, ruining lives', inquiry told
9 years, 8 months ago

Domestic violence royal commission: Family violence 'vile social ill, ruining lives', inquiry told

ABC  

Family violence is at shockingly high levels in all areas of the community with police and support services struggling to cope with demand, Victoria's Royal Commission into Family Violence has heard. She told the commission Victoria Police had improved its handling of family violence matters, but in the 1980s and 90s, service providers saw them as "the enemy". Assistant Commissioner …

Family violence royal commission: Rape victim heard police laughing with abusive partner, inquiry hears
9 years, 8 months ago

Family violence royal commission: Rape victim heard police laughing with abusive partner, inquiry hears

ABC  

A family violence survivor who was raped and bashed repeatedly by her partner says she heard police laughing with her attacker after she called them for help, the Royal Commission into Family Violence has heard. She said when she finally decided to call the police to report the abuse, she heard police laughing while they were interviewing her husband. The …

Family violence royal commission: Abusive partner register touted in Victoria in bid to stamp out repeat offenders
9 years, 8 months ago

Family violence royal commission: Abusive partner register touted in Victoria in bid to stamp out repeat offenders

ABC  

Family violence offenders in Victoria could be placed on a register, which people could then use to find out if their partner has a violent history, under a police proposal. Key police recommendations: Developing a "victim-centric" service The power to issue on-the-spot intervention orders Safe, online methods for reporting abuse to police A domestic violence offenders register Ensuring victims are …

Co-ordinated approach needed to tackle family violence say police, Domestic Violence Victoria
9 years, 10 months ago

Co-ordinated approach needed to tackle family violence say police, Domestic Violence Victoria

ABC  

A new framework is needed to deal with family violence in Victoria, according to Victoria Police and Domestic Violence Victoria. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Dean McWhirter, who heads Australia's first Family Violence Command, said Victoria Police wanted to see a state-wide framework put in place so it was clear "who the decision makers are". He said there needed to be …

Domestic violence: Thousands of parents seeking help from police for growing issue of violent children
9 years, 10 months ago

Domestic violence: Thousands of parents seeking help from police for growing issue of violent children

ABC  

Thousands of Australian parents are seeking help from police and courts to protect themselves from a little-talked about aspect of domestic abuse: violent children. Victorian woman Tina Broadby said she feared her son, Shane, could kill one of her daughters, who are aged between seven and 16 years. " Email 7.30syd@your.abc.net.au Responding to assaults by children difficult, police say A …

Family violence victims forced to sit within metres of offenders in Victorian country courts
10 years ago

Family violence victims forced to sit within metres of offenders in Victorian country courts

ABC  

Frightened domestic violence victims who are forced sit within metres of their attackers at some Victorian courthouses need better protection, according to legal professionals. "I don't see why the same kind of protections that are provided in the city can't be in place in the country," said Bonnie Renou from the Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre. You end up shaking …

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