ACT to make coercive control a crime in its own right
The ACT is creating a standalone criminal offence targeting coercive control patterns rather than isolated incidents.
Currently the ACT relies on civil protection orders to respond to domestic abuse. Police must identify specific events like assault or threats.
Coercive control, isolation, financial control and emotional manipulation often leave no single crime to prosecute. The new Crimes (Coercive Control) Amendment Bill lets prosecutors look at total harm.
They examine ongoing behaviour over time. A sequence of minor actions can now trigger a serious offence.
None of these actions is criminal by itself. Together they can carry jail time.
This matters because victims often don't recognise they are being controlled. The abuse is subtle and deliberate.
Lawyers say the law closes a gap that has protected abusers for years. Training frontline responders and judges will be essential to make it work.
- Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
- Where
- Debra Parker, Canberra family lawyer
- Lawyer leading reform
Why it mattersCoercive control destroys a person's freedom and confidence over time. Legal recognition offers victims a path to justice they didn't have before.
AustraliaThe ACT joins NSW, Queensland and Victoria in criminalising coercive control. This sets a standard other Australian states may follow, potentially widening protections for domestic abuse survivors across the country.
