Email the Gov to criminalise coercive control now!

Controlling behaviour is domestic abuse. It’s time the law recognised it.

After the Greens introduced a bill to do just that, a Joint Select Inquiry into Coercive Control was established in the NSW Parliament. That committee, composed of politicians from across the political spectrum, unanimously recommended that our laws should be urgently updated to recognise coercive control as a crime. As a result, the NSW Government assured us that it would be introducing its own legislation to criminalise coercive control.

But it has been over a year and we are yet to see even a draft of the Government’s proposed legislation to criminalise coercive control.

At least one woman is murdered by a current or former partner every week. We don’t have time to waste – victims of domestic violence and abuse need our protection now. We must urgently act to recognise the full spectrum of domestic violence and abuse in our laws.

Visit my webpage for more information about coercive control, why it's so important criminalise it, and to view my Greens' Bill!

Email the Attorney General and the Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence now urging them to prioritise criminalising coercive control!

Dear Minister,
Your work in reforming our domestic violence laws has not gone unnoticed by the public. Working with victim-survivors, frontline community services and organisations, peak experts and more, the work of the Joint Select Committee on Coercive Control in 2020 and 2021 was a significant step in the process. 
I am writing to ask that you urgently prioritise the process of finally criminalising coercive control and passing this into law. 
Since the work of the Inquiry, there has been a great amount of time for the NSW Government to properly digest the recommendations and prepare draft legislation. It is well past time to put this work into action and finally introduce and pass legislation to criminalise coercive control in our State. 
Several of the Committee’s recommendations were supported by the Government, and could be implemented immediately. I urge you to update the definition of domestic violence to include coercive and controlling behaviour under the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007. Back in 2021 the Government supported this recommendation and the Committee’s assertion that this should be done as a priority, before criminalising coercive control. I also urge you to immediately strengthen our apprehended domestic violence order provisions and amend the existing offences of stalking and intimidation, to better protect victims in our State. The Committee also recommended that considerable funding be allocated by the Government toward educating and training the public, police, judiciary and frontline workers about coercive control. I urge you to prioritise this as a key step in criminalising coercive control in our State. 
The Greens’ <a href="https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/pdf/bill/e3cf17cf-5e31-47f8-b7b0-0a4842919b01">Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Amendment (Coercive and Controlling Behaviour) Bill 2020</a> was introduced to Parliament after 18 months of extensive research, stakeholder consultation and genuine discussion with victim-survivors of domestic abuse across the state. The domestic and family abuse sector strongly supports this robust piece of legislation. I urge you to consider the Greens’ Bill, and finally pass such provisions into law. 
At least one woman is murdered by a current or former partner every week. We need to do more to protect victims of domestic violence and abuse, and we can start by recognising the full spectrum of domestic violence and abuse in our laws. Please, act now.

I would like to BCC myself

EMAIL THE GOV TO CRIMINALISE COERCIVE CONTROL NOW!