On Thursday 4 September, the SA Parliament passed legislation to criminalise coercive control in South Australia, with the offence anticipated to commence in 2027. This an important step for our state in promoting safety and justice for people experiencing domestic and family violence.
The majority of people who seek help from specialist domestic and family violence services are experiencing coercive control. Coercive control causes significant fear, distress and harm and victim-survivors often say it is the worst part of their experience of abuse. Coercive control is also a key red flag that a victim-survivor is at increased risk of being killed by a current or former partner.
The Report of South Australia’s Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence is clear that the criminalisation of coercive control represents a vital opportunity to transform how we understand and respond to domestic and family violence. We have work to do, to ensure that coercive control legislation has the intended benefits for victim-survivors and to reduce the risk of unintended negative impacts. In line with the Commissioner’s recommendations, we must ensure that our police, broader justice system, and services understand that domestic and family violence is almost always a pattern of abusive behaviour over time that may or may not involve physical violence. Embolden looks forward to working in close partnership with the State Government to ensure our State is ready.
Coercive control legislation is also a really important opportunity to strengthen the understanding of domestic violence and abuse across our broader community, so that more South Australians can recognise the signs of coercive control and know how they might safely support family members, friends or colleagues who are experiencing, or using, coercive control.
