Domestic and family violence

Domestic violence is when one person tries to coerce or control another person in a family-like or domestic relationship.

Coercive control

Coercive control is when someone repeatedly hurts, scares or isolates another person to control them.

From 1 July 2024, coercive control is a criminal offence in NSW when a person uses abusive behaviours towards a current or former intimate partner with the intention to coerce or control them.

The criminal offence captures repeated patterns of physical or non-physical abuse used to hurt, scare, intimidate, threaten or control someone. The law applies to abusive behaviour that happens after 1 July 2024.

Useful links

Domestic violence

Domestic violence involves an abuse of power and can take the form of coercive control, physical violence, sexual abuse or sexual violence, emotional or psychological abuse, verbal abuse, stalking and intimidation, social and geographic isolation, financial abuse, cruelty to pets, damage to property, or threats to be violent in these ways.

The terms ‘domestic violence’ and ‘family violence’ are often interchanged. They both generally refer to violence between two or more people who are connected by a domestic relationship.

Online book

The Find Legal Answers Tool Kit is a collection of plain English books about the law. You can read them online or at your local public library.

Use the Tool Kit online book below to find information about family violence and apprehended violence orders.  

Women and family law

A guide to family law in NSW, covering a range of topics such as divorce, children, property settlements and AVOs.  

Useful links  

Getting an apprehended violence order

An apprehended violence order (AVO) is a court order that protects a person from another person who causes them to fear for their safety. An AVO can only stop a person from doing something, for example, assaulting, coming to the house, or destroying property. It cannot order a person to do something, for example attend counselling or an anger management course.

AVOs are sometimes called ‘restraining orders’ because an AVO ‘restrains’ (stops) a person (the defendant) from doing something towards the fearful person (‘the protected person’).  

There are two types of AVOs:

  • Apprehended domestic violence orders (ADVOs) are made when the protected person is, or has been, in a domestic relationship with the defendant. ‘Domestic relationship’ is broadly defined to include marriage and de facto partnerships, intimate personal relationships, people living in the same household, long term residents in the same residential facility, carers, relatives, extended family or kin in the case of Aboriginal Australians, and people who have both had a domestic relationship with the same person (for example, a victim’s new partner and ex-partner will be deemed to have a domestic relationship even if they have never met because they have both been in a relationship with the same victim). It does not matter whether the relationship is past or current.  
  • Apprehended personal violence orders (APVOs) are made when the protected person and defendant are not in a domestic relationship with each other - for example, neighbours, people who work together, or strangers.

Online book

The Find Legal Answers Tool Kit is a collection of plain English books about the law. You can read them online or at your local public library.

Use the Tool Kit online book below to find information about family violence and AVOs.  

Women and family law

A guide to family law in NSW, covering a range of topics such as divorce, children, property settlements and AVOs.  

Useful links  

Legislation  

The law relating to AVOs in NSW is set out in the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007.

Responding to an apprehended violence order 

If you have been served with an AVO, there are various steps you can take.

Useful links  

Legislation  

The law relating to AVOs in NSW is set out in the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007.

Sexual violence

Sexual violence is when someone does something sexual that hurts someone else and/or makes them feel uncomfortable. Sexual violence occurs when someone does not freely and voluntarily consent to a sexual activity or activities.

If a person engages in sexual activity without consent, they are committing a crime.

Online book

The Find Legal Answers Tool Kit is a collection of plain English books about the law. You can read them online or at your local public library.

Use the Tool Kit online book below to find information about sexual violence.  

Women and sexual violence law

A guide to sexual violence law in NSW, covering a range of topics such as getting legal advice, reporting to police, and going to court.  

Useful links  

Legislation  

The law relating to sexual offences in NSW is set out in the Crimes Act 1900.

Financial abuse

Financial abuse is a form of domestic violence where a person uses money as a form of power or control over their partner.

Signs of financial abuse include limited access to money or finances, not knowing what’s happening to your money as someone else has taken control and won’t let you see account statements, and feeling coerced into agreeing to signing up to loans that you don’t want.

Useful links

Getting help

Legal Aid NSW, community legal centres and other organisations may give free legal help to people with a legal problem in NSW.  

Find more sources of help on the Getting help page.

Legal information at the State Library

The Library has a large collection of textbooks, legal commentaries, legal encyclopaedias, databases, journals, legislation and court reports - everything you need for advanced legal research.

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