It’s been just over a year since New South Wales became the first Australian jurisdiction to criminalise coercive control. Yet the numbers suggest there are still significant obstacles to overcome before this new law’s full potential can be realised by those most in need of its protection.
In my capacity supporting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women as a community worker, and through the Cultural Diversity Network Inc., I’ve seen firsthand how coercive control dominates nearly every domestic violence case. It’s not just physical abuse—it’s the insidious, psychological manipulation that strips women of autonomy, dignity, and safety. And it happens across all communities.
NSW’s new legislation recognises this form of abuse as a stand-alone criminal offence, and it’s paving the way for others to follow suit. Queensland introduced its own law in May this year, where the maximum penalty for coercive control is now 14 years’ imprisonment. However, of the 250 reported incidents of coercive control in NSW since the laws took effect on 1 July 2024, only five people have been charged. This gap reveals a troubling reality: coercive control is pervasive, but rarely prosecuted.
Why? Because it’s complex to recognise and hard to prove. Coercive control doesn’t leave bruises—it leaves confusion, fear, and isolation. In fact, in nearly all domestic violence cases I’ve encountered, coercive control is present. It can escalate to have devastating consequences, including physical abuse, the harm or death of children, mental health deterioration, and long-term trauma.
Take Sima (not her real name). She married at 21, and at first, everything seemed fine. But gradually, her husband began controlling every aspect of her life—her movements, finances, and family and social relationships. Eventually, he took control of their children. Sima’s story is heartbreaking, but not unique. There are countless women like her, suffering in silence.
In NSW, the new coercive control criminal offence is called ‘abusive behaviour towards current or former intimate partners’. To prosecute someone, a range of things must be proved, including:
- a “course of conduct” (repeated, or continuous abusive behaviour) against a victim
- that the perpetrator at the time was at least 18 years old
- that the perpetrator and the victim were or had been intimate partners
- that the perpetrator’s actions were intended to coerce or control the victim
- that a reasonable person would consider the “course of conduct” would be likely to cause:
- fear that violence would be used against the victim or another person, and/or
- a serious adverse impact on the capacity of the victim to engage in some or all their ordinary day-to-day activities.
Therein lies the lived experience of so many women and their families, but the journey from recognising coercive control to reporting it, and finally obtaining justice, is a fraught one and—as statistics show—one that many will not complete. Of the five coercive control charges laid in NSW to date, only one of these has resulted in a conviction. Two were withdrawn, and two are pending.
So where does the answer lie? We must start with education, investment in resources, and support pathways tailored to reach victims in the isolation and vulnerability of their circumstances. Many people experiencing coercive control don’t know how to identify it, let alone explain or report it. We need grassroots education to foster community-level awareness that empowers women to recognise the signs, document their experiences, and seek help. Police, social workers, service providers, and legal systems must also be trained to understand and respond appropriately.
And while all victim survivors of coercive control must overcome unique travails to escape it, for members of migrant and refugee communities, those hurdles are uniquely nuanced.
As the Victorian-based inTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence outlined in its policy paper, Embed Migrant and Refugee Voices and Experiences into the National Response to Family Violence:
“While family violence affects one in five women in Australia, the way that it can manifest when the layers of culture, language and settlement are taken into account can be different. Being a migrant, refugee or temporary visa holder will impact the way in which they experience family violence, how they receive support, and how they move on from that experience.”
As I’ve written previously, women from male dominated cultures may find it hard to recognise coercive control or see it as a form of domestic violence. Often, family and friends who are shaped by the same environment normalise it as behaviour that, as women, they simply need to tolerate.
For women like Sima, who is currently fighting through the courts for the return of her children, access to support within her community is essential. It is important to recognise the longstanding work by many organisations to reach those whose silence is reinforced by language barriers, fear of visa revocation, fear of separation from their children, and a lack of understanding about their rights under Australian law. But we must do more.
It is vital that we ensure coercive control becomes just as well understood as a hallmark of family violence, as the bruises and broken bones left by physical abuse. For CALD women, culturally appropriate education and services are integral. Creativity and innovation have a role to play here too, in education programs that reach their mark.
Continued state and federal investment in reinforcing and expanding the fabric of support networks available to those experiencing coercive control is key. Community organisations need greater resources to harness the capacity of qualified, trained staff who themselves come from multicultural backgrounds, and can provide services from a place where trust and understanding are already embedded. It is these community organisations that often provide the access-point for women who would otherwise balk at engaging with larger mainstream providers addressing domestic and family violence. Too often it is a lack of adequate funding that prevents these organisations from reaching and serving all those who need them.
And of course, the weight of responsibility for addressing men’s abuse of women must never be placed solely on the shoulders of women. It is only through the consistent inclusion of men in the conversation about domestic violence, and their involvement in educating their friends, sons and brothers, that we are all able to make progress.
Criminalising coercive control is a watershed step forward. But without education, outreach, and systemic support, it remains a law on paper. Real change begins when communities understand the invisible chains—and work together to break them.
If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, chat online via 1800RESPECT.org.au or text 0458 737 732. If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit www.ntv.org.au.