A family lawyer in Wollongong receives pornographic Christmas cards from a client’s ex-partner.
Another is told in court: “I know where you live.”
These are symptoms of a critical gap in Australia’s response to coercive control that extends beyond victims, to those who support them.
As Queensland criminalises coercive control and NSW reviews its pioneering laws after just six months, new data reveals the challenges of turning legislation into protection.
Between July and December 2024, NSW police recorded 157 coercive control incidents but commenced only three legal actions: a stark illustration of the enforcement difficulties plaguing Australia’s newest domestic violence laws.
Wollongong and District Law Society family law representative, Helen Volk said a piece of paper doesn’t stop a person from breaching an order.
“Even people who have the benefit of a state-based AVO are often reluctant to report a breach for fear of repercussions, and those fears are real,” Ms Volk said.
The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research’s (BOSCAR) December 2024 monitoring report highlights these enforcement challenges in sobering detail.
Of those three legal actions commenced, one was withdrawn by the prosecution, one resulted in an intensive correction order, and one remains pending before the court.
This means that of 157 reported incidents, only one case has resulted in a proven conviction in the law’s first six months.
The law, which only applies to behaviour occurring after July 1, 2024, raises troubling questions about incidents reported before this date, potentially leaving earlier victims without recourse under the new legislation.
The 2024 report shows coercive control comprises just 0.2 per cent of all domestic violence-related incidents recorded by police.
According to Ms Volk, the enforcement challenge is compounded by a jurisdictional maze that leaves victims unprotected.
Federal family court orders designed to protect victims fall into what Ms Volk describes as a “buck-passing” scenario between state and federal police.
“In my experience, no one really knows who to talk to. The state police say, ‘Oh, we can’t get involved in that’,” Ms Volk said.
“I’m in the process of trying to create a pathway so everyone is on the same page and can act, because you’ll only be protected if breaches are reported and there are ramifications.
“It’s one thing to have an order restraining someone, but there must be a consequence for the perpetrator if they don’t comply.”
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, while perpetrators face inconclusive consequences for breaching orders, victims pay the ultimate price.
Twenty-three per cent of Australian women have experienced emotional abuse by a partner, with coercive control identified as a precursor to domestic homicide in 82 per cent of cases where male primary abusers killed their female partners.
The data reveals a critical blind spot: controlling behaviours can signal fatal risk even when no physical violence is present.
This invisibility creates a dual challeng. The findings suggest the public confusion compounds enforcement challenges, and that some victims still struggle to identify coercive control while it’s happening.
One of Ms Volk’s clients endured 12 years of abuse, including sleep deprivation and destruction of her PhD research before recognising it as abnormal.
“It starts with love-bombing, and then goes downhill from there. Bit by bit, it becomes dangerous, normalised behaviour,” she said.
“They end up walking on eggshells trying not to provoke the other party, and over time they’re isolated from all their family and support networks.”
Graphic by Scarlett Lewis
The Australian Institute of Criminology found that two-thirds of women experiencing coercive control face multiple forms of abuse simultaneously.
Financial manipulation features prominently, like the client Ms Volk described whose ex-husband structured his $300,000 income down to $40,000 to avoid paying child support.
“The Child Support Agency hasn’t caught up either,” Ms Volk said.
“That makes a huge impact on the life of the person who’s trying to care for the children, feed them, clothe them, and house them.”
Advocates in the firing line
After years of working with domestic violence survivors in family law matters, Wollongong lawyer, Hayley Williams has also witnessed the system’s shortcomings.
For 12 months, Ms Williams endured harassment from a client’s ex-partner, abusive emails, fake reviews, and rotten prawn heads delivered to her office.
Police told her it doesn’t constitute harassment.
“As family lawyers we are the advocates of victims of family violence and we are often the first person to get the victim connected and empowered,” Ms Williams said.
“We become the target of abuse once the victim is better protected.”
The targeting of support workers represents what researchers call “systems abuse”, perpetrators manipulating legal and support systems to maintain control.
Ms Williams’s colleagues report death threats and intimidation, creating a chilling effect on those willing to advocate for victims.
Graphic by Scarlett Lewis, 2025
Reform on the horizon
These enforcement failures have come as Australia implements sweeping reforms.
From June 10, 2025, changes to the Family Law Act will require courts to consider the economic impact of family violence in property settlements, codifying existing case law but raising questions about implementation.
“The question is also whether it will adequately compensate the person,” Ms Volk said.
“It involves contested evidence. The court recognises that family violence often happens behind closed doors.”
Queensland’s new law, which came into effect on May 26, is an attempt to address some gaps by criminalising third-party harassment on behalf of perpetrators.
This means those who intimidate victims for the perpetrator face up to three years imprisonment, a direct response to the systems abuse Ms Williams has described.
As NSW prepares for its 2026 review and Queensland begins implementation, Ms Volk says creating pathways for protective orders, training police to recognise non-physical abuse, and protecting support workers are essential next steps.
“Every step in the right direction is a step in the right direction,” Ms Volk said.
“But we need to be bold enough to ask the right questions.”
Graphic by Scarlett Lewis, 2025