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 only applies to abusive behaviour that happens after 1 July 2024.

Find out more about the NSW Government actions on criminalising coercive control.

It is important to understand and recognise what coercive control is and how prevalent it is.

Thanks to Georges River Council in partnership with St Georges Domestic Violence Committee, NSW Police Force (Northern Region) DFV Coordinator, HNE Health, Newcastle Domestic Violence Committee, and City of Newcastle for their contribution to this resource.