The Victorian Opposition will introduce a new law to parliament in the first week of December to make coercive control a criminal offence in Victoria.
If the Crimes Amendment (Coercive Control) Bill 2025 fails to gain enough support to pass, an elected Coalition would reintroduce the legislation within 100 days of forming government.
Leader of the Opposition Jess Wilson highlighted the high percentage of murders linked to coercive control.
“When nearly 100 percent of all intimate partner murders are preceded by coercive control, it could not be clearer that action needs to be taken to stop this sinister behaviour,” she said on Nov. 28.
The legislation aims to help protect women and girls and assist victims in identifying patterns of behaviour and abuse.
“Too often we hear of women feeling isolated, knowing something is wrong but not being able to name it. Our plan will give that abusive behaviour a name and definition for what they are experiencing,” she said.
“Victoria must finally call coercive control what it is—a crime—and under a government I lead, that’s exactly what will happen.”
Shadow Minister for Family Violence Prevention Cindy McLeish said coercive control is an insidious form of abuse.
“Whenever I talk to people about family violence, coercive control is almost always an underlying issue. It is power-based manipulation that needs to be called out, and this legislation will do just that,” she said.
“The more people who are charged and prosecuted, the stronger the message, and the stronger the driver is for cultural change.”
Wilson joined victim survivors in a walk against family violence on Nov. 28 to show the Opposition’s seriousness about ending family violence.
“Victims deserve real protection from the patterns of abuse that trap them long before violence becomes visible,” she said on Facebook.
“Shamefully, the scourge of family violence continues in Victoria. That’s why a Liberal and Nationals Government will act with stronger laws to confront the behaviours that fuel that harm.”
The Opposition said family violence in Victoria continued to increase despite Labor saying that all recommendations from the Royal Commission into Family Violence had been put into action.
The Coalition pointed to crime statistics data showing that serious assault incidents within family violence had risen 23.35 percent between June 2024 and June 2025.
On Nov. 29, the Opposition also announced its priorities for Victoria’s future—strengthening the economy, ending the crime crisis, delivering a world-class health system, and improving home ownership.
The Victorian election will be held in November 2026.
Premier Open to Criminalising Coercive Control
It still remains to be seen if the Labor government will support the Coercive Control Bill.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has said that she is open to action on coercive control.
“There is always new work that needs to be done to keep women and children safe, and that is why we’ve already moved to have coercive control recognised as an insidious criminal behaviour, in response to family violence victims,” she told reporters on Nov. 27.
“But we’ll also continue to look at more ways to support women and children.”
Federal Labor Minister Tanya Plibersek has also called for support for coercive control victims in a series of posts on Facebook.
In August, Plibersek revealed the Albanese government would waive social security debts for victim-survivors.
On Nov. 29, she shared a video of the Clarke family following the murders of Hannah Clarke and her three children, Aaliyah, Laianah, and Trey.
The Clarke family has vowed to continue to speak out until coercive control is criminalised throughout Australia.
“The Clarke Family. The tragic murders of Hannah Clarke and her three beautiful children, Aaliyah, Laianah, and Trey, devastated the nation,” Plibersek posted to Facebook.
Former Queensland Minister for Women Shannon Fentiman (C) is seen with Lloyd (L) and Sue (R) Clarke, parents of domestic violence murder victim Hannah Clarke, at Parliament House in Brisbane, Australia, on Oct. 11, 2023. (AAP Image/Darren England)Plibersek said with remarkable clarity and bravery, Hannah’s parents had channelled their grief into advocacy, “working to criminalise coercive control across Australia.”
“They are a formidable force for good, despite having endured unimaginable loss,” Plibersek said.
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