Tuesday, 11 August 2026

 Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence) (13:22): I move:

That I introduce a bill for an act to amend the Crimes Act 1958, the Criminal Procedure Act 2009, the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, the Family Violence Protection Act 2008, the Fines Reform Act 2014, the Infringements Act 2006, the National Domestic Violence Order Scheme Act 2016, the Personal Safety Intervention Orders Act 2010, the Road Safety Act 1986, the Sentencing Act 1991 and the Youth Justice Act ‍2024 and for other purposes.

Motion agreed to.

 James NEWBURY (Brighton) (13:23): I seek a brief explanation of the bill.

 Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence) (13:23): The Justice Legislation Amendment (Family Violence, Coercive Control, Good Character, Risk Assessment and Other Matters) Bill 2026 will criminalise coercive control as a standalone offence, abolish good character as a mitigating factor in sentencing, make it unlawful to discriminate against someone because they have experienced or are experiencing family violence, expand the jurisdiction of a criminal court to extend or vary a family violence intervention order so victims do not have to keep telling their story and reliving their trauma, require the court to consider the views and safety of a victim-survivor when extending a family violence intervention order, expand the personal safety intervention order framework to recognise grooming as a prohibited behaviour, expand relief and exemptions under Victoria’s fines system for victim-survivors to stop the financial impact of perpetrators using the system to abuse their partner, expand the work and development permit scheme to court fines and clarify when and how information under Victoria’s world-leading information-sharing multi-agency risk assessment and management framework should be shared.

Read first time.

Ordered to be read second time tomorrow.