Coercive control legislation to be introduced in QLD

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Historic legislation to criminalise coercive control in Queensland will be introduced into state parliament today. The proposed offence will carry a maximum penalty of 14 years jail.

Transcript

00:00 Coercive control will be introduced as a standalone criminal offence in Queensland.

00:06 So coercive control is a pattern of behaviour which usually includes mental, financial,

00:13 emotional and spiritual abuse.

00:15 It causes intimidation, isolation and there's also sexual coercion and cyberstalking are

00:23 all part of what's called coercive control.

00:26 So the government is proposing that this offence will attract a maximum penalty of 14 years

00:32 jail.

00:34 The parents of Hannah Clark, Sue and Lloyd have welcomed this announcement today.

00:39 It's something that they have been pushing for after the death of their daughter and

00:43 three grandchildren at the hands of her estranged husband in 2020.

00:48 They say that these laws will be part of Hannah Clark and her children's legacy.

00:53 What we'll see today in Queensland Parliament is the laws will be introduced.

00:57 They will then go through a parliamentary process which involves several weeks of consultation

01:02 with stakeholders, with the community and with other parliamentarians.

01:07 Then in a few months the laws will be debated again here in Parliament and will then pass.

01:12 The government has said the laws won't actually come into effect until the start of 2025.

01:18 That is because there needs to be community consultation and consultation with key stakeholders

01:24 but also with the police and courts as to how this law will fully work.

01:29 So this is the start of a long process but stakeholders and advocates and victims and

01:35 survivors have welcomed this news saying that this is historic and landmark legislation

01:40 that will be introduced in Queensland today.

01:43 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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