Hannah's Law to come into effect in Queensland

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Coercive control becomes a criminal offence in Queensland with convicted abusers facing a maximum sentence of 14 years prison The change comes five years after the shocking murders of Hannah Clarke and her children - by her ex-husband.

Transcript

00:00It looks like a regular free dress day, but students at Whites Hill State College are

00:10wearing pink to honour a former school captain, Hannah Clarke.

00:14An incredible athlete with a cheeky sense of humour.

00:19Just a few streets away from the inner Brisbane school, a horrific tragedy unfolded in 2020.

00:29Hannah Clarke and her three children were murdered by her estranged husband, who doused them

00:35in petrol and set them alight.

00:39Their deaths put a spotlight on coercive control, a pattern of controlling behaviour that's at

00:45the core of domestic violence.

00:47He would go through her phone, he would go through her handbag, he would ask the children

00:54who did mummy talk to today.

00:56The parents started a foundation which runs respectful relationships programs in high

01:02schools.

01:03You want to be masculine, you want to be a man, you should have lots of sex.

01:09Is that not an expectation?

01:11Dave Kramer uses the sessions to challenge toxic attitudes and stereotypes.

01:16What I thought I knew was young people don't know what to do, they don't know how to contribute

01:20to safe and respectful relationships.

01:22What I found out was that they do, but there are some significant barriers like social media

01:26and pornography.

01:27The program aims to break the cycle of control in relationships.

01:34Laura was psychologically, sexually and financially abused by her ex-husband for years.

01:42There was a lot of talk about me being the wife and that I must submit to this person.

01:49He was extremely possessive, even keeping tabs on her through a smart watch.

01:54He would monitor my heart rate on a daily basis, my sleep activity.

01:59I didn't want to be purchasing certain clothes, likewise with TV shows, so I like to watch

02:04a little bit of trash sometimes.

02:06Yeah, just wasn't allowed to do that at all.

02:09Coercive control will now be criminalised in Queensland, attracting a maximum jail sentence

02:15of up to 14 years.

02:17It will be illegal for adults to use this form of abuse on more than one occasion against

02:23current or former partners or family members.

02:27The offence was introduced in New South Wales last July.

02:31In the first six months, 157 incidents were reported to police, yet only three resulted

02:39in charges.

02:40One was later withdrawn, one was proven and the other is still before the courts.

02:47If we say success is the actual criminalisation and the criminal justice pathway, then I would

02:53say that success has been limited.

02:55It has concerns about how effective the laws will be in Queensland.

03:00Because of the difficulty I suppose in gathering evidence and the seriousness of the offence.

03:04But what is widely agreed is that the laws will raise awareness.

03:10And then hopefully what we get to a point is no one actually needs a law around coercive control.

03:14banker, banker, banker, banker, banker, researcher, banker, banker, associate chair, banker, Deputy

03:34saints all over tranquil you the summer term.

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