The ACT Government is set to introduce legislation to criminalise coercive control.

The Crimes (Coercive Control) Amendment Bill 2026 aims to improve justice system responses to domestic and family violence, by introducing a new offence capturing family violence as a course of conduct, rather than a single incident.

This legislation is part of broader reforms to strengthen responses to domestic, family and sexual violence in the ACT.

Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, Dr Marisa Paterson, said the reform was an important step forward in strengthening the Territory’s response to domestic and family violence.

“We have taken careful steps to ensure the legislation responds to advice from victim survivors and community stakeholders and includes strong safeguards, so it can effectively target this harmful behaviour without unintended consequences,” Dr Paterson says.

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