Steps For Coercive Control

Zonta Club of Brisbane member the Hon Margaret McMurdo AC has been chosen to chair a new independent task force to examine the issue of taking action against coercive control.

The Queensland Government has established the task force, just days before the one year anniversary of the tragic death of Hannah Clarke and her three children who were killed by her partner.

The taskforce has a role to recommend how best to legislate against coercive control as a form of domestic and family violence.

Legislating against coercive control was a commitment made by the Queensland Government before the 2020 State Election.

The Government is seeking to consult with a wide range of survivors, domestic and sexual violence service providers, legal and domestic violence experts and the community. <

That includes Hannah Clarke’s parents Lloyd and Sue, in the development of a new approach to coercive control.

Coercive control is a significant risk factor for escalating violence and intimate partner homicide and can include tactics such as isolating women and surveillance.

Tasmania is the only Australian jurisdiction that has introduced specific criminal offences covering elements of coercive control, while new offences of coercive control have been introduced in Scotland, England and Wales.