Coercive Control
The State of Queensland in Australia passed The Criminal Law (Coercive Control and Affirmative Consent) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill on 6 March 2024.
From 26 May 2025, coercive control is a criminal offence in Queensland.
It is illegal for an adult to use abusive behaviours towards their current, or former, intimate partner, family member, or informal (unpaid) carer with the intention to control or coerce them.
The criminal offence captures patterns of physical and/or non-physical abuse used to hurt, humiliate, isolate, frighten, or threaten a victim-survivor.
The criminal offence carries a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment due to the serious nature of the offence and the harm coercive control can cause victim-survivors.
In addition, removing a condom without consent (known as ‘stealthing’) is explicitly considered rape and can carry a maximum of life imprisonment.
The New South Wales Crimes Legislation Amendment (Coercive Control) Act 2022 No. 65 was enacted from 1 July 2024 for intimate (current and former) partner domestic abuse. People found guilty under the new law face up to seven years in jail.
Coercive and Controlling Behaviours
Taken from the New South Wales Government website
Emotional Abuse
Deliberately harming a person's mental health or emotional wellbeing.
- •constantly putting a person down, shaming and humiliating them, making them doubt themselves or their abilities
- •using tactics that pressure or punish the other person, for example by withholding affection, giving the 'silent treatment' or ignoring them
- •denying, changing or manipulating the truth of a situation to make the other person doubt their memories, perceptions and experiences (gaslighting)
- •using grand gestures, excessive or over-the-top gifts, compliments, and affection to manipulate or trap the other person (love bombing)
Shaming, Degrading or Humiliating
Doing things, or making someone do things, to take away their dignity and self-respect.
- •making hurtful or humiliating posts on social media about the other person
- •belittling someone or making jokes at their expense to harm their self-esteem
- •shaming someone in their community by sharing private information about them
- •doing things to take away someone's dignity like forcing them to sleep outside or making them beg for things they need
Violence and Intimidation
Using violence or the threat of violence to hurt, control or intimidate someone.
- •physically hurting a person in any way, including pushing, shaking, slapping, kicking, punching or choking them
- •threatening to physically hurt a person
- •throwing or breaking things, punching walls, or driving recklessly to make someone feel unsafe
Making Threats
Threatening someone to make them behave a certain way or comply with demands.
- •threatening self-harm as a way of controlling or manipulating the other person
- •threatening to make false reports to child protection services or the police
- •using someone's visa or immigration status to threaten them
- •threatening to damage someone's reputation in their community or at work
Social Isolation
Isolating a person from friends, family, and community, and limiting their ability to build connections.
- •making jealous accusations whenever the person communicates with friends or family
- •insisting on going with the other person when they spend time with others and creating tension
- •controlling someone's communications by taking away or monitoring their phone or the internet
- •preventing someone from participating in their community
Limiting Freedom or Controlling Choices
Controlling someone's day-to-day choices or taking away their freedom and independence.
- •making rules a person must follow and threatening punishment if they break them
- •denying a person access to basic needs including food, clothing, sleep, toilet or medical care
- •taking away disability supports, aides and equipment they need
- •preventing a person from leaving the house or going out alone
Financial Abuse
Controlling or limiting someone's access to money or their ability to make money.
- •providing a small allowance and strictly monitoring what a person spends
- •not allowing an adult to have a bank account
- •stopping someone from working outside the home
- •maxing out credit cards or taking out loans in another person's name
Harassing, Monitoring and Stalking
Monitoring or tracking a person's activities, communications or movements.
- •texting or calling excessively and demanding immediate replies
- •accessing a person's emails, text messages and social media to monitor their activities
- •monitoring a person's location through tracking apps or hidden cameras
Sexual Abuse
Pressuring, tricking, threatening, or forcing someone into any type of sexual activity.
- •making rules or demands about when someone must have sex
- •forcing someone to participate in any type of sexual activity
- •taking photos or videos without consent and using them to threaten or humiliate
Systems Abuse
Using systems, services and processes to threaten, manipulate or control another person.
- •making false reports to police, child protective services, or immigration services
- •making another person scared or distrustful of support services
- •exploiting a person's disability to make decisions about their care without consent