❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses the progress of coercive control legislation, community education, and inter-agency consistency. The government outlines steps taken, including legal expertise, legislative amendments, education campaigns, and workforce training initiatives.
AnsweredQoN 732Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) I refer to coercive control community consultation on coercive control which officially ended in September 2022, and I ask: (a) since the closing of this consultation, what progress has been made to introduce standalone legislation; (b) beyond the community education campaign, what milestones has the Government made in introducing coercive control legislation; (c) what benchmarks are being used to judge “sufficient education” of the community when it comes to coercive control legislation; and (d) has the Government in any way evaluated the Western Australian community’s understanding of coercive control? (2) What, if any, are the steps the Government is taking to ensure consistency between the police, justice and community sector organisations on coercive control?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 November 2025
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General
Response time
7 days
(1)
(a) A senior lawyer with significant FDV experience has been appointed to consider the legislation.
(b) The introduction of the definition of coercion and control in the Restraining Orders Act 1997 , and passage of the Evidence Act 2025 .
(c) The Government’s coercive control campaigns are working to increase understanding of the issue in Western Australia, with messages having been shared more than 35 million times since they commenced. The campaign is in its third phase, with additional phases planned. Government will continue to monitor community understanding of coercive control as it moves towards introducing legislation this term of government.
(d) Yes.
(2)
The Government is investing in workforce training to support consistency between police, justice, and community sector organisations on coercive control.
In November 2023, the Government committed $2.15 million over four years to build a broader understanding of family and domestic violence across the legal and justice sector, including the identification of and responses to coercive control. In total, over 12,000 Justice and legal staff will receive training.
In April 2024, the Government committed $6 million over three years from 2025-26 for the establishment and operation of a Family and Domestic Violence Workforce Entity. As key part of the System Reform Plan, the Entity will build the capability of workers and organisations, including through setting standards and coordinating, facilitating access to, or delivering family and domestic violence training.
(a) A senior lawyer with significant FDV experience has been appointed to consider the legislation.
(b) The introduction of the definition of coercion and control in the Restraining Orders Act 1997 , and passage of the Evidence Act 2025 .
(c) The Government’s coercive control campaigns are working to increase understanding of the issue in Western Australia, with messages having been shared more than 35 million times since they commenced. The campaign is in its third phase, with additional phases planned. Government will continue to monitor community understanding of coercive control as it moves towards introducing legislation this term of government.
(d) Yes.
(2)
The Government is investing in workforce training to support consistency between police, justice, and community sector organisations on coercive control.
In November 2023, the Government committed $2.15 million over four years to build a broader understanding of family and domestic violence across the legal and justice sector, including the identification of and responses to coercive control. In total, over 12,000 Justice and legal staff will receive training.
In April 2024, the Government committed $6 million over three years from 2025-26 for the establishment and operation of a Family and Domestic Violence Workforce Entity. As key part of the System Reform Plan, the Entity will build the capability of workers and organisations, including through setting standards and coordinating, facilitating access to, or delivering family and domestic violence training.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.