Coercive control—Legislation 823. Hon Michelle Boylan to the parliamentary secretary representing the Attorney General: My question is to the minister representing the Attorney General. I refer to thi

AnsweredQoN 823Legislative Council
Asked
14 October 2025
Portfolio
Attorney General

QuestionView source ↗

Coercive control—Legislation
823. Hon Michelle Boylan to the parliamentary secretary representing the Attorney
General:
My question is to
the minister representing the Attorney General. I refer to this government's commitment
to introduce coercive control legislation and the community consultation
process that officially ended over three years ago in September 2022.
(1) Given that three years have passed, how long
does the government consider to be an appropriate period of community
education?
(2) When can victim-survivors expect legislation
to be introduced?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member
for some notice of the question and also for the promotion! I will read the
answer provided to me.
(1) Western Australia is
implementing a phased approach to criminalisation. This approach was
recommended by the Office of the Commissioner for Victims of Crime, following
extensive stakeholder engagement, and mirrors successful approaches to
criminalisation elsewhere. Introducing a standalone offence
when coercive control is not well understood may result in a lack of charges,
failure to obtain convictions and increased risk of harm to
victim-survivors.
(2) The drafting of bills and their introduction
to Parliament is a decision of cabinet and is therefore cabinet-in-confidence.

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