Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld)

Principles and the meaning of domestic violence

Section 4 makes the safety, protection and wellbeing of people who fear or experience domestic violence, including children, the paramount principle. Since 2023 it also says the person most in need of protection in a relationship should be identified, and that usually only one order protecting that person should be in force. The principles also recognise that some people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds and people with disability, may be more vulnerable.

Section 8 defines domestic violence as behaviour, or a pattern of behaviour, by one person towards another in a relevant relationship that is physically, sexually, emotionally, psychologically or economically abusive, threatening, coercive, or that controls or dominates the other person and causes fear. Behaviour can be considered cumulatively and in the context of the relationship as a whole. Relevant relationships include intimate partner, family and informal care relationships.

Protection orders

A court can make a protection order under section 37 if there is a relevant relationship, the respondent has committed domestic violence, and the order is necessary or desirable to protect the aggrieved. Police must give the court the respondent's criminal and domestic violence history (s 36A). Where both people apply against each other, section 41G requires the court to decide who is most in need of protection and, outside exceptional circumstances, to protect that person only.

Courts can make temporary protection orders while an application is decided, so protection is in place before a final hearing. If the court does not set an end date, a protection order lasts 5 years (s 97). The court can order a longer period, or a shorter one if it is satisfied there are reasons and gives them. Breaching an order is a criminal offence, and since 26 May 2025 it has also been an offence to intimidate or abuse a protected person on the respondent's behalf.

Police protection notices and directions

Police can issue a police protection notice that protects the aggrieved until the matter comes before a court. From 1 January 2026, trained officers can also issue a police protection direction, with approval from a trained supervisor. A direction lasts 12 months from when it is served and does not need court proceedings. It ends early if a court makes another order between the same people.

The respondent, the aggrieved or a named person can ask for a police review within 28 days after the notice of the grounds is served, and a court review can be sought at any time while the direction is in force. The provisions must be reviewed as soon as practicable after 1 January 2028. Police can still issue a police protection notice where a matter should go to court, so the two tools operate side by side.

Information sharing under Part 5A

Part 5A lets prescribed entities, such as Queensland government agencies, specialist domestic and family violence service providers and other non-government support services share information without consent in defined situations. Section 169D covers sharing to assess whether there is a serious threat to a person's life, health or safety because of domestic violence. Section 169E covers sharing to lessen or prevent that threat.

Section 169B sets the principles: seek consent whenever it is safe, possible and practical; put the safety of people experiencing violence ahead of consent; and consider whether sharing could make someone less safe. Section 169J lists information that cannot be shared, and section 169N protects people who share honestly under the Part. The department publishes guidelines and a decision tree to help practitioners apply these rules.

Coercive control reforms and what is pending

Amendments that commenced on 1 August 2023 added patterns of behaviour to the definition of domestic violence, introduced the person most in need of protection test and changed how courts deal with cross applications. A separate offence of coercive control commenced in the Criminal Code on 26 May 2025, with a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment. It applies to adults who engage in a course of domestic violence intended to coerce or control a person in a domestic relationship.

On 17 September 2026 the government introduced the Domestic and Family Violence Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, which proposes longer police protection directions, new offences for repeated breaches of orders and directions, and a statewide expansion of electronic monitoring for high-risk perpetrators. It would also stop perpetrators cross-examining victims in some civil proceedings. Until Parliament passes it and it commences, the current Act applies.

Questions people ask about the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld)

• What counts as coercive control under Queensland law?
• Can we share information about a client without consent under Part 5A?
• What is the difference between a police protection notice and a police protection direction?
• How long does a domestic violence order last in Queensland?
• Can a support service receive information to help assess domestic violence risk?
• Can an unpaid carer be a respondent to a domestic violence order?