Unpacking the Challenges of Coercive Control Laws
Since 26 May 2025, coercive control has been a criminal offence in Queensland, carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment. Parliament passed the legislation in March 2024 as a significant reform in the response to domestic and family violence.
Coercive control involves patterns of abusive behaviour intended to control or coerce another person. It can include financial abuse, monitoring, intimidation, isolation or restricting someone’s independence. Unlike physical violence, some forms of coercive control leave no visible injuries. As a result, recognising the pattern can be difficult.
Queensland’s laws address this by looking at a course of conduct rather than requiring each incident to stand alone. The offence applies when an adult uses domestic violence against a current or former intimate partner, family member or informal carer. The person must intend the course of conduct to coerce or control the other person, and the conduct must be reasonably likely to cause harm.
The reform is significant. However, it also raises important questions about how people understand coercive control and distinguish it from ordinary disagreements, boundaries and tensions within relationships.
I experienced some of that uncertainty firsthand when I asked someone to respect a personal boundary and was accused of coercive control. The incident made me think more deeply about how readily we use such serious terminology and why context matters.
What Coercive Control Means
Coercive control can take many forms, from financial abuse to controlling someone’s movements, communications or relationships. Over time, these behaviours can erode a person’s autonomy, confidence and wellbeing.
Importantly, Queensland law focuses on a pattern or course of conduct rather than an isolated disagreement. It also considers the behaviour within the context of the relationship as a whole.
That distinction matters.
A boundary, disagreement or request within a relationship does not automatically amount to the criminal offence of coercive control. Instead, investigators and courts must consider the nature and pattern of the behaviour, the intention behind the course of conduct and whether it would be reasonably likely to cause harm.
Even so, recognising coercive control can be complex. Individual behaviours may appear innocuous when viewed separately. Their significance can become clearer only when considered together and over time.
A Personal Perspective
When someone accused me of coercive control for setting a personal boundary, it was a wake-up call. I saw my request as a way to maintain healthy communication; the other person interpreted it differently.
The experience showed me how easily people can use the term “coercive control” without necessarily understanding its legal meaning.
Consequently, public education matters. People need information that helps them recognise genuine patterns of abusive behaviour while also understanding the characteristics of healthy boundaries and respectful relationships.
Better understanding benefits everyone. Most importantly, it helps keep attention on people experiencing genuine abuse.
The Potential of These Laws
Criminalising coercive control represents a significant change in Queensland’s response to domestic and family violence. The law recognises that serious abuse can involve patterns of psychological, emotional, financial and other non-physical behaviours as well as physical violence.
As a result, police and courts have a legal framework for considering a pattern of behaviour rather than viewing incidents only in isolation.
The legislation also sends a broader message: controlling and abusive patterns within relationships can cause profound harm even when physical violence is absent.
The Challenges Ahead
Despite the potential benefits, applying coercive control laws is complex. Investigators need to identify patterns of behaviour and understand them within the context of the relationship.
Evidence can also take many forms. Individual incidents may seem minor when considered alone, while the cumulative pattern tells a very different story.
For that reason, training and community education are essential. Police, lawyers and other professionals need the skills to recognise coercive control and understand the legislation. At the same time, the wider community needs reliable information about what coercive control is, and what it is not.
Careful implementation matters both for victim-survivors seeking protection and for maintaining confidence in the justice system.
What’s Being Done
Queensland has introduced education and training alongside the new laws.
The Queensland Government has developed two foundational training modules covering domestic and family violence, coercive control and the legislation. They are available to government agencies, non-government organisations, community groups and members of the public.
Community education resources also explain how coercive control can appear in relationships, how to recognise harmful patterns and where people can seek support.
These initiatives are important because legislation alone cannot change behaviour. Greater understanding across the community must accompany legal reform.
Final Thoughts
Queensland’s coercive control laws represent an important shift in how the justice system recognises domestic and family violence. They acknowledge that abuse can develop as a pattern over time and does not always leave physical evidence.
My own experience of being accused of coercive control also taught me something about language and context. Serious terms deserve careful use.
Ultimately, the success of these laws will depend not only on enforcement but also on education, professional training and community understanding. The aim should remain clear: recognising harmful patterns of control and providing effective protection for people experiencing abuse.
For details about Queensland’s coercive control laws, visit: Coercive control laws | Need to know | Queensland Government
If you need support:
- 1800 Respect: 1800 737 732
- DVConnect Womensline: 1800 811 811
- DVConnect Mensline: 1800 600 636
- Lifeline: 13 11 14
**If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000)**.
Originally published 14 March 2025. Updated September 2026 to reflect the commencement of Queensland’s coercive control offence.
Jocelyn Watts is a writer and photographer based on Queensland’s Fraser Coast. She shares stories about Coastal Living, Travel and Creativity at Jocelyn Magazine.