CCChat-Magazine_Issue-20

"I think criminalisation is one of the only things that will
make a difference. It’s never going to be a panacea but it
will make a difference."
P: I should say, too, that I will always
advocate for any law reform commission
in Australia to not just ask how to
criminalise coercive control but whether
to do it in the first place.
I’m almost certain that this is the right
thing to do but if the overwhelming
majority of Australia, and even despite
the evidence overseas, and the assuaging
of concerns, are still adamantly opposed -
maybe because of the potentially
disproportionate effect it could have on
First Nations people - then I would
happily stand back and say now is not the
right time.
I don’t think that’s the case but we should
always ask whether to do it, before we do
it, otherwise people who are opposed will
always feel like we never heard them out.
M: From what I’ve seen, many of the
reservations to criminalising coercive
control are concerned around how a
perpetrator can manipulate the law and I
can understand that fear but I also feel –
with every part of my being that we
cannot reduce a victim’s opportunity to
report an abuser for fear of the abuser
gaming the system.
Submissions to the
New South Wales’
inquiry on whether and
how to criminalise
coercive control can be
made here:
https://www.parliament.ns
w.gov.au/committees/
inquiries/Pages/lodge-asubmission.aspx?pk=262
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Making The Invisible Visible