Several Australian jurisdictions are presently in the process of criminalising coercive and controlling behaviours. This presentation will draw on the findings of a national survey of victim-survivors' views on the criminalisation of coercive control in Australia, to explore victim-survivor views on the role of law, including their views on the benefits of criminalising coercive control, perceived risks, as well as the (potential) impacts of criminalisation on justice and safety outcomes for victim-survivors of domestic and family violence.

The event will be introduced by Professor Lorana Bartels, who will present key findings from the recent ANU Poll on coercive control, an initiative of the ANU Gender Institute’s working group on coercive control, helmed by Professor Carolyn Strange.

A reception will follow the talk, with refreshments provided. There is no charge, but registration is essential. The event will be recorded, with a recording made available shortly after the event.

Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon is Director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre and a Professor of Social Sciences at Monash University. Kate is an internationally recognised scholar in the field of family violence, femicide, criminal justice responses to violence against women, and the impact of law reform in Australia and internationally. Kate has advised on homicide law reform, family violence and youth justice reviews in several Australian and international jurisdictions. Her research has been cited by the High Court of Australia. In 2021 she was appointed Chair of Respect Victoria by the Victorian Government.

Professor Lorana Bartels is Professor of Criminology at the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods and Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Canberra and the University of Tasmania. She has also worked at the Australian Institute of Criminology, Family Court of Australia, NSW Attorney-General's Department, NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and NSW Public Defenders Office. Her recent projects include reviews of the Family Violence Act 2016 (ACT) and the ACT's services for victims of violent crime. She was recently a co-recipient of a grant from the Australian Institute of Criminology on ‘Survivor-centred restorative justice in response to sexual violence’.

This event is funded by the ANU Gender Institute