Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act
Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act
Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act
Provisions in force
All the provisions displayed in this version of the legislation have commenced. For commencement and
other details see the Historical notes.
See also:
Bail (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2013
Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Assault and Intoxication) Bill 2014
This version of the legislation is compiled and maintained in a database of legislation by the Parliamentary Counsels Office and published
on the NSW legislation website.
New South Wales
Contents
Page
Part 1 Preliminary
1 Name of Act 2
2 Commencement 2
3 Definitions 2
4 Meaning of personal violence offence 3
5 Meaning of domestic relationship 3
6 Meaning of relative 4
7 Meaning of intimidation 4
8 Meaning of stalking 4
Page
Page 2
Page
Page 3
Page
Division 7 Appeals
84 Review and appeal provisions concerning making etc of apprehended
violence orders 37
85 Presumption against stay of order 38
Division 8 Rules
86 Rules in application proceedings 38
87 Forms 39
Part 14 Miscellaneous
99 Costs 45
100 Parts 2 and 3 of Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001 45
101 Regulations 45
102 Savings, transitional and other provisions 45
103 (Repealed) 45
104 Review of Act 45
Schedule 1 Savings, transitional and other provisions 46
Schedule 2 (Repealed) 48
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Page
Notes
Table of amending instruments 49
Table of amendments 49
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An Act to protect persons from domestic and personal violence; to repeal Part 15A of the Crimes
Act 1900; and to make consequential amendments to other Acts and instruments.
Part 1 Preliminary
1 Name of Act
This Act is the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007.
2 Commencement
This Act commences on a day or days to be appointed by proclamation.
3 Definitions
(1) In this Act:
apprehended domestic violence order means an order under Part 4.
apprehended personal violence order means an order under Part 5.
apprehended violence order means:
(a) a final apprehended violence order, or
(b) an interim apprehended violence order.
apprehended violence order proceedings means proceedings under this Act in
relation to an apprehended violence order or an application for an apprehended
violence order.
authorised officer has the same meaning as in the Law Enforcement (Powers and
Responsibilities) Act 2002 and includes the Registrar of the Childrens Court.
child means a person under the age of 16 years.
court means:
(a) the Local Court, or
(b) the Childrens Court,
(c) (Repealed)
exercising jurisdiction under section 91.
defendant means the person against whom an apprehended violence order is made
or is sought to be made.
domestic relationshipsee section 5.
domestic violence offencesee section 11.
final apprehended violence order means an apprehended domestic violence order or
an apprehended personal violence order.
interim apprehended domestic violence order means an interim apprehended
domestic violence order made by a court or Registrar under Part 6 or an authorised
officer under Part 7.
interim apprehended personal violence order means an interim apprehended
personal violence order made by a court or Registrar under Part 6 or an authorised
officer under Part 7.
interim apprehended violence order means an interim court order or a provisional
order.
interim court order means an interim apprehended domestic violence order or an
interim apprehended personal violence order made by a court or registrar of a court
under Part 6.
intimidationsee section 7.
personal violence offencesee section 4.
property recovery order means a property recovery order made under section 37.
protected person means the person for whose protection an apprehended violence
order is sought or made.
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(h) in the case of an Aboriginal person or a Torres Strait Islander, is or has been
part of the extended family or kin of the other person according to the
Indigenous kinship system of the persons culture.
Note. De facto partner is defined in section 21C of the Interpretation Act 1987.
6 Meaning of relative
For the purposes of this Act, a person is a relative of another person (the other
person):
(a) if the person is:
(i) a father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, step-father, step-mother,
father-in-law or mother-in-law, or
(ii) a son, daughter, grandson, grand-daughter, step-son, step-daughter,
son-in-law or daughter-in-law, or
(iii) a brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, step-brother, step-sister,
brother-in-law or sister-in-law, or
(iv) an uncle, aunt, uncle-in-law or aunt-in-law, or
(v) a nephew or niece, or
(vi) a cousin,
of the other person, or
(b) where the person has a de facto partner (the persons partner)if the other
person is:
(i) a father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, step-father or step-mother,
or
(ii) a son, daughter, grandson, grand-daughter, step-son or step-daughter, or
(iii) a brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, step-brother or step-sister, or
(iv) an uncle or aunt, or
(v) a nephew or niece, or
(vi) a cousin,
of the persons partner.
7 Meaning of intimidation
(1) For the purposes of this Act, intimidation of a person means:
(a) conduct amounting to harassment or molestation of the person, or
(b) an approach made to the person by any means (including by telephone,
telephone text messaging, e-mailing and other technologically assisted means)
that causes the person to fear for his or her safety, or
(c) any conduct that causes a reasonable apprehension of injury to a person or to
a person with whom he or she has a domestic relationship, or of violence or
damage to any person or property.
(2) For the purpose of determining whether a persons conduct amounts to intimidation,
a court may have regard to any pattern of violence (especially violence constituting
a domestic violence offence) in the persons behaviour.
8 Meaning of stalking
(1) In this Act, stalking includes the following of a person about or the watching or
frequenting of the vicinity of, or an approach to, a persons place of residence,
business or work or any place that a person frequents for the purposes of any social
or leisure activity.
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(2) For the purpose of determining whether a persons conduct amounts to stalking, a
court may have regard to any pattern of violence (especially violence constituting a
domestic violence offence) in the persons behaviour.
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(b) ensuring that access to courts is as safe, speedy, inexpensive and simple as is
consistent with justice, and
(c) ensuring that other avenues of dispute resolution are encouraged where
appropriate.
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(2) For the purposes of this section, causing a person to fear physical or mental harm
includes causing the person to fear physical or mental harm to another person with
whom he or she has a domestic relationship.
(3) For the purposes of this section, a person intends to cause fear of physical or mental
harm if he or she knows that the conduct is likely to cause fear in the other person.
(4) For the purposes of this section, the prosecution is not required to prove that the
person alleged to have been stalked or intimidated actually feared physical or mental
harm.
(5) A person who attempts to commit an offence against subsection (1) is guilty of an
offence against that subsection and is punishable as if the offence attempted had been
committed.
14 Offence of contravening apprehended violence order
(1) A person who knowingly contravenes a prohibition or restriction specified in an
apprehended violence order made against the person is guilty of an offence.
Maximum penalty: Imprisonment for 2 years or 50 penalty units, or both.
(2) A person is not guilty of an offence against subsection (1) unless:
(a) in the case of an apprehended violence order made by a court, the person was
served with a copy of the order or was present in court when the order was
made, or
(b) in any other case, the person was served with a copy of the apprehended
violence order.
(3) A person is not guilty of an offence against subsection (1) if the contravention of the
prohibition or restriction concerned:
(a) was necessary in order to attend mediation under section 21, or
(b) was done in compliance with the terms of a property recovery order.
(4) Unless the court otherwise orders, a person who is convicted of an offence against
subsection (1) must be sentenced to a term of imprisonment if the act constituting the
offence was an act of violence against a person.
(5) Subsection (4) does not apply if the person convicted was under 18 years of age at
the time of the alleged offence.
(6) Where the court determines not to impose a sentence of imprisonment, it must give
its reasons for not doing so.
(7) A person is not guilty of an offence of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the
commission of an offence against subsection (1) if the person is a protected person
under the order concerned.
(8) A police officer is to make a written record of the reasons for:
(a) a decision by the police officer not to initiate criminal proceedings against a
person for an alleged contravention of subsection (1) or (9) (whether or not the
person is arrested), or
(b) a decision by the police officer not to proceed with criminal proceedings
against a person for an alleged contravention of subsection (1) or (9),
if the police officer or another police officer suspects on reasonable grounds that the
person has committed an offence against either subsection or if an alleged
contravention of either subsection by the person has been reported to the police
officer or another police officer.
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(9) A person who attempts to commit an offence against subsection (1) is guilty of an
offence against that subsection and is punishable as if the offence attempted had been
committed.
Note. The Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 contains powers of police
officers in relation to suspected offences, including a power to arrest a person, without warrant,
if the police officer suspects on reasonable grounds that a person has committed an offence.
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(c) the accommodation needs of all relevant parties, in particular the protected
person and any children, and
(d) any other relevant matter.
(3) When making an apprehended personal violence order, the court is to ensure that the
order imposes only those prohibitions and restrictions on the defendant that, in the
opinion of the court, are necessary for the safety and protection of the protected
person, and any child directly or indirectly affected by the conduct of the defendant
alleged in the application for the order, and the protected persons property.
(4) If an application is made for an apprehended personal violence order that prohibits
or restricts access by the defendant to any premises or place and the court hearing
proceedings in respect of the application decides to make an order without the
prohibition or restriction sought, the court is to give reasons for that decision.
21 Referral of matters to mediation
(1) At any time when considering whether to make an apprehended personal violence
order or after making such an order, a court may refer the protected person and the
defendant for mediation under the Community Justice Centres Act 1983.
(2) A matter is not to be referred to mediation under this section if the court is of the
opinion that:
(a) there has been a history of physical violence to the protected person by the
defendant, or
(b) the protected person has been subjected to conduct by the defendant
amounting to a personal violence offence, or
(c) the protected person has been subjected to conduct by the defendant
amounting to an offence under section 13, or
(d) the defendant has engaged in conduct amounting to harassment relating to the
protected persons race, religion, homosexuality, transgender status,
HIV/AIDS infection or disability, or
(e) there has been a previous attempt at mediation in relation to the same matter
and the attempt was not successful.
(3) Nothing in this section affects section 24 of the Community Justice Centres Act 1983.
Note. Section 24 of the Community Justice Centres Act 1983 enables the Director of
Community Justice Centres to decline to consent to the acceptance of a dispute for mediation
and enables the Director or a mediator to terminate a mediation session at any time.
(4) The Director of Community Justice Centres is to provide a written report on the
outcome of the mediation or attempted mediation to the court that referred the matter
for mediation.
(5) On receiving a report under subsection (4), the court is to take such action in
accordance with this Act as it considers appropriate in relation to the matter
concerned and in doing so may take into account the contents of the report.
(6) If a matter is referred to mediation under this section without an order having been
made, any proceedings in relation to the application are taken to have been stayed
until a report is provided under subsection (4).
(7) If the Director of Community Justice Centres provides a report under subsection (4)
or a mediator conducts a mediation of a matter referred under this section, the
Director or the mediator is taken, for the purposes of the provisions of the Community
Justice Centres Act 1983, to be exercising those functions for the purpose of
executing that Act.
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24 Interim court order ceases when final court order made or served
(1) An interim court order remains in force until:
(a) it is revoked, or
(b) it ceases to have effect under subsection (2), or
(c) the application for a final apprehended violence order is withdrawn or
dismissed,
whichever first occurs.
(2) If a final apprehended violence order is made in respect of an interim court order
(whether with or without variation), the interim court order ceases to have effect:
(a) in a case where the defendant is present at courtwhen the final apprehended
violence order is made, or
(b) in any other casewhen the defendant is served in accordance with this Act
with a copy of the final apprehended violence order.
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(3) An application need not be made in the circumstances referred to in subsection (1) if
an apprehended violence order is already in force against the defendant for the
protection of the person concerned.
(4) An application need not be made in the circumstances referred to in subsection (1) if
the person for whose protection an order would be made is at least 16 years of age at
the time of the incident and a police officer investigating the incident believes:
(a) that the person intends to make an application for an apprehended violence
order, or
(b) that there is good reason not to make the application.
(5) However, if the police officer investigating the incident believes that there is good
reason not to make the application, the police officer must make a written record of
the reason.
(6) For the purposes of subsection (4), the reluctance of the person to make an
application does not, on its own, constitute a good reason for a police officer not to
make an application if the police officer reasonably believes that:
(a) the person has been the victim of violence or there is a significant threat of
violence to the person, or
(b) the person has an intellectual disability and has no guardian.
28 Making of provisional order
(1) An authorised officer to whom an application is made for a provisional order may, if
satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for doing so, make the provisional order.
(2) Section 21 (Referral of matters to mediation) applies to an authorised officer when
considering whether to make a provisional order that is an interim personal
apprehended violence order or after making such an order in the same way as it
applies to a court.
(3) Section 81 applies to the making of a provisional order in the same way as that
section applies to other orders.
29 Provisional order taken to be application for court order
(1) A provisional order is taken, for the purposes of this Act, to be an application for an
order under Part 10.
(2) The provisional order is to contain a direction for the appearance of the defendant at
a hearing of the application by an appropriate court on a date specified in the order
by the authorised officer who makes it (being a date that is not more than 28 days
after the making of the provisional order).
30 Recording of provisional order
(1) The authorised officer who makes a provisional order is to inform the applicant of
the terms of the order and the date and time when the order was made.
(2) The applicant is to complete a form of order in the terms so indicated and write on it
the name of the authorised officer, the date and time when the order was made and
the date of the hearing of the application.
(3) When the form of order is completed, it is taken to be a provisional order.
(4) An authorised officer may, instead of proceeding under subsection (1), furnish the
provisional order to the applicant.
(5) An applicant who is furnished with a provisional order under subsection (4) is to
include in the order the date of the hearing of the application.
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31 Service
(1) A provisional order is to be served personally on the defendant by a police officer as
soon as practicable after it is made.
(2) A provisional order is to be served personally on the protected person by a police
officer as soon as practicable after it is made unless it is impractical to do so.
32 Duration
(1) A provisional order remains in force until midnight on the twenty-eighth day after
the order is made, unless it is sooner revoked or ceases to have effect under
subsection (2) or the application for a final apprehended violence order is withdrawn
or dismissed.
(2) If a court makes an apprehended violence order against a defendant for the protection
of a person protected by a provisional order, the provisional order ceases to have
effect:
(a) in a case where the defendant is present at courtwhen the court order is
made, or
(b) in any other casewhen the defendant is served in accordance with this Act
with a copy of the court order.
33 Variation or revocation
(1) A provisional order may be varied or revoked by:
(a) the authorised officer who made it or any other authorised officer, or
(b) any court dealing with an application for an apprehended violence order
against the same defendant.
(2) A provisional order may be varied:
(a) by amending or deleting any prohibitions or restrictions specified in the order,
or
(b) by specifying additional prohibitions or restrictions in the order.
(3) An application for a variation or the revocation of a provisional order may be made
only by a police officer.
(4) If there is more than one protected person under a provisional order, the order may
be varied or revoked in its application to all of the protected persons or in relation to
any one or more of the protected persons.
(5) Notice of the variation or revocation is to be served on the defendant, each protected
person affected by the variation or revocation and the Commissioner of Police.
(6) The duration of a provisional order may not be varied under this section.
34 Purported renewal or continuance
(1) A provisional order may not be renewed and a further provisional order may not be
made in respect of the same incident.
(2) If a court purports to renew or continue a provisional order:
(a) the order is taken to be an interim court order made by the court at that time,
and
(b) further service of the order is not required.
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The court is required to inform the applicant of the obligation of the applicant under
this subsection.
(2) In deciding whether or not to make or vary a final apprehended violence order or
interim court order, the court is to consider the safety and protection of the protected
person and any child directly or indirectly affected by domestic or personal violence.
(3) Without limiting subsection (2), in deciding whether or not to make or vary a final
apprehended violence order or interim court order, the court is to:
(a) consider whether contact between the protected person, or between the
defendant, and any child of either of those persons is relevant to the making or
variation of the order, and
(b) have regard to any relevant parenting order of which the court has been
informed.
(4) A final apprehended violence order or interim court order, or a variation of such an
order, is not invalid merely because of a contravention of this section.
(5) In this section, relevant parenting order means a parenting order (within the
meaning of Division 5 of Part VII of the Family Law Act 1975 of the
Commonwealth) that relates to contact between the protected person, or between the
defendant, and any child of either of those persons.
43 Non-inclusion of protected persons residential address in application for
apprehended domestic violence order or in apprehended domestic violence order
(1) The address at which the protected person resides must not be stated in an application
for an apprehended domestic violence order or interim apprehended domestic
violence order unless:
(a) where the protected person is of or above the age of 16 yearsthe protected
person consents to the address being included in the application, or
(b) where the application is made by a police officerthe police officer is
satisfied that the defendant knows the address.
(2) The address at which the protected person resides, or intends to reside, must not be
stated in an apprehended domestic violence order or interim apprehended domestic
violence order unless the court or authorised officer is satisfied that:
(a) the defendant knows the address, or
(b) it is necessary to state the address in order to achieve compliance with the
order and the personal safety of the protected person would not be seriously
threatened, or damage would not be likely to be caused to any property of the
protected person, by stating the address, or
(c) where the protected person is of or above the age of 16 yearsthe protected
person consents to the address being stated in the order.
(3) A reference in this section to an apprehended domestic violence order or interim
apprehended domestic violence order includes a reference to any other order relating
to such an order.
(4) In this section, court includes a Registrar.
44 Non-inclusion of health care providers residential address in application for
apprehended personal violence order or in apprehended personal violence order
(1) The address at which a protected health care provider resides must not be stated in
any application for an apprehended personal violence order or interim apprehended
personal violence order unless:
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(a) the protected health care provider consents to the address being included in the
application, or
(b) if the application is made by a police officerthe police officer is satisfied that
the defendant knows the address.
(2) The address at which a protected health care provider resides, or intends to reside,
must not be stated in an apprehended personal violence order or interim apprehended
personal violence order unless the court or authorised officer is satisfied that:
(a) the defendant knows the address, or
(b) it is necessary to state the address in order to achieve compliance with the
order and the personal safety of the protected health care provider would not
be seriously threatened, or damage would not be likely to be caused to any
property of the protected health care provider, by stating the address, or
(c) the protected health care provider consents to the address being stated in the
order.
(3) If the address at which a protected health care provider resides or intends to reside
must not be stated in an application or order because of this section, the address at
which the protected health care provider ordinarily provides health care services is to
be stated instead in the application or order.
(4) A reference in this section to an apprehended personal violence order or interim
apprehended personal violence order includes a reference to any other order relating
to such an order.
(5) In this section:
court includes a Registrar.
protected health care provider means a person who is employed or engaged to
provide any care, treatment, advice or service in respect of the physical or mental
health of any protected person.
45 Publication of names and identifying information about children and other persons
involved in apprehended violence order proceedings
(1) The name of a person, being a child:
(a) for whose protection or against whom an apprehended violence order is sought
in any apprehended violence order proceedings, or
(b) who appears, or is reasonably likely to appear, as a witness before a court in
any apprehended violence order proceedings, or
(c) who is, or is reasonably likely to be, mentioned or otherwise involved in any
apprehended violence order proceedings,
must not be published or broadcast before the proceedings are commenced or after
the proceedings have been commenced and before they are disposed of.
(2) A court may direct that the name of a person (other than a child to whom subsection
(1) applies):
(a) for whose protection or against whom an apprehended violence order is sought
in any apprehended violence order proceedings, or
(b) who appears, or is reasonably likely to appear, as a witness before a court in
any apprehended violence order proceedings, or
(c) who is, or is reasonably likely to be, mentioned or otherwise involved in any
apprehended violence order proceedings,
must not be published or broadcast before the proceedings are commenced or after
the proceedings have been commenced and before they are disposed of.
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for an order made by the guardian of a person on the persons behalf (as referred to
in subsection (2) (a1)).
49 Circumstances in which police must make application for order
(1) An application for an order must be made if a police officer investigating the matter
concerned suspects or believes that:
(a) a domestic violence offence or an offence against section 13 has recently been
or is being committed, or is imminent, or is likely to be committed, against the
person for whose protection an order would be made, or
(b) an offence under section 227 (Child and young person abuse) of the Children
and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (but only in relation to a
child) has recently been or is being committed, or is imminent, or is likely to
be committed, against the person for whose protection an order would be
made, or
(c) proceedings have been commenced against a person for an offence referred to
in paragraph (a) or (b) against the person for whose protection an order would
be made.
(2) The application may be made by any police officer.
(3) An application need not be made in the circumstances referred to in subsection (1) if
an apprehended violence order is already in force for the protection of the person
concerned or if an application has been made for a provisional order for the
protection of the person.
(4) An application need not be made in the circumstances referred to in subsection (1) if
the person for whose protection an apprehended violence order would be made is at
least 16 years of age at the time and the police officer investigating the matter
believes:
(a) that the person intends to make the application, or
(b) that there is good reason not to make the application.
(5) However, if the police officer investigating the matter believes that there is good
reason not to make the application, the police officer must make a written record of
the reason.
(6) For the purposes of subsection (4), the reluctance of the person to make an
application does not, on its own, constitute a good reason for a police officer not to
make an application if the police officer reasonably believes that:
(a) the person has been the victim of violence or there is a significant threat of
violence to the person, or
(b) the person has an intellectual disability and has no guardian.
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62 Conduct of case
(1) The applicants case may be conducted by the applicant or by the applicants
Australian legal practitioner or any other representative permitted to appear for the
applicant (whether under this or any other Act).
(2) The defendants case may be conducted by the defendant or by the defendants
Australian legal practitioner or any other representative permitted to appear for the
defendant (whether under this or any other Act).
63 Evidence to be on oath
The usual oath must be administered to a witness before the witness is examined.
Note. For the form of oaths and declarations see the Oaths Act 1900.
64 Recording of evidence
(1) The evidence of each witness in application proceedings must be recorded.
(2) Rules may be made for or with respect to the manner in which the evidence may be
recorded and the authentication of evidence or of transcripts of evidence given in
proceedings.
65 Adjournments
(1) The court may at any stage of proceedings adjourn the proceedings to a specified
time and place.
(2) An adjournment of proceedings may be in such terms as the court thinks fit.
66 Irregularity
(1) If, in or in connection with application proceedings or the commencement of
application proceedings, there is a failure to comply with any requirement of this Act
or the rules, the failure is to be treated as an irregularity and does not nullify the
proceedings or any step taken in the proceedings, or any judgment, document or
order in the proceedings.
(2) Subsection (1) applies to a failure to comply with a requirement relating to time,
place, manner, form or content or any other failure.
(3) In the case of an irregularity, the court may, on terms, set aside wholly or in part the
proceedings or any step taken in the proceedings or any document, judgment or order
in the proceedings or exercise its powers under the rules to allow judgments and to
make orders dealing with the proceedings generally.
(4) The court must not take action under subsection (3) on the application of a party
unless that application is made within a reasonable time and before the party has
taken any fresh step after becoming aware of the irregularity.
67 Power to dispense with rules
(1) In relation to particular application proceedings, the court may, if of the opinion that
it is in the interests of justice to do so, dispense with or vary a requirement of the
rules.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the court may make directions as to the conduct
of application proceedings.
(3) The power conferred by this section does not extend to any rule declared by the rules
to be mandatory.
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(5) A final apprehended violence order or interim court order is not to be varied or
revoked on the application of the applicant for the original order or protected person
unless notice of the application has been served on the defendant.
(6) Notice of an application must be served personally or in such other manner as the
court hearing the application directs.
(7) Despite subsection (5), the court may make an order extending the period during
which the final apprehended violence order or interim court order is to remain in
force without notice of the relevant application having been served on the defendant,
if the applicant lodged the application before the day on which the apprehended
violence order or interim court order is due to expire.
(8) If an application for the extension of a final apprehended violence order or interim
court order is made before the order expires, the order is taken to continue in force
until the application is dealt with by the court.
(9) Unless sooner revoked, an order extended under subsection (7) ceases to have effect
21 days after the order extending it is made or on an earlier date specified in the order
extending it. However, further orders may be made from time to time under that
subsection before the extended order ceases to have effect.
74 Variation or revocation of final apprehended violence orders and interim court
orders where more than one protected person
(1) This section applies to a final apprehended violence order or interim court order if
there is more than one protected person under the order.
(2) An order to which this section applies may be varied or revoked in its application to
all of the protected persons or in relation to any one or more of the protected persons.
(3) If an application for variation or revocation of an order to which this section applies
is made by one of the protected persons under the order, none of the other protected
persons can be the subject of the variation or revocation unless the court is satisfied
that he or she is at least 16 years of age and has consented to the variation or
revocation.
Note. Section 72 (3) provides that only a police officer may apply for the variation or revocation
of an order where one of the protected persons under the order is a child.
75 Variation may be made on guilty plea or guilt finding for certain offences
(1) If a person pleads guilty to, or is found guilty of, an offence against section 13 or a
domestic violence offence, the court may vary a final apprehended violence order or
an interim court order for the purpose of providing greater protection for the person
against whom the offence was committed whether or not an application to vary the
order has been made under this Division.
(2) A reference in this section to a court extends to the District Court when exercising
jurisdiction apart from under section 91.
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(c) the rights of the defendant and the protected person in relation to the order.
(2) A court that varies a final apprehended violence order or interim court order must
explain to the defendant and the protected person (if either of them is present at the
time the variation is made):
(a) the effect of the variation, and
(b) the consequences that may follow from a contravention of the order as varied.
(3) A court that makes a final apprehended violence order or interim court order is also
to cause a written explanation of the matters required to be explained under this
section to be given to the defendant and protected person.
(4) In so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so, an explanation under this section is
to be given in a language that is likely to be readily understood by the person being
given the explanation.
(5) A failure to comply with this section in relation to an order does not affect the validity
of the order.
77 Service of copy of apprehended violence order, interim court order or variation or
revocation of any such order
(1) The Registrar of a court that makes a final apprehended violence order or interim
court order is to prepare a written copy of the order.
(2) The Registrar of a court that varies or revokes a final apprehended violence order or
interim court order is to prepare a written record of the variation or revocation.
(3) The Registrar of the court is to serve a copy of the order or of the record of the
variation or revocation of the order personally on the defendant if the defendant is
present in court.
(4) If the defendant is not present at the time the order is made, the Registrar is to arrange
for a copy of the order or the record of the variation or revocation to be served
personally on the defendant by a police officer or such other person as the Registrar
thinks fit.
(5) If the defendant is present at the time the order is made but the Registrar is unable to
serve a copy of the order or the written record of the variation or revocation
personally on the defendant, the Registrar is to arrange for a copy of the order or
record to be sent by post to the defendant or to such other person as the Registrar
thinks fit.
(6) Service on the defendant of the copy of the order or record concerned may be effected
in such other manner as the court directs.
(7) The Registrar of the court is to cause a copy of the order or record, and a copy of any
application for an order or variation or revocation, to be forwarded to the
Commissioner of Police and (unless it is impracticable or unnecessary to do so) to be
given to or sent by post to each protected person.
(8) The Commissioner of Police is to make a record of the details of the material
forwarded to the Commissioner under this section and is to retain that record for at
least 10 years after the order to which it relates ceases to be in force.
78 Orders made with consent of parties
(1) A court may make a final apprehended violence order, or an interim court order,
without being satisfied as to the matters that are prerequisites to the making of those
orders if the protected person and the defendant consent to the making of the order.
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(2) Such an order may be made whether or not the defendant admits to any or all of the
particulars of the application.
(3) Before making such an order, the court may conduct a hearing in relation to the
particulars of the application but only if:
(a) the order to be made by the court is a final apprehended violence order, and
(b) the court is of the opinion that the interests of justice require it to conduct the
hearing.
79 Duration of final apprehended violence orders
(1) A final apprehended violence order remains in force for such period as is specified
in the order by the court.
(2) The period specified in the order by the court is to be as long as is necessary, in the
opinion of the court, to ensure the safety and protection of the protected person.
(3) If the court fails to specify a period in the order, the order remains in force for a
period of 12 months after the date that the order is made.
(4) This section is subject to section 73 (Variation or revocation of final apprehended
violence orders and interim court orders).
80 Enforcement of orders for payment of money
An order for the payment of money by a party to application proceedings (including
an order as to payment of costs) may be enforced in a court of competent jurisdiction
as if it were a debt due to the person to whom the money is ordered to be paid.
81 Concurrent criminal proceedings
A court may make an apprehended violence order against a defendant even though
proceedings have been commenced against the defendant for an offence arising out
of the same conduct as that out of which the application for the order arose.
82 Arrangements regarding classification of orders
(1) If a court is at any time unable to determine whether to make an apprehended
domestic violence order or an apprehended personal violence order, it may make
whichever apprehended violence order it thinks fit.
(2) If a court is at any time unable to determine whether an apprehended violence order
was made, or should have been made, as an apprehended domestic violence order or
apprehended personal violence order, it may treat the order as having been made as
whichever type of apprehended violence order it thinks fit.
(3) If an apprehended violence order is made or treated as having been made as an
apprehended domestic violence order or an apprehended personal violence order but
should have been made as another type of apprehended violence order, the order is
not invalid on that ground and is taken to have been made as that other type of
apprehended violence order.
83 Application of Bail Act 1978
If an application for a final apprehended violence order or interim court order is
made, the Bail Act 1978 applies to the defendant as if:
(a) where the defendant is arrested pursuant to a warrant issued under this Act or
first appears before a court in answer to a direction to appear given under this
Actthe defendant were an accused person charged with an offence, and
(b) proceedings in respect of the application or order were proceedings in respect
of an offence to which section 8 of the Bail Act 1978 applies.
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Division 7 Appeals
84 Review and appeal provisions concerning making etc of apprehended violence
orders
(1) An application may be made under Part 2 of the Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act
2001 by the defendant for the annulment of an apprehended violence order made by
the Local Court or the Childrens Court in the same way as an application may be
made under that Part by a defendant for the annulment of a conviction arising from
a court attendance notice dealt with under Part 2 of Chapter 4 of the Criminal
Procedure Act 1986.
(1A) A person who applied to the Local Court or the Childrens Court for an apprehended
violence order may apply to the Court for the annulment of the dismissal of the
application for the order by the Court, but only if the person was not in attendance
before the Court when the application was dismissed.
(1B) The Local Court or the Childrens Court may grant an application for an annulment
made under subsection (1A) if it is satisfied that, having regard to the circumstances
of the case, there is just cause for doing so. If such an application is granted, the Court
may deal with the application for the apprehended violence order as if the application
for the order had not been dismissed.
(2) An appeal may be made to the District Court:
(a) by the defendant against the making of an apprehended violence order by the
Local Court or the Childrens Court, or
(a1) by the applicant for an apprehended violence order (or, if the applicant was a
police officer, either the applicant or the person for whose protection the order
would have been made) against the dismissal of the application by the Local
Court or the Childrens Court, or
(b) by the applicant for an order or a defendant against the awarding of costs under
section 99 of this Act, or
(c) by a party to an apprehended violence order against the variation or revocation
of the order by the Local Court or the Childrens Court, or
(d) by a party to an apprehended violence order against a refusal by the Local
Court or the Childrens Court to vary or revoke the order.
(3) An appeal under subsection (2):
(a) may be made under Part 3 of the Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001 in the
same way as an application may be made under that Part by a defendant
against a conviction arising from a court attendance notice dealt with under
Part 2 of Chapter 4 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1986, and
(b) may be made only by leave of the District Court in the case of an appeal
against the making of an apprehended violence order that was made with the
consent of the defendant.
(4) The Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001 applies to an application or appeal arising
under this section with such modifications as are made by or in accordance with the
regulations under that Act.
(5) For the purposes of this section and the Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001, an
order made by a Registrar of a court is taken to have been made by the court.
(5A) Part 6 (Interim court orders) applies to proceedings with respect to an appeal to the
District Court under subsection (2) in the same way as it applies to an application to
the Local Court or the Childrens Court under Part 4 or 5.
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(5B) If the District Court allows an appeal made under this section against the refusal to
annul an apprehended violence order and remits the matter to the Local Court or the
Childrens Court, the District Court must, unless the District Court is satisfied that it
is not necessary to do so, make an interim court order under Part 6 as if an application
for such an order had been duly made.
(6) In this section, party to an apprehended violence order means:
(a) the protected person (whether or not the applicant), but only if the protected
person is of or above the age of 16 years, or
(b) if the applicant was a police officer, that or any other police officer, or
(c) the defendant.
85 Presumption against stay of order
(1) The lodging of a notice of appeal under section 84 does not have the effect of staying
the operation of the order concerned.
(2) The original court may, on application by the defendant, stay the operation of the
order, if satisfied that it is safe to do so, having regard to the need to ensure the safety
and protection of the protected person or any other person.
(3) A stay on the operation of the order continues until the appeal is finally determined,
subject to any order or direction of the District Court.
(4) This section has effect despite section 84 of this Act and section 63 of the Crimes
(Appeal and Review) Act 2001.
(5) A stay on the operation of the order does not have effect if the appellant is in custody
when the appeal is made, unless and until the appellant enters into a bail undertaking
in accordance with the Bail Act 1978, or bail is dispensed with. In the application of
the Bail Act 1978 to the appellant, the appellant is taken to be an accused person who,
because of the prohibitions and restrictions imposed by the order, is in custody.
(6) In this section:
original court, in relation to an order, means:
(a) the Local Court, if the order was made by the Local Court or a Registrar of the
Local Court, or
(b) the Childrens Court, if the order was made by the Childrens Court or the
Registrar of the Childrens Court.
Division 8 Rules
86 Rules in application proceedings
(1) The rules may make provision for or with respect to the following matters relating to
application proceedings:
(a) the practice and procedure in the court and in proceedings before a Registrar,
(b) the recording of evidence, including the manner in which the evidence may be
recorded and the authentication of evidence or of transcripts of evidence given
in proceedings,
(c) the filing and service (including substituted service) of notices under this Act,
(d) additional requirements for the form of warrants,
(e) the functions of Registrars,
(f) the hearing of proceedings, including the procedure to be followed and the
orders to be made, when a party fails to attend,
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(g) empowering the court to dispense with rules of evidence for proving any
matter that is not genuinely in dispute in any proceedings and to dispense with
rules of evidence that might cause expense or delay in proceedings if those
rules were applied in specified circumstances,
(h) prescribing matters relating to expert evidence, including the disclosure, by
providing copies of reports or otherwise, of the nature of expert evidence to be
given, and including the exclusion of expert evidence in the case of
non-compliance with the rules relating to expert evidence or with any order for
disclosure of the nature of expert evidence,
(i) providing for any matter relating to the costs of proceedings.
(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the rules made for the purposes of this Act may
adopt, with or without modification, the provisions of any rules made under the Civil
Procedure Act 2005.
(3) This section does not give power to make rules with respect to any matter relating to
costs that is regulated by Part 3.2 of the Legal Profession Act 2004.
87 Forms
(1) The Chief Magistrate or Senior Childrens Magistrate:
(a) may approve forms for documents to be used in connection with application
proceedings, and
(b) in the case of documents filed with the court, or issued by the court, by means
of an ECM system within the meaning of the Electronic Transactions Act
2000, may approve the format in which such documents are to be filed or
issued.
(2) Copies of the approved forms are to be made available for public inspection at each
registry of the court and on the courts internet website.
(3) If a form is approved in relation to a document to be used in connection with
proceedings in the court, a document that is filed with or issued by the court is to be
in that form.
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(5) Notice of the registration of an external protection order is not to be served on the
person against whom the order has been made unless the person who applied for that
registration has consented to that service.
(6) A registered external protection order is registered for the period during which the
order, or the order as adapted or modified, is in force.
97 Effect of registration of external protection order
(1) An external protection order that has been registered under section 96:
(a) has the same effect as an apprehended violence order made under this Act, and
(b) may be enforced against a person as if it were an apprehended violence order
which had been made under this Act and as if a copy of the order had been
served on that person in accordance with section 77.
(2) The variation or revocation of an external protection order by a court of the State,
Territory or country in which it was made after the order has been registered under
section 96 has no effect in New South Wales.
(3) An external protection order that has been registered under section 96 (and anything
done to effect the registration of the order) is not invalid on the ground that the order
has, due to the age of the defendant at the time the application was made, been
registered in the wrong court.
98 Variation etc of registered external protection orders
(1) In this section, prescribed person means:
(a) a person for whose protection a registered external protection order has been
made, or
(b) a person against whom a registered external protection order has been made, or
(c) a police officer, or
(d) a person to whom the appropriate court in which the external protection order
has been registered has granted leave to make an application under this
section.
(2) A prescribed person may apply to the appropriate court for one or more of the
following:
(a) the variation of a registered external protection order as it applies in New
South Wales,
(b) the extension or reduction of the period during which a registered external
protection order has effect in its operation in New South Wales,
(c) the revocation of the registration of a registered external protection order.
(3) The appropriate court may determine the application by doing one or more of the
following:
(a) by varying the order as it applies in New South Wales,
(b) by extending or reducing the period during which the order has effect in its
operation in New South Wales,
(c) by revoking the registration.
(4) A registered external protection order is not to be varied or revoked on the
application of a person referred to in subsection (1) (a), (c) or (d) unless notice of the
application has been served on the person against whom the order has been made.
(5) A registered external protection order is not to be varied or revoked on the
application of the person against whom the order has been made unless notice of the
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application has been served on the person for whose protection the order has been
made.
(6) Notice of an application is to be served personally or in such other manner as the
appropriate court hearing the application directs.
(7) A registered external protection order varied under subsection (3) (a) or (b) is
registered for the period during which the order, as varied, has effect in its operation
in New South Wales.
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Part 14 Miscellaneous
99 Costs
(1) A court may, in apprehended violence order proceedings, award costs to the
applicant for the order or decision concerned or the defendant in accordance with this
section.
(2) Costs are to be determined in accordance with Division 4 of Part 2 of Chapter 4 of
the Criminal Procedure Act 1986.
(3) A court is not to award costs against an applicant who is the person for whose
protection an apprehended domestic violence order is sought unless satisfied that the
application was frivolous or vexatious.
(4) A court is not to award costs against a police officer who makes an application unless
satisfied that the police officer made the application knowing it contained matter that
was false or misleading in a material particular.
(5) Subsections (3) and (4) have effect despite any other Act or law.
(6) (Repealed)
100 Parts 2 and 3 of Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001
Except as expressly provided by this Act, nothing in this Act affects the operation
that Parts 2 and 3 of the Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001 would have if this Act
had not been enacted.
101 Regulations
The Governor may make regulations, not inconsistent with this Act, for or with
respect to any matter that by this Act is required or permitted to be prescribed or that
is necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this
Act.
102 Savings, transitional and other provisions
Schedule 1 has effect.
103 (Repealed)
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Part 1 General
1 Regulations
(1) The regulations may contain provisions of a savings or transitional nature consequent
on the enactment of the following Acts:
this Act
Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Amendment Act 2008
(2) Any such provision may, if the regulations so provide, take effect from the date of
assent to the Act concerned or a later date.
(3) To the extent to which any such provision takes effect from a date that is earlier than
the date of its publication in the Gazette, the provision does not operate so as:
(a) to affect, in a manner prejudicial to any person (other than the State or an
authority of the State), the rights of that person existing before the date of its
publication, or
(b) to impose liabilities on any person (other than the State or an authority of the
State) in respect of anything done or omitted to be done before the date of its
publication.
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4 Pending applications
An application for an order under the old Part 15A that has not been determined
before the repeal of that Part by this Act is taken to be an application for the same
type of order under this Act.
5 References to repealed provisions
(1) A reference in any other Act or instrument to Part 15A of the Crimes Act 1900
includes a reference to this Act.
(2) A reference to this Act in any other Act or instrument includes a reference to old Part
15A.
(3) A reference in this Act or any other Act or instrument to section 13 of this Act
includes a reference to sections 545AB and 562AB of the Crimes Act 1900 (as in
force before their repeal).
(4) A reference in this Act or any other Act or instrument to section 14 of this Act
includes a reference to sections 562I (as in force before its substitution by the Crimes
Amendment (Apprehended Violence) Act 2006) and 562ZG (as in force before its
repeal) of the Crimes Act 1900.
(5) A reference in this or any other Act or instrument to a final apprehended violence
order made under this Act includes a reference to a final order within the meaning of
old Part 15A.
(6) A reference in this or any other Act or instrument to an interim apprehended violence
order made under this Act includes a reference to an interim order made by a court
under old Part 15A or a telephone interim order within the meaning of old Part 15A.
(7) A reference in this or any other Act or instrument to an application for an order under
this Act includes a reference to a complaint or application for an order under old Part
15A.
(8) A reference in this or any other Act or instrument to apprehended violence order
proceedings within the meaning of this Act includes a reference to proceedings under
old Part 15A in relation to an apprehended violence order or an application or
complaint for an apprehended violence order.
6 Recording of domestic violence offences
Section 12 extends to:
(a) enabling the making of an application to record a domestic violence offence
occurring before the commencement of that section, and
(b) authorising the recording of domestic violence offences occurring before the
commencement of that section.
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Schedule 2 (Repealed)
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Historical notes
The following abbreviations are used in the Historical notes:
Am amended LW legislation website Sch Schedule
Cl clause No number Schs Schedules
Cll clauses p page Sec section
Div Division pp pages Secs sections
Divs Divisions Reg Regulation Subdiv Subdivision
GG Government Gazette Regs Regulations Subdivs Subdivisions
Ins inserted Rep repealed Subst substituted
Table of amendments
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