Police Powers to Issue Family Violence Safety Notices
Family, Personal and Sexual Violence Legislation Amendment Bill 2025
Topics
child sexual abuse criminal justice domestic abuse family violence firearms police powers victim safety
Introduced by: The Hon Tara Cheyne MLA (ALP) — Attorney-General, Minister , Minister for City and Government Services, Minister for Human Rights, Minister for the Night-Time Economy
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
Senior police officers can issue family violence safety notices if there is an immediate risk of violence
Police can detain a person for up to 4 hours while applying for a safety notice
Police must not put a protected person's home or work address in a notice unless the person agrees or the respondent already knows it
Breaking a condition of a family violence safety notice is a criminal offence; it carries a fine of 200 penalty units (2026: $32,000) or 2 years in prison
Police can seize firearms and ammunition and suspend the licence of anyone subject to a safety notice
Breaking a bail condition is not a breach if the person did it to comply with a family violence safety notice
Courts can no longer consider an offender's good character as a factor that helped them commit a sexual offence against a child
Accused persons must be given an audio copy of recorded statements; they must return the copy to a police station within 16 weeks of the case ending
News articles and press releases
ACT to ban good character references in court for all child sex offenders
Tara Cheyne MLA, ACT Attorney-General — 2025-12-04
It provides both an immediate response in the interests of a person’s safety, while also providing protection of up to 14 days, providing time for the protected person to seek and access support, including long-term protection through applying for a family violence order.