The short answer
Since 26 May 2025, coercive control has been a standalone criminal offence in Queensland under section 334C of the Criminal Code (Qld), inserted by the Criminal Law (Coercive Control and Affirmative Consent) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024. It carries a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment. Unlike breaching a protection order, it doesn’t require a domestic violence order to already be in place; it targets a pattern, or “course of conduct”, of controlling or coercive behaviour between people in a domestic relationship, not a single incident.
If you’ve been contacted by police, or charged, about your behaviour toward a partner or family member, you can speak to us confidentially about what the law actually requires, day or night, without judgement.
What is coercive control under Queensland law?
Section 334C makes it an offence for an adult to engage in a course of conduct against a person they’re in a domestic relationship with, where that course of conduct:
- consists of domestic violence occurring on more than one occasion;
- is engaged in with the intention of coercing or controlling the other person; and
- would, in all the circumstances, be reasonably likely to cause the other person harm, including psychological or emotional harm, not just physical injury.
“Domestic violence” for this purpose takes its broad meaning from the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012: it already covers physical and sexual abuse, emotional and psychological abuse, economic abuse, and behaviour that is threatening, coercive, or otherwise controlling or dominating. The offence effectively lets police and prosecutors charge the pattern itself, rather than being limited to whichever single incident they can prove in isolation.
What does the prosecution have to prove?
The prosecution has to prove there was a course of conduct (more than one incident of domestic violence) engaged in with intent to coerce or control, and that the pattern was reasonably likely to cause harm. Individual incidents within the pattern don’t each need to be charged or proven as separate offences in their own right, which is what makes this offence different from simply stacking multiple assault or property-damage charges: it’s aimed at the cumulative, controlling effect of a relationship of abuse.
What is the maximum penalty for coercive control in Queensland?
The maximum penalty is 14 years’ imprisonment. Where a matter actually lands within that range depends heavily on the length and severity of the pattern of conduct, any physical violence involved, the impact on the complainant (and any children), and the accused’s criminal history: the same factors a sentencing court weighs in any serious offence.
Is coercive control the same as breaching a protection order?
No, they’re different offences under different Acts, and a person can potentially be charged with both arising from the same relationship.
| Coercive control (s 334C Criminal Code) | Breach of a DVO (s 177 Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012) | |
|---|---|---|
| What has to exist first | Nothing (no order needs to be in place) | A domestic violence order the person knows about |
| What’s charged | A pattern (more than one incident) of controlling/coercive domestic violence | Breaching the specific conditions of that order |
| Maximum penalty | 14 years | 3 years, or 5 years if the person has a domestic violence conviction within the previous 5 years |
| Commenced | 26 May 2025 | (existing offence, DFVPA 2012) |
In practice, someone already subject to a protection order who keeps controlling or intimidating the protected person may now face a coercive control charge over the broader pattern, in addition to, or instead of, a breach charge over specific conditions. We cover DVO breach charges in detail on our domestic violence page.
What defences are available?
Under s 334C(10), it is a defence for the accused to prove, on the balance of probabilities, that the course of conduct was reasonable in the context of the relationship between the parties as a whole. What counts as “reasonable” is intensely fact-specific; it will turn on things like the nature of the relationship, cultural or care-giving context, and whether the conduct was genuinely protective rather than controlling. The prosecution isn’t required to prove that every individual act it relies on was itself unlawful, which makes early, careful legal advice about how the pattern will actually be presented to a court particularly important.
Why this matters if you’re accused
Because the offence is built around a pattern rather than one incident, allegations can draw on years of relationship history (text messages, financial records, statements from family members) rather than a single disputed event. That makes it a serious charge to face even where no individual incident would obviously amount to a criminal offence on its own. If you’ve been contacted by police, or a family member has raised the possibility of a coercive control complaint, getting advice before you say anything further is important; it may affect both this potential charge and any existing protection order proceedings.
If you or someone you love is under investigation or has been charged over domestic violence, read about how we defend domestic violence and DVO charges or contact us for confidential, non-judgmental advice, available 24/7 for urgent matters.
This article is general legal information, not advice about your situation.
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