Review of Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007

Rep​ort on the statutory revie​​w of the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007​ [PDF, 711kb]

The Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007 (the Act) creates​ the legislative framework for apprehended violence orders in NSW, both apprehended domestic violence orders and apprehended personal violence orders. It allows an immediate, civil response to domestic and personal violence in a way that prioritises the future safety of the person in need of protection.

Section 104 of the Act requires a review of the Act be undertaken within three years of its assent to ensure that the terms of the Act remain appropriate to ensuring its objectives.

The focus of this statutory review was on apprehended domestic violence orders, as a separate report addressing issues concerning apprehended personal violence orders was tabled in the NSW Parliament on 10 September 2013. View the separate report addressing issues concerning apprehended domestic violence orders [PDF] (PDF, 1.1 MB).

Overall, the review concluded that the policy objectives of the Act remain valid and its terms mostly remain appropriate for securing those objectives. The report contains 17 recommendations proposing legislative amendments to improve the operation of the Act and to better protect people from domestic violence. All of the recommendations have been accepted by the NSW Government. ​

The Discussion Paper that was issued during this review is also available: Discussion Paper on the statutory review of the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007