‘Entirely insufficient’: NSW Government’s coercive control campaign slammed

An awareness campaign about coercive control has been criticised as “entirely insufficient” amid Australia’s crisis of violence against women.

An advertising campaign aimed at boosting public understanding of coercive control has been criticised as “entirely insufficient” amid Australia’s worsening crisis of violence against women.

Released today by the NSW Government, the ads – which will run on social media and digital platforms, as well as in female public rest rooms, shopping centres and at airports – feature the tagline: “It’s not love, it’s coercive control. Know the signs of abuse.”

The campaign was developed with more than 70 stakeholders from the Coercive Control Implementation and Evaluation Taskforce and 10 associated reference groups, which includes victim-survivors.

“Coercive control is an insidious and damaging form of domestic violence – it can leave victim survivors feeling isolated, vulnerable and alone,” NSW Acting Premier, Prue Car, said.

“This campaign is vital in ensuring the broader public know what coercive control looks like, and perpetrators know what they are doing is wrong.”

The campaign is being rolled out ahead of July 1, when coercive control by a current or former intimate partner will become a crime punishable by up to seven years’ imprisonment in NSW.

Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Jodie Harrison, said the laws “will have a profound impact on the way that our justice system assesses and manages domestic violence cases, and the government is now making sure people recognise the signs and know what it is”.

An advertising campaign aimed at boosting public understanding of coercive control has been criticised as 'entirely insufficient' amid Australia’s worsening crisis of violence against women. Picture: Supplied/NSW Government

‘This campaign is vital in ensuring the broader public know what coercive control looks like,’ Deputy Premier, Prue Car, said. Picture: Supplied/NSW Government

However, at a critical moment for both state and federal leadership in combating what’s been called a “national emergency”, Greens MP Abigail Boyd refused to stand alongside the government at Wednesday’s launch, saying the campaign does not go far enough.

“What the government has come out with is entirely insufficient,” Ms Boyd, whose portfolio includes gendered violence and abuse, told news.com.au.

“Compare this so-called education campaign to what was done in Scotland and the UK (where coercive control laws are considered to be the ‘gold standard’ globally), and the scale of ambition is just worlds apart.

“In this current climate, amidst the persistent failure to properly resource real solutions, I cannot endorse the government’s approach. Something is better than nothing, but you don’t get applause until you do much more.”

NSW Greens MP Abigail Boyd refused to attend Wednesday’s campaign launch. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

One woman has allegedly been murdered every four days in Australia since January 1. Almost half of those women have been from NSW.

Ms Boyd called on the Minns Government “to start listening to the domestic and family violence sector and properly fund the evidence-based frontline services and programs that are vital to tackling this crisis”.

“All the while NSW is underfunding the sector, it is leaving women and children with nowhere to turn,” she said.

“Our funding is less than half of that in Victoria. Until we match that, Labor’s claims of treating this issue with the seriousness it deserves are totally lacking in credibility.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns will hold a cabinet meeting on Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW) welcomed the campaign’s efforts to raise awareness about coercive control. However, deputy chief executive Elise Phillips said the sector lacks adequate funding to respond to increased service demand that will come from that awareness.

“When people realise, ‘What I’m going through here is not OK, this is abuse’, they are more likely to reach out for support, and we need to make sure our service can respond to that need,” Ms Phillips said.

DVNSW is urging the Minns Government to commit at least $145 million for domestic and family violence in its June budget.

While the sector has been actively working on this issue for five decades, Ms Phillips told news.com.au, “we have never seen the investment in NSW that we need to properly deal with the problem”.

“Rather, piecemeal buckets of short-term funding are dispensed that don’t go nearly far enough,” she said.

“We can’t respond to the crisis of gendered violence adequately if we simply don’t have sufficient resources to meet the need.”

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said he was seeking more detail about the nature of the campaign. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Nikki Short

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman, who was Attorney-General when the impending coercive control legislation was passed under the coalition government in 2022, told the ABC while he still supported the laws, he was seeking more detail about the nature of the ad campaign.

“I would like to get more details on Indigenous victim-survivors, culturally and linguistically diverse victim-survivors, and support services generally,” Mr Speakman said.

“This is a really important piece of legislation, but what is more important is social awareness of the problem, and letting victim-survivors know where to get help.”

The launch comes ahead of an urgent NSW Government cabinet meeting this Friday, which will be briefed by former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty.

Mr Speakman told news.com.au that the Minns Government “should take immediate action to address bail reform, as recommended by the NSW Opposition, as part of the response to addressing domestic violence and improve safety for women”.

Originally published as ‘Entirely insufficient’: NSW Government’s coercive control campaign slammed