Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House that presently the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 s.97 provides that a domestic violence protection order can have a duration of two years or less with provision for longer periods at the discretion of the court, but two years is the normal period applied. Family law disputes often take five or more years to settle and perpetrators often continue to commit domestic violence throughout that period, if children are involved the perpetrator may continue to control the aggrieved through the children, often using family violence to do so.

It is not reasonable that victims of domestic violence should be forced to renew protection orders time and time again, at great financial and emotional cost to themselves, while there is no financial cost and very little effect on the perpetrator. Additionally the cost for many victims is prohibitive, leaving them vulnerable and at risk of death, or serious physical harm at worst and emotional, or financial abuse at best.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to make amendments to the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 that will cause the following:

1.   A domestic violence protection order remains in force:

     a. for the whole of the natural life of the respondent, or
     b. until the order is ended by the court on application.

2.    An application to end a domestic violence protection order cannot be made sooner than five years after the date on which the order first took effect.