Are Media has welcomed the announcement today by NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman that the NSW Government will hold a Parliamentary Inquiry into the creation of a new coercive control offence.

Coercive and controlling behaviour is a form of domestic abuse and is identified as a red flag for murder.

The announcement follows the launch yesterday of a Coalition of anti-domestic violence groups, including Women’s Safety NSW and White Ribbon, and the start of a media campaign calling on all state and territory Governments to introduce a new, nationally consistent, offence of Coercive Control.

The Coalition has been spearheaded by Are Media, formerly Bauer Media, publisher of more than 35 titles including The Australian Women’s Weekly and Marie Claire. The group’s mastheads have more than 9 million readers and a social network of 30 million followers.

Marie Claire editor Nicky Briger said today’s announcement is an important next step in seeing a new Coercive Control offence introduced in NSW. “We will be watching with interest the progress of the inquiry and its findings and reporting on them to our considerable audience,” Briger said. “Governments across Australia have consistently failed to address this major issue, despite the overwhelming evidence it is a precursor to physical violence, and often murder.

Editor-in-chief of The Australian Women’s Weekly, Nicole Byers said “We commend the NSW Government and Attorney-General Speakman for taking this step. We now look forward to other states making similar announcements soon and would encourage the Commonwealth Government to play its part in seeing a nationally consistent Coercive Control law introduced around Australia.”