Personal Protection Orders and family violence

What a PPO does

A Personal Protection Order is an order of the Family Courts under the Women's Charter. It forbids a family member from committing family violence against the person protected, and it can cover other family members such as children. The court can add conditions to the order to keep the protected person safe.

The court grants a PPO if it is satisfied, on a balance of probabilities, that family violence has been or is likely to be committed and that the order is necessary for protection.

What counts as family violence

Most of the Women's Charter (Family Violence and Other Matters) (Amendment) Act 2023 came into force on 2 January 2025. It widened the definition of family violence, which had previously focused mainly on hurt, fear of hurt, confinement and continual harassment. It now covers three kinds of abuse:

• Physical abuse: causing or threatening injury or pain, or wrongfully confining or restraining someone
• Sexual abuse: coercing, or trying to coerce, someone into sexual activity
• Emotional or psychological abuse: tormenting, intimidating, harassing or distressing someone, or conduct likely to cause mental harm

Who can apply

The order must be sought against a family member. That includes a spouse or former spouse, a child (including an adopted child or stepchild), a parent, a parent-in-law, a sibling, and other relatives or incapacitated persons whom the court considers should be treated as family. Firm guides note that unmarried partners are not covered.

An applicant generally needs to be at least 18. A person can also apply on behalf of a child or an incapacitated family member, and Protectors appointed by the Ministry of Social and Family Development can act for people at risk. Applications can be made online through the courts' iFAMS system or in person at the Family Protection Centre.

Related orders

Alongside a PPO, the court can make several other orders, depending on what is needed.

• Expedited order: temporary protection where there is a danger of family violence while the PPO application is pending; firm guides say it typically lasts 28 days and can be extended
• Domestic exclusion order: keeps the respondent out of the home, or part of it, regardless of who owns it
• Stay-away order: keeps the respondent away from places the protected person often goes, such as a workplace
• No-contact order: bars the respondent from visiting or communicating with the protected person
• Counselling and mandatory treatment orders: firm guides say a mandatory treatment order can require psychiatric treatment for up to 36 months
• Electronic monitoring order: tracks the respondent's whereabouts in high-risk cases

If an order is breached

Knowingly breaching a PPO, expedited order, emergency order or a related exclusion, stay-away or no-contact order is a criminal offence. As of 2026, firm guides state that the maximum penalty is a fine of up to $10,000, up to 12 months' imprisonment, or both, with up to 18 months' imprisonment in aggravated cases such as repeat offences or those involving vulnerable adults. These figures were raised by the 2025 changes, so older guides may show lower amounts. The police can act on a suspected breach.

Speaking with a lawyer

Whether you are seeking protection or responding to an application, a family lawyer can explain which orders may apply and how the process works. If you are in immediate danger, contact the police first.