(1) For the purposes
of this Act, family violence means violent, threatening or other behaviour by
a person that coerces or controls a member of the person’s family (the
family member ), or causes the family member to be fearful.
(2) Examples of
behaviour that may constitute family violence include (but are not limited to)
—
(a) an
assault; or
(b) a
sexual assault or other sexually abusive behaviour; or
(c)
stalking; or
(d)
repeated derogatory taunts; or
(e)
intentionally damaging or destroying property; or
(f)
intentionally causing death or injury to an animal; or
(g)
unreasonably denying the family member the financial autonomy that he or she
would otherwise have had; or
(h)
unreasonably withholding financial support needed to meet the reasonable
living expenses of the family member, or his or her child, at a time when the
family member is entirely or predominantly dependent on the person for
financial support; or
(i)
preventing the family member from making or keeping
connections with his or her family, friends or culture; or
(j)
unlawfully depriving the family member, or any member of the family
member’s family, of his or her liberty.
(3) For the purposes
of this Act, a child is exposed to family violence if the child sees or hears
family violence or otherwise experiences the effects of family violence.
(4) Examples of
situations that may constitute a child being exposed to family violence
include (but are not limited to) the child —
(a)
overhearing threats of death or personal injury by a member of the
child’s family towards another member of the child’s family; or
(b)
seeing or hearing an assault of a member of the child’s family by
another member of the child’s family; or
(c)
comforting or providing assistance to a member of the child’s family who
has been assaulted by another member of the child’s family; or
(d)
cleaning up a site after a member of the child’s family has
intentionally damaged property of another member of the child’s family;
or
(e)
being present when police or ambulance officers attend an incident involving
the assault of a member of the child’s family by another member of the
child’s family.
[Section 9A inserted: No. 13 of 2013 s. 6.]