NSW has become the first jurisdiction in Australia to legislate a specific non-parole period for intimate partner homicide.
In mid- November, Parliament passed reforms that set a mandatory benchmark of 25 years behind bars for those convicted of murdering a current or former partner.
This new sentencing shift places intimate partner murder beside the state’s other most serious offences, such as the murder of a child or of a public official. The changes form part of the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences) Bill 2025, and follows the advocacy of Tabitha Acret after her daughter Mackenzie Anderson was filled by a former partner in 2022. Previously, intimate partner violence followed the standard non-parole period of 20 years as is for all murder convictions.
In the five years to June 2025, 59 people in NSW were murdered by a current or former intimate partner, 42 of them women.
‘The passing of this important piece of legislation sends a strong message that we will hold perpetrators to account for intimate partner homicide,’ said Jodie Harrison, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
This reform builds on the Minns Labor Government’s commitment to protecting victim-survivors of domestic and family violence. and holds perpetrators to account. Other work recently done by the Minns Government includes introducing the toughest bail laws in the country for perpetrators of domestic and family violence, requiring electronic monitoring of people charged with serious domestic violence offences who are on bail, increasing penalties for certain breaches of Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders, establishing Serious Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to better protect victim-survivors.
‘Homicide is the most horrific form of domestic and family violence. It’s vital that sentencing reflects the gravity of this crime, and its impact on victims’ families and the broader community,’ said Attorney-General Michael Daley.
