Victorian Labor to introduce stand-alone coercive control offence in backflip to match opposition policy

Victorian attorney-general Sonya Kilkenny (right) says the Labor government will ‘legislate next year to make coercive control a stand-alone criminal offence’. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

The Victorian government will introduce a stand-alone coercive control offence in 2026, marking a major policy reversal after the new opposition leader, Jess Wilson, made the reform her first election commitment.

Wilson last week announced she would create the offence within her first 100 days in office if the Coalition wins the election in November 2026.