The Australian Psychological Society (APS) is pleased to provide a response to the National Principles to Address Coercive Control developed by The Standing Council of Attorneys-General (SCAG). Many of our psychologists work with clients who are victim-survivors or perpetrators of coercive controlling behaviours throughout Australia on a daily basis in a range of settings.
Irrespective of whether, and how it is legislated in each jurisdiction, a common agreement of principles is an important step to ultimately increase community understanding and improve the safety of future (would be) victims.
As we discuss in our response, prevention in terms of addressing negative attitudes and promoting respectful relationships are critical to addressing coercive control in the long term.
There are two additional issues we would like to draw to the attention of SCAG:
1. The additional challenges faced by rural and remote Australians - this includes the limited social and professional support in geographically isolated regions as well as the lack of anonymity if the perpetrator is known and respected in the community.
2. Use of psychological assessment and evidence - should be done in a trauma informed manner. Psychological expertise can be utilised to provide timely psychological assessment to help fully elucidate the context, intent and impact of the behaviours. In addition, we advocate for the use of psychologists' expert evidence to provide insights into retaliatory or compliant behaviour of victim-survivors who are trying to maximise their own or others’ safety.
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