Family Violence

Family violence (domestic violence) includes physical violence, threats, emotional, financial and psychological abuse and damaging property. You can take action to stop it.

If there has been family violence, contact your local police. The police have the power to:

• arrest the offender;
• remove the offender immediately from your home;
• search for and remove weapons;
• charge the offender with a criminal offence;
• apply for an Intervention Order on your behalf.

Do not be afraid to call the police for protection for yourself and your children. There are special police units trained to handle family violence. If your local police are not helpful, ask to speak to an officer from the specialised Family Violence Unit as soon as possible. You can also seek help from a domestic violence service.

Eales & Mackenzie has many years’ experience assisting parties and children escaping family violence.  We can assist you and your children if you find yourself in this situation.  Always remember that your information will be kept confidential and deal with sensitively.

A family violence intervention order can stop a person from coming onto certain premises (even if this is a house they own or where you work together), from coming within a set distance of you, from damaging or taking personal property, or from contacting, harassing, threatening or intimidating you, including online.  The court can order the return of property or allow use of the property at certain times.

When you are at court, take any family law orders with you and make sure the Magistrate knows about them.  In urgent cases, these family law orders may be changed or suspended, until the parenting order can be reconsidered by the Family Law Courts.

Eales and Mackenzie can help you with all aspects of this difficult area.  If family violence is happening now, you should call the Police before calling anyone else.  We can help you with your family violence case, either in a Magistrates’ Court, or as part of your family law case.

Please feel free to contact one of our family lawyers in Melbourne for further information.