The NSW Government has passed legislation enshrining a standard non-parole period of 25 years for the murder of a current or former partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the first time in Australia a specific non-parole period for intimate partner homicide has been legislated. Reflecting the gravity of the crime, the 25-year standard non-parole period is among the highest of any offence in NSW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Murder carries a standard non-parole period of 20 years. This reform represents a 25% increase, aligning intimate partner murder with other offences that attract the state\u2019s most severe sentencing standards, such as the murder of a child or public officials acting in the course of their duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences) Bill 2025<\/em> passed NSW Parliament on Tuesday night. It amended the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999<\/em> following the extraordinary advocacy of Tabitha Acret whose daughter Mackenzie Anderson was tragically murdered by her former partner in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The murder of a current or former intimate partner is a heinous crime that causes profound harm to victims, families and communities. This legislation ensures our laws reflect both the severity of these offences and their devastating impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the five years to June 2025, 59 people in NSW were murdered by a current or former intimate partner \u2013 42 of them women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This reform builds on the Minns Labor Government\u2019s ongoing commitment to ensure the justice system protects victim-survivors of domestic and family violence and holds perpetrators to account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This work has included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, the Government has commenced implementation of NSW\u2019s first dedicated Primary Prevention Strategy and delivered record investment in crisis support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Minns Labor Government knows there is more work to be done. It remains steadfast in its commitment to working alongside advocates, experts, and victim-survivors to prevent domestic and family violence, ensure accountability, and stop its devastating impact across NSW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attorney General Michael Daley said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thank Tabitha Acret for her courage and advocacy. She has endured something that no parent should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHomicide is the most horrific form of domestic and family violence. It\u2019s vital that sentencing reflects the gravity of this crime, and its impact on victims\u2019 families and the broader community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis important change means domestic violence killers will be subject to the highest non-parole periods available in NSW.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe passing of this important piece of legislation sends a strong message that we will hold perpetrators to account for intimate partner homicide. Increasing the standard non-parole period aligns with community expectations and reflects the gravity of the crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to thank Tabitha Acret for her powerful advocacy, helping us make New South Wales a safer place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe know there is more work to do, especially to stop the violence before it starts and we will continue to listen to and work with advocates, experts and victim-survivors to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The NSW Government has passed legislation enshrining a standard non-parole period of 25 years for the murder of a current or former partner. This is the first time in Australia a specific non-parole period for intimate partner homicide has been legislated. Reflecting the gravity of the crime, the 25-year standard non-parole period is among the highest … Continue reading “Tougher sentences for intimate partner homicide pass NSW Parliament”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36110"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36111,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36110\/revisions\/36111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n