The Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre has welcomed proposed NSW reforms that will see killers of intimate partners face a minimum of 25 years behind bars, under new sentencing standards to be enshrined in law.
The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences) Bill 2025, introduced in parliament on Thursday, will amend the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 and is expected to be debated later this week.
If passed, the reform will establish a Standard Non-Parole Period of 25 years for the murder of a current or former intimate partner. It’s the first such law in Australia and aligns intimate partner homicide with the state’s most serious offences, such as the murder of a child or a public official acting in the line of duty.
According to NSW Government statistics, 59 people across the state were murdered by a current or former intimate partner in the five years to June 2025 – 42 of them women.
Nationally, in 2024, one woman was killed every five days and one man every 41 days by an intimate partner.
The move follows years of advocacy led by Tabitha Acret, mother of Mackenzie Anderson, who was murdered by her former partner in 2022.
Ms Acret has campaigned for harsher sentencing after discovering her daughter’s killer could be eligible for parole in just over a decade.
In announcing the Bill, NSW Premier Chris Minns thanked Ms Acret for her courage, and added:
“This legislation is about recognising the true severity of intimate partner homicide and ensuring our justice system reflects that and holds perpetrators to account.
“We know laws alone won’t end domestic and family violence, but they do send a powerful signal about what we stand for as a community.”
Jodie Harrison, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, said the bill would send a strong message of accountability while work continues on prevention and recovery.
“While today’s legislation is an important step, we know there is more to do. We will continue working with advocates, experts and victim-survivors to stop violence before it starts and support those impacted to rebuild their lives.”
Executive Director of the Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre, Sally Stevenson, said the changes acknowledge the lifelong trauma intimate partner violence causes.
“This legislation is an important signal that violence against women has serious and proportional consequences – if the law is used to its full strength. Unfortunately, this does not happen anywhere near enough, so we look forward to seeing this law used as it is intended – to keep violent men away from women and children.” she said.
“In addition, stronger sentencing alone will not end the crisis. We must also confront the systems, the attitudes, and the failures that allow violence to continue. Real change requires sustained investment in prevention, recovery and healing through trauma-informed care.”
The announcement comes some weeks before the 16 Days of Activism campaign, an international initiative to eliminate gender-based violence.
The Illawarra Women’s Health Centre and the Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre will be joining Women Illawarra to mark the International Day to Eliminate Gender Based Violence with a Rose Vigil at McCabe Park, Wollongong, on Tuesday, November 25, at 1pm.
Please join us.