Domestic and Family
Violence Media Guide
Edition 2
Acknowledgements and terminology
Warning
This guide contains reference to domestic and family violence (DFV), coercive control and trauma and may be distressing to some readers. Support service details can be found at page 32 of this guide.
First Nations acknowledgement
We proudly acknowledge Queensland’s First Nations communities and their ongoing strength in practising the world’s oldest living cultures. We acknowledge the Traditional owners of the lands and waters on which we live, work, learn and play, and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. 
We acknowledge the ongoing leadership role of First Nations communities in addressing domestic, family and sexual violence. We join with First Nations peoples to eliminate violence from all communities.
Acknowledgement of victims and victim-survivors 
We acknowledge and pay our respects to those people who have been impacted by domestic and family violence and acknowledge their resilience and courage, and to those who have tragically lost their lives. They remain at the forefront of our work and reform efforts. 
Terminology
In this guide, the term ‘victim-survivor’ is used to describe a person subjected to domestic and family violence. We acknowledge that victims and survivors have the right to define their identity and the recovery process can be a long journey.
The term ‘person/s using violence’, as opposed to perpetrator, is used when referring to the person who is being violent, abusive, and/or controlling (including through non-physical behaviours) towards the victim-survivor. The term recognises a person’s ability to undergo personal development, be accountable for their actions and stop their harmful behaviours. 
The terms ‘complainant’, ‘accused’, ‘aggrieved’ and ‘respondent’ are used in this guide in relation to legal proceedings. This is based on the terms used in legislation and within the justice system, and the legal rights of all parties to proceedings, including to a fair trial. It is not a reflection on the experiences of victim-survivors of domestic and family violence.
The language used in this guide is gendered, which reflects the data that shows domestic and family violence is primarily perpetrated against women and their children, by men who are most often known to the victim-survivor, commonly a partner or ex-partner.
Legal disclaimer
The information contained in this guide is a general overview of the current Queensland laws and legislative amendments that commence on 26 May 2025. Legal information in the guide is general information and should not be considered legal advice. Journalists should seek their own legal advice about media reports regarding domestic and family violence and not rely solely on this guide. It is current at the time of publication.

Contents
Acknowledgements and terminology	ii
Introduction	2
Purpose of the media guide	2 
Domestic and family violence: what we know	3
Challenging attitudes that condone violence against women	6
Misconceptions and assumptions	7
Facts and figures	9
Queensland statistics	10
Experts and sources	10
Trauma	11
Trauma-informed reporting	12 
Trauma reporting and domestic and family violence	13
Vicarious trauma and self-care for media	13
Reporting on domestic and family violence: the legalities	14
Defining domestic and family violence and stalking	14
Criminal offence of coercive control	14
When reporting on specific incidents	15
Court reporting	15
Other publishing restrictions	19
Reporting on vulnerable and diverse communities	20
Trauma and its impacts	20
Visibility and telling diverse stories	20
Challenges for reporting 	21
More information on reporting on vulnerable and diverse communities	21
Practical tips	23
Interviewing tips	23
Use of language	23
Headlines	23
Use of imagery	25
Dos and don’ts	24
Further information and assistance	26
Information for media	26
Awareness training for media	27
Statistics	28
Support services	29
Additional contacts	29
Quick reference template for support services and reporting DFV	30
Key terms and definitions	31

Introduction
Everyone, regardless of their sex, religion, nationality, race, language, relationship or living arrangements, has the right to feel safe and be safe, in public and at home.
Under Queensland law, domestic and family violence (DFV) includes behaviour and patterns of behaviour by a person towards another person in a ‘relevant’ relationship that is physically, sexually, emotionally, psychologically or economically abusive, threatening, coercive or in any other way controls or dominates the other person and causes them fear for their or another person’s safety or well-being. The law specifies that intimate personal, family or informal care relationships are relevant relationships.
The behaviour, or a pattern of behaviour, can occur over time, and may be more than one act, or a series of acts that when considered cumulatively is abusive, threatening, coercive or causes fear. The behaviour should be considered in the context of the whole relationship between the two people.
The abusive behaviour can include physical, emotional and sexual abuse, financial control, isolation from family and friends, threats of self-harm or harm to pets or loved ones, constant monitoring of whereabouts or stalking. 
Coercive control is almost always an underpinning dynamic of DFV. 
DFV, in all forms, is a violation of basic human rights. It must not be accepted or excused.
Purpose of the media guide 
Journalists can inform, persuade and influence public opinion. They can help educate the public and promote a social culture that does not tolerate DFV, and that supports and protects victim-survivors of DFV, holds people who use violence to account and encourages others to seek help.
Media coverage of DFV, which is largely perpetrated against women by their partner or ex-partner, has increased due to many public and high-profile cases and greater public focus on the issue. While reporting has improved in recent years and some media organisations have developed editorial policies and guidelines to assist journalists, much reporting continues to reproduce harmful stereotypes and blame victim-survivors, which can have a negative effect on their wellbeing as well as on efforts to combat DFV. This can in turn increase risks to victims’ safety. Media reports about specific DFV incidents can also be used as a tool to threaten. 
‘The media can be an enormously powerful agent of change. It has the ability to quickly reach and influence hundreds of thousands, even millions of people at a time.’ 
This media guide is a resource to support journalists to responsibly report on DFV in a trauma-informed manner. It outlines the nature of DFV and its impacts, highlights common misconceptions that still exist and puts the issue into context by providing relevant statistics and research. 
Understanding trauma and its effects can help journalists to report more empathetically. This guide provides an overview of trauma, how it can impact victim-survivors and journalists themselves, and guidance on how media can tell the stories of victim-survivors in a trauma-informed way. This is especially important when reporting about DFV involving people from diverse communities who may be more vulnerable to violence, experience unique forms of abuse or face additional barriers to sharing their experiences. 
This guide outlines legal considerations for media organisations when reporting on DFV in specific contexts, such as court matters, and details current laws and legislative changes in Queensland, which can impact on reporting. (Note: Legal information in the guide is general information and should not be considered legal advice. Journalists should seek independent legal advice before publication.)
Finally, it provides practical tips on interviewing, use of more considered language, headlines and imagery, contacts for DFV sector support services and details of where to source relevant statistics.

Domestic and family violence and coercive control: what we know
Drivers of domestic and family violence
Key factors that most consistently drive violence against women and explain its gendered patterns include:
1.	Condoning or minimising violence against women.
2.	Men’s control of decision-making and limits to women’s independence in public and private life.
3.	Rigid gender stereotyping and dominant forms of masculinity.
4.	Male peer relations and cultures of masculinity that emphasise aggression, dominance, control and disrespect of women.	
DFV affects all Queensland communities and can happen to anyone, regardless of socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender, culture, faith, age, ability or location. However, statistics show it is a gendered issue and has an unequal impact on women. One in six Australian women have experienced violence or emotional or economic abuse from a cohabiting partner compared to one in 18 Australian men; and of those who experience DFV, 75 per cent of all victims reported the person who uses violence as male.
Historically, DFV was considered a private matter and defined narrowly to reflect only physical forms of violence, with past legislation restricted to married couples. Growing community awareness increased recognition of its breadth, harms and impacts. Legal reforms expanded the definition to include economic and psychological harm and encompassed intimate and family relationships and informal-care relationships. Most recently, the Queensland Government has passed legislation to criminalise coercive control.
Coercive control is almost always an underpinning dynamic of DFV. People who use coercive control exert power and dominance and can use patterns of abusive behaviours against another person over time to create fear, wear down the victim’s sense of identity and independence, and entrap them by closing off safety and support options. People who use coercive control can use physical or non-physical forms of abuse, or both. Just because abuse is not physical does not diminish its seriousness, impacts and risk.
‘The often subtle and insidious nature of abusive behaviours employed in coercive control can make their manipulative and coercive nature difficult to recognise.’ 
The causes and contributors to DFV are extremely complex and are founded in cultural attitudes and behaviours, gender inequality, discrimination and personal behaviours and attitudes. It also disproportionately impacts First Nations peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability, older people, people who are LGBTIQA+, children and young people and people from rural, regional and remote communities.
Not only does DFV have personal impacts, including long-term impacts on victims’ safety, economic independence and security, it is a major social issue that costs the Queensland economy between $2.7 billion and $3.2 billion annually. Nationally, the cost is estimated to be $26 billion and, as a workplace issue, costs employers about $175 million annually. It was the main reason almost 73,000 people sought help from specialist homelessness services in 2021–22.
While research shows community attitudes and understanding are slowly improving over time, some in the community still trivialise or minimise the seriousness of DFV. Some tend to focus on the good points of a person who uses violence or supposed lack of any past violent behaviour, but the deliberate choice to use violence cannot be excused. People who use violence are often good at hiding their abuse and creating a positive image of themselves, contributing to the misidentification of victim-survivors as the person using violence.
41 per cent of those surveyed believed that DV was equally committed by both men and women.
	28 per cent of Australians surveyed believed men and women equally experienced fear as a result of domestic violence (DV).

	Only 47 per cent agreed that violence against women was a problem in their own suburb or town.
	
Source: Coumarelos, C. et al. 2023. Attitudes matter: The 2021 National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS), Summary for Australia (Research report, 03/2023), Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety.
‘Eliminating domestic and family violence requires generational change. The prevention of domestic and family violence requires actions at all levels of society, community and across all settings.’ 
High-profile DFV incidents reported in the media heightened the focus of the media, government and the wider community on the issue of coercive control. 
The behaviours used can be subtle and insidious, individually targeted and tailored to the victim-survivor, and difficult for others to identify. The abusive behaviour evident in coercive-controlling relationships aims to denigrate a person and deny them independence over choices in their daily life. Research shows that people who use violence control their victims through deprivation, exploitation, monopolisation of resources, removal of support networks, and limiting the victim’s decision-making. 
Outsiders may dismiss the behaviour as that of an overly concerned or invested partner when in reality, it reveals the person intentionally uses abusive behaviours to restrict the victim’s independence and liberty.
See page 15 for more details about the criminal offence of coercive control. 
The Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce found media reporting on DFV reflected the wider community’s lack of understanding of the nature of DFV and coercive control, which highlighted a broader need for community education.
The Queensland Government is working to prevent and respond to DFV in the community through its Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Strategy 2016–2026 and the Queensland Government response to the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce Report 1, in conjunction with the Commonwealth Government’s National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022–2032. 

Challenging attitudes that condone violence against women 
Journalists can help challenge misconceptions about DFV and coercive control, and harmful attitudes and societal norms that condone violence against women and their children, by increasing community understanding of the scale, impacts and drivers of the issue. To achieve this, media can:
•	destigmatise DFV by debunking associated stereotypes and refrain from victim-blaming
•	include social context in reporting through use of relevant data (where legally possible)
•	amplify the voices of people with lived experience of DFV so they can tell their stories 
•	seek ‘expert’ voices, rather than relying only on law enforcement
•	explicitly reference the key drivers of DFV.
How media frame the coverage of DFV impacts community understanding of the issue. ‘Episodic’ framing depicts an incident as an isolated or unusual occurrence and may focus on sensational or more graphic elements of what occurred. It does not provide context about the incident within a broader relational or social context. It may also normalise myths or misconceptions that accept and normalise inequality and gender-based violence, or assume ‘real’ domestic and family violence only involves physical aggression. Homicides are not rare – on average, one woman is killed every 9 days in Australia, which is why it’s important to look at patterns of abuse, as opposed to focusing on individual events.
‘Thematic’ framing of the same incident would use statistics, expert commentary, information from support services and other details to promote greater public awareness of the context of gender-based violence. It can help violence prevention by increasing understanding of its causes and focus on ways to change social acceptance of the problem.
‘…if journalists limit murder-centric, sensationalised coverage, they could concentrate on reporting that includes victims and promotes information about where and how to seek help.’ 

Misconceptions and assumptions
Many common misconceptions and assumptions surround DFV and coercive control. Media can play a key role in violence prevention by de-bunking some of these false beliefs and not reproducing them in their reporting. 
Interview sources may inadvertently perpetuate misconceptions and assumptions that can:
•	minimise or excuse the abusive behaviour and actions of the person using violence
•	encourage victim blaming, and
•	add to victims’ trauma and impact their safety.
Truth	DFV is not only physical violence. It includes behaviour that is sexually, emotionally, psychologically or economically abusive, threatening, coercive or aimed at controlling the other person through fear, and is almost always underpinned by a dynamic of coercive control. A person doesn’t have to be hit or have bruises to experience DFV. Non-physical forms of abuse are as serious as physical violence. 	
Truth	DFV is a broad-based problem that cuts across socio-economic groups and factors such as race, wealth, education, religion and age. It doesn’t only affect some cultures, nor should DFV be accepted or considered a norm in any society. 	
Truth	DFV is everyone’s business. As a community, we owe it to each other to speak up when we see someone at risk or if we hear someone condoning violence or expressing attitudes that perpetuate violence towards women. DFV is estimated to cost the Queensland economy between $2.7 and $3.2 billion every year and that has an impact on government, business and society.	
Truth	DFV almost always includes an underpinning dynamic of coercive control and a pattern of ongoing abuse - it is rarely a single incidence.	
Truth	Children and young people are victim-survivors in their own right and not extensions of their parents or ‘secondary victims’. Witnesses or people exposed to DFV are also victims.	
Truth	While men do experience DFV and women can use violence, research demonstrates that the people using violence are predominantly men and it is disproportionately experienced by women and their children. One in six Australian women and one in 18 Australian men experience violence by the partner they live with. Many women who use physical violence do so in response to the abusive behaviours and coercive control perpetrated by their male partners. Women are also more likely than men to experience emotional abuse by their partner and are more likely to experience anxiety and fear as a result. Some people, both men and women, may choose not to report the violence  but overwhelmingly the statistics show that most victims are women.	
Truth	DFV is not caused by unemployment, financial stress or addiction. People use abusive behaviours, whether physical or otherwise, to maintain power and control over their victims. Regardless of the external stressors in life faced by a person who uses violence, their decision to use violence is intentional. There is no excuse for DFV and we should not make excuses for those who choose to use it to control others.	

Truth	A victim-survivor is not to blame for the actions of the person who uses DFV, who has made a deliberate decision to use abusive behaviours to control the victim-survivor. The cumulative impacts of coercive control can result in ‘entrapment,’ making it difficult for a victim-survivor to leave a relationship or to extricate themselves from the control of a family member. In many cases, a victim-survivor lacks effective safety options and has remained in a situation where they are at risk of abuse because of the economic consequences of leaving, concerns about housing for themselves and any children, or fear of what the person who uses violence may do in retaliation to themselves or their family. Over time, a victim-survivor may internalise negative messages and narratives from their abuser, eroding their sense of self and self-esteem and presenting a barrier to seeking help or leaving a relationship. A victim-survivor may also feel that they still love the person who harms them, despite the person’s actions. Instead of asking ‘why don’t they leave?’ ask ‘why doesn’t the abuser stop?’.	
Truth	A person who uses violence may present themself as a good neighbour, a loving dad and a hard worker to friends, colleagues and bystanders. The manipulative and coercive nature of their behaviour may be less visible or identifiable by people outside the relationship. This is because the patterns of abusive behaviours may be subtle and insidious and specifically targeted to the victim-survivor, and the pattern of controlling or dominating behaviour may occur behind closed doors. When we don’t know the full picture of a person, we should not assume that they are not capable of using abusive behaviours to control others, nor should we excuse the behaviour.	
Truth	Rape in marriage does occur and is a crime. Marriage does not give anyone the right to force their partner to have sex against their will. Just because two people are married, it does not mean that consent can be implied or assumed.	
Truth	DFV can happen in any type of intimate partner relationship. It is not just experienced in heterosexual relationships. The abuse is often underreported in the LGBTQIA+ community. Research shows intimate partner violence rates within lesbian, gay and queer relationships are as high as those for women in intimate heterosexual relationships. Rates of intimate partner violence may be higher for bisexual, trans and gender diverse people. 	
Truth	Women are often misidentified as the person using violence as they may use physical violence in self-defence or resistance in response to the abusive behaviours and coercive control of their male partners.	
Truth	DFV is preventable. People who use violence or who are at risk of doing so can change their behaviour. And it isn’t inevitable that people who have experienced DFV will go on to abuse others.	

Facts and figures
Including relevant statistics in media reporting helps better reflect the reality of experiences of DFV. Be aware that the recorded data does not reflect the true scale of the issue as many people do not report it to police, meaning it is under-reported. Also be aware that an individual’s own biases can influence how they interpret data.
One in 4 (27 per cent or 2.7 million) Australian women aged 18 or older has experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2023. Personal Safety, Australia 2021–22, Australian Government, Canberra
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/personal-safety-australia/latest-release#violence	One in 8 (12 per cent or 1.1 million) Australian men aged 18 or older has experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member 
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2023. Personal Safety, Australia 2021–22, Australian Government, Canberra
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/personal-safety-australia/latest-release#violence
	
One in 3 (31 per cent or 3.1 million) Australian women experienced physical violence
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2023. Personal Safety, Australia 2021–22, Australian Government, Canberra
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/personal-safety-australia/latest-release#physical-violence	Two in 5 Australian children are exposed to DFV
Source: Haslam D, et al. 2023. The prevalence and impact of child maltreatment in Australia: Findings from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study: Brief Report, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
https://www.acms.au/
	
On average, one Australian woman is killed by an intimate partner every 9 days
Source: Calculated from Bricknell, S. 2023. Homicide in Australia 2020–21. Statistical Report no 42. Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra 
https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/sr/sr42	One in 3 LGBTQIA+ people experience violence from a partner, ex-partner or family member
Source: ACON Health. LGBTQ+ Domestic and Family Violence, Say It Out Loud. https://sayitoutloud.org.au/?state=all
	
One in 100 people aged 65 and older experience physical violence from a current/former partner or other family member
Source: Australian Institute of Family Studies. 2022. Elder abuse in Australia: Physical abuse, Australian Government https://aifs.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-08/22-02_physical-abuse-in-australia.pdf	One in 5 women experienced stalking since age 15
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2023. Personal Safety, Australia 2021–22, Australian Government, Canberra
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/personal-safety-australia/latest-release#stalking	
First Nations women are 31 times more likely to be hospitalised due to DFV assaults than non-Indigenous women
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2023. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Framework, Determinants of Health 2.10 Community Safety, Australian Government, Canberra
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/indigenous-australians/family-violence-indigenous-peoples/summary 	Violence against women is the single biggest risk factor contributing to disease burden among women 18 to 44 years
Source: Department of Social Services. 2022. The National Plan to End Violence against Women and their Children 2022–32, Australian Government, Canberra https://www.dss.gov.au/the-national-plan-to-end-violence-against-women-and-children/the-national-plan-to-end-violence-against-women-and-children-2022-2032	
The cost of violence against women and their children is estimated at $26 billion a year 
(Cost applies to women and their children. Would be higher if all forms of violence against children included.)
Source: Department of Social Services. 2022. The National Plan to End Violence against Women and their Children 2022–32, Australian Government, Canberra. https://www.dss.gov.au/the-national-plan-to-end-violence-against-women-and-children/the-national-plan-to-end-violence-against-women-and-children-2022-2032 	One in 5 adults with a disability have experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or former partner
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2022. People with disability in Australia, Australian Government, Canberra. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/disability/people-with-disability-in-australia/contents/justice-and-safety/violence-against-people-with-disability	
Queensland statistics
413 homicides in a DFV relationship
1 July 2006 – 30 June 2023
Source: Queensland Government. 2022. Not now, not ever. Together - Year 8 highlights card 2022–23. 	139,135 DFV occurrences reported to Queensland Police in 2021–22
Source: Queensland Audit Office, 2022. Keeping people safe from domestic and family violence, Performance Audit Report, 10 November 2022.
 	
40,471 contravene Domestic Violence Orders charges lodged in 2023–24 (Magistrates Courts with most lodgments) 
Source: Queensland Courts. 2024. Domestic and family violence (DFV) statistics. www.courts.qld.gov.au/court-users/researchers-and-public/stats	27,921 DFV-related assaults recorded by police in 2022–23
Source: Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. 2023. Crime report, Queensland 2021–22, Queensland Treasury. www.qgso.qld.gov.au/statistics/theme/crime-justice/crime-justice-statistics/reported-crime	
27,857 initiating applications for Domestic Violence Orders in 2023–24
Source: Queensland Courts. 2024. Domestic and family violence (DFV) statistics. www.courts.qld.gov.au/court-users/researchers-and-public/stats 	2231 strangulation offences lodged (Magistrates Court) in 2023–24
Source: Queensland Courts. 2024. Domestic and family violence (DFV) statistics. swww.courts.qld.gov.au/court-users/researchers-and-public/stats 	
You can find further data at:
•	Courts: www.courts.qld.gov.au/court-statistics
•	Police: www.police.qld.gov.au/maps-and-statistics
•	Queensland Government Statistician’s Office: https://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/statistics/theme/crime-justice/crime-justice-statistics
•	Domestic and Family Violence Death Review and Advisory Board: https://www.coronerscourt.qld.gov.au/dfvdrab/annual-reports-and-government-responses
•	Australian Institute of Criminology: www.aic.gov.au/publications/sr
•	Our Watch: www.ourwatch.org.au/quick-facts

Experts and sources
Choice of information sources can influence how a story is framed. Reports on DFV often focus on specific incidents and rely solely on law enforcement or court sources for contextual information. Police are important sources, but not the only ones. They can describe incidents of crime but some DFV and coercive control behaviours are never reported and may not be subject to a criminal charge. DFV is rarely a single incident and often occurs in the context of a pattern of abusive behaviour underpinned by coercive control. A person who used violence in an individual incident may have done so in retaliation or self-defence against the predominant abuser.
Individuals and organisations with expertise in DFV, coercive control and its prevention can provide useful and diverse perspectives for journalists for context in media reports or as background information. Some support sector organisations have media-trained survivor advocates who are able to speak about DFV and their lived experience, for example, Micah Projects’ Resound Group of Lived Experience Experts.
Experts can include:
•	national and state-based DFV organisations
•	individuals such as academics or community experts
•	organisations who support specific groups, for example, First Nations peoples, LGBTIQA+, people with disability, youth or older Queenslanders, culturally and linguistically diverse communities
•	survivor advocates.
Drawing on a range of experts helps better inform media reporting as no individual can speak for an entire community. Avoid using sources close to the person who uses the violence. A person who uses violence may present themself as a good neighbour, a loving parent and a hard worker to friends, colleagues and bystanders. The manipulative and coercive nature of their behaviour may be less visible or identifiable by people outside the relationship.
Contact details for Queensland support services and other organisations which may provide useful information and potential interviewees can be found on page 32.

Trauma
Trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful, which has lasting adverse effects on their functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual wellbeing. It is a common outcome of DFV and coercive control, and its consequences can impact across generations.
Individuals experience trauma in different ways at different times. People may feel or behave differently than their normal selves or even be unaware that they have been impacted. They are often unable to tell their stories immediately after an incident due to trauma, which can affect memory, perception and judgment as their brain tries to make sense of what has occurred or due to physical trauma they may have suffered.
Trauma can affect the way people seek help and engage with services as they may feel unsafe, find it hard to trust other people or be fearful. The impacts of trauma depend on a range of factors including age, previous experience of trauma, how long the trauma lasts, how often it happens and how extreme it is. It can also depend on culture, background and the social context of a person’s life.
Trauma-informed approaches are considered best practice in dealing with people impacted by trauma. The core principles for trauma-informed practice are:
•	safety
•	trust
•	choice
•	collaboration, and
•	empowerment.
A trauma-informed approach is a victim-centric one that:
•	understands how trauma can affect the brain and body
•	recognises that behaviours may be coping mechanisms to keep safe
•	considers what has happened to the person, not what is ‘wrong’ with them
•	collaborates with victim-survivors
•	empowers victim-survivors by providing opportunities to rebuild a sense of control 
•	seeks to avoid re-traumatisation.
Reporting violence, tragedy or trauma requires extreme sensitivity. Understanding trauma can help journalists to do their jobs better.
“Trauma-informed journalism means understanding trauma, understanding what a trauma survivor is experiencing before you show up at their door, and understanding how your actions [as a journalist] will impact them after you pack up and leave.”- Former crime reporter Tamara Cherry 
Trauma-informed reporting
Journalists can significantly influence public understanding of trauma through media reporting that humanises victim-survivors and doesn’t reduce them to their trauma. A trauma-informed approach should be used whether or not a victim-survivor chooses to speak to a journalist.
Trauma-informed reporting recognises what the person has experienced, how it might be continuing to affect them and how telling their story could cause them to re-experience the original trauma and further impact them.
Some people are not ready to process or discuss what has happened immediately. Their accounts may only make partial sense, their recall may be incomplete or even contradictory and they may block out an event entirely. They may be able to provide more accurate details when they have had some time to heal.
Trauma and reporting on domestic and family violence
DFV takes power away from people and can make them feel they lack control in their lives. Giving victim-survivors control over their stories helps empower them. It is vital that people understand the reporting process to be able to give informed consent about taking part. 
Journalists should clearly explain the type of questions they may ask, the broader story structure and why they are interested in the victim-survivor’s experience. Ask them what they want to achieve through telling their story and what they do and don’t want to talk about. They should also consider who is likely to see the story to make an informed decision about any potential impact on their safety.
Compassion and respect should underpin trauma-informed reporting and help build trust. A female victim-survivor will often feel more comfortable with a female interviewer, so ask whether she would prefer a woman conduct the interview.
Exercise caution when reporting on specific incidents or accusations and consider whether including graphic details enhances the story or may cause further trauma to the victim-survivor. Avoid saying you know what someone is going through. Filmed interviews should obscure characteristics of the victim-survivor such as their voice, physical features or features of their home to avoid any further risk to their safety.
Never name a victim-survivor without their explicit and informed consent and take great care not to inadvertently identify them if they don’t want to be identified or can’t be by law. Details such as location, age or employment can often be sufficient to enable people to work out the identity. In small rural or remote communities, further caution may need to be exercised to ensure details of the story do not lead to the identification of parties. 
After publication or broadcast, journalists should support their interviewee, which may require talking with them about the story, ensuring they have support through family and friends or assisting them to contact support services.
See Reporting on vulnerable and diverse communities on page 22 for information about trauma-informed reporting about people from diverse communities.
Vicarious trauma and self-care for media
Reporting on traumatic events can be overwhelming and may trigger many emotions. Continued exposure to such experiences can cause vicarious trauma. This can cause physical impacts such as headaches and fatigue, psychological impacts like feeling numb, hopeless or guilty, disturbed sleep, and behavioural signs such as mood changes, withdrawal or reliance on unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Journalists should keep their own mental health in mind. Exercise, sleep and planned breaks from social media and the internet can help, as can debriefing with an editor or trusted colleague. Seek support through inhouse employee assistance programs, private practitioners or evidence-based resources which can help guide self-care, help seeking and management of vicarious trauma. 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) has trauma counsellors who can support professionals dealing with traumatic content and the service is free, confidential and available 24 hours, seven days a week.

Reporting on domestic and family violence: the legalities
NOTE: For the avoidance of doubt, this is general information and should not be considered legal advice. Journalists should seek their own legal advice about media reports regarding DFV.
Defining domestic and family violence and stalking
Domestic violence
From 1 August 2023, the definition of DV in the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (DFVP Act) was broadened to include behaviour, or a pattern of behaviour, that occurs over time and that may be more than one act, or a series or acts, that when considered cumulatively is abusive. The behaviour should be considered in the context of the whole relationship. (See page 34 for a more detailed definition of DV.)
Stalking
From 1 August 2023, changes to Queensland’s Criminal Code renamed and amended the criminal offence of stalking. The updated offence of ‘unlawful stalking, intimidation, harassment or abuse’ is defined as conduct intentionally directed at another person and engaged in on more than one occasion, or on a single protracted occasion. The conduct includes one or more acts of: 
•	following, loitering near, watching or approaching a person
•	contacting a person in any way, including using technology
•	loitering near, watching, approaching or entering a place where a person lives, works or visits
•	monitoring, tracking or surveilling a person’s movements 
•	leaving or publishing offensive material 
•	an intimidating, harassing, threatening, humiliating or abusive act, or
•	an act of violence or a threat of violence, against, or against property of, anyone. 

The conduct must cause the person apprehension or fear of violence to property, themselves or another person, or cause detriment to themselves or another person. 
Criminal offence of coercive control 
The Criminal Law (Coercive Control and Affirmative Consent) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 was passed by Queensland Parliament on 6 March 2024, delivering a range of reforms including amendments to criminalise coercive control and other DFV and publication amendments. Key reforms in the Amendment Act will have staged commencement, commencing on days fixed by Proclamation. 
The criminal offence of coercive control, commencing on 26 May 2025, will be established in the Queensland Criminal Code, which includes the State’s most serious criminal offences – many of which commonly occur in a domestic setting – including murder, torture and choking, suffocation or strangulation. The offence will be limited to people in a domestic relationship, including past and present intimate partner relationships, wider family relationships and informal care relationships (as stated in the DFVP Act). 
Under the Code, the coercive control offence will apply only to adults where:
•	the person is in a domestic relationship with another person
•	the person engages in a course of conduct against the other person that consists of domestic violence occurring on more than one occasion
•	the person intends the course of conduct to coerce or control the other person, and 
•	the course of conduct would, in all the circumstances, be reasonably likely to cause the other person harm, meaning any detrimental effect on the person’s physical, emotional, financial, psychological or mental wellbeing, whether temporary or permanent. 
The offence has a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment. It will apply to acts of violence or abuse forming the course of conduct that are committed after the law commences on 26 May 2025.
The prosecution must prove that the alleged course of conduct was intended to coerce or control the other person. It is not required to prove that each individual domestic violence act alleged to form part of the course of conduct was intended to coerce or control the other person.
When reporting on specific incidents
Just as every DFV matter is unique and complex, every report that seeks to tell the story is unique and nuanced by complex issues.
In many instances, a journalist’s proximity to the details of a story means they have the responsibility to navigate the intricacies of what should and shouldn’t be published. It is always recommended that media be guided by independent legal advice and industry standards and codes of practice.
Careful attention should be paid when reporting on DFV-related homicides and suicides, particularly where there is likely to be related police investigations and criminal or coronial proceedings. Including graphic details of an incident may not be appropriate as it may re-traumatise victim-survivors, and evidence shows that detailing offending behaviours can result in copy-cat behaviours or threats to carry out similar acts by other people using violence.  Include only enough detail as is necessary to show the gravity of the offence and not minimise its significance. Mindframe has excellent resources to support safe and accurate media reporting on matters involving mental health issues or suicide.
Ultimately, the decision to include specific information in a media report and the decision to publish that report always rests with the media outlet—as do the legal defences that may be available should a court or other party pursue an outlet regarding a published report.

Court reporting
Everyone charged with a criminal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, which restricts how media can report on individual court proceedings. The presumption of innocence is a fundamental right that, together with a number of other elements, restricts how media can report.
Journalists may have a defence to the publication of defamatory material if they can prove that the matter was, or was contained in, a fair report of any proceedings of public concern. Defamation can also be a criminal offence in some circumstances. 
Refrain from using the terms ‘perpetrator’, ‘person who uses violence’ and ‘victim-survivor’ in court reports so they do not compromise the legal process. 
Correct terminology in criminal proceedings includes ‘defendant’ or ‘accused’ and ‘complainant’. Until proven, offences are ‘allegations’ or ‘alleged’ to have occurred. In civil DFV proceedings, correct terminology for the parties is the ‘aggrieved’ and the ‘respondent’. 
Specific phrases that show the journalist is reporting on evidence that has been presented in court can include “Defence said/told the court” or “The prosecutor said”.
Use of terms such as ‘claims/claimed’ can carry a connotation of doubt, for example, “the complainant claimed”, “the accused claimed”. The phrase “Defence said” is better to accurately report on any defence being presented to the court.
Proceedings for an application for, or a variation of, a domestic violence order (DVO) are conducted in the civil jurisdiction of the Magistrates Court in Queensland. The person applying for the DVO or named in a police-issued Police Protection Notice (PPN) or release conditions is called the aggrieved and the person from whom protection is sought is called the respondent. Police may make an application on behalf of an aggrieved. 
Unlike criminal matters where the standard of proof is beyond reasonable doubt, a different threshold of proof is required for protection orders. A protection order can be made when a court on the balance of probabilities is satisfied that a relevant relationship (as defined in the DFVP Act) exists between the aggrieved and the respondent, the respondent has committed domestic violence against the aggrieved, and the protection order is necessary or desirable to protect the aggrieved from domestic violence.

Reporting on criminal proceedings
Criminal offences where domestic violence is an aggravating factor
When a person is convicted of a criminal offence that is also a DV offence, the court must treat the fact that it is a DV offence as an aggravating factor when imposing sentence, that is, the offence must be treated as being more serious. 

From 26 May 2025, when sentencing in relation to a DV offence, the court must also treat the following as aggravating factors:
•	if the offence was committed against a child when the offender was an adult
•	if a child was exposed to DV during commission of the offence 
•	whether the offence was also a contravention of a DVO, PPN, release conditions, an interstate order, New Zealand order or contravention of another court order or injunction.

If convicted, the offender’s criminal history will reflect both the conviction and that it was a DV offence which allows future sentencing courts, police and lawyers to readily identify patterns of DV offending on their criminal history. Where an offender is convicted of a DV offence against a child or that exposed a child to DV, that will be recorded alongside the conviction on their criminal history.

Criminal offences under the DFVP Act
The DFVP Act contains certain criminal offences, including contravention of a DVO, Police Protection Notice or release conditions. From 26 May 2025, a new criminal offence of ‘engaging in domestic violence or associated violence to aid respondent' under the DFVP Act will take effect.
The Domestic and Family Violence Protection Regulation (Section 2) permits publication of information about a DFV court proceeding where that information is ‘in the public domain’ or where the community has a ‘legitimate interest’. 
Information is considered to be ‘in the public domain’ if a DVO was made during the proceeding and either the aggrieved or respondent is later convicted of a criminal offence under another Act that was factually related to the DVO, for example, assaulting the other party to the DVO. From 26 May 2025, this provision will also be extended to cover where a person has later been convicted of an offence under the DFVP Act itself, for example, contravening a DVO.
The Regulation states the community has a legitimate interest in a proceeding if an incident happens in which:
•	a respondent causes the death of, or injures, the aggrieved or a named person in the proceeding (for example, a child) and the incident causes the respondent’s death, or
•	the aggrieved or named person causes the death of, or injures, a respondent which causes the death of the aggrieved or named person.
However, the publication of information that is either in the public domain or in which the community has a legitimate interest is not permitted where that would identify a child. 
Publishing information on domestic and family violence proceedings
Open justice is an important principle to maintain the integrity of, and public confidence in, the justice system. There is benefit in media being able to access and publicly report on applications for DVOs where that reporting does not identify, and cannot lead to, the identification of the aggrieved, respondent or children, as legally required under the DFVP Act.
Media access to transcripts of DVO proceedings
From 26 May 2025, the DFVP Act will allow:
•	accredited media entities to publish information if the information does not identify, and is not likely to lead to the identification of, a person as a party, witness or a child
•	a judicial officer to release a transcript of a DVO application proceeding to an accredited media entity. This applies only to DVO proceedings started after the relevant provisions have commenced.
It will remain an offence to publish information that identifies, or could lead to the identification of, a party to the proceeding, a witness or a child.
What is an accredited media entity?
Accredited media entities are listed in the Supreme Court Media Accreditation Policy included in Amended Practice Direction 8 of 2014 – Photography and electronic devices in court buildings; see www.courts.qld.gov.au.
Applying for a transcript of a DVO application proceeding 
From 26 May 2025, an accredited media entity can apply under section 161A of the DFVP Act to access a transcript of a court proceeding for a DVO application. It applies only to DVO application matters started after this date.
The accredited media entity will need to complete an application form (available at www.courts.qld.gov.au) which will require the date and location of the DVO application proceeding, and the names of the parties to that proceeding. 
An application will not be granted until the views of the parties have been sought. 
If the applicant has already received consent from the parties to receive the transcript, they may attach proof of that consent to the application. Courts will not provide media with contact details of any parties.
When the court receives an application, it will notify the DVO parties of the application and hearing date and provide them 14 days to advise if they consent to the transcript’s release and if they intend to appear at the hearing. 
When deciding whether to allow access to a transcript, the judicial officer must:
•	consider the principles for administering the DFVP Act, including that the safety, protection and wellbeing of people who fear or experience DFV, including children, is paramount, and the views and wishes of people who fear or experience DFV should be sought before a decision affecting them is made under the DFVP Act
•	receive an undertaking from the accredited media entity to comply with this DFV Media Guide, and in particular the standards included in the schedule on page 20
•	be satisfied that it is in the public interest to give the authorisation.
This undertaking should be taken seriously: breaching an undertaking made to a court is a form of contempt and may be punishable by a fine or term of imprisonment.
If the application is granted, the registry will provide a copy of the court order and the accredited media entity can then apply for the transcript through QTranscripts, attaching the copy of the order as proof of authorisation. It is recommended that media who receive a copy of a transcript seek independent legal advice before publication to ensure they comply with all relevant legislation, including in relation to identifying parties to a DVO and other affected parties such as children. 

SCHEDULE OF STANDARDS
Standards that accredited media entitles must undertake to comply under DFVPA section 161A
1.	Legal compliance – Accredited media entities (AMEs) must comply with all relevant laws restricting publication of information about proceedings involving alleged domestic and family violence, including any relevant suppression, non-publication, complainant privacy, or other orders of a Court. AMEs must also comply with all relevant laws restricting reporting which identifies or could likely identify a party or a witness to a DFVP Act proceeding, or a child. AMEs must not use information in a transcript obtained under s161A to contact parties, a witness or a child.
2.	Include support information – Every story that involves or relates to domestic and family violence should include information about available support services (see p.32 of this guide). A list of local support services can be found at the Need to Know website www.qld.gov.au/needtoknow
3.	Prioritise safety – AMEs should avoid publishing information which may endanger any person involved in a domestic and family violence proceeding or place a person at risk of domestic and family violence. AMEs should consider the risk of inspiring copycat behaviour within the community when deciding whether it is appropriate to include specific details of particular domestic and family violence incidents.
4.	Use appropriate terminology – AMEs should use appropriate terminology to reflect the subject of the report. When referring to parties in specific court proceedings, it is appropriate to use terms that reflect legal roles: for example, ‘aggrieved’ and ‘respondent,’ in civil domestic and family violence proceedings, or ‘complainant’ and ‘defendant’ or ‘accused’ in criminal proceedings. Outside the court context, terminology such as ‘victim-survivor’ and ‘perpetrator’ or ‘person using violence’ may be more appropriate. 
5.	Use appropriate tone: frank, but not sensationalist – AMEs should aim to name violence for what it is (for example, ‘domestic and family violence,’ ‘coercive control,’ ‘stalking,’ or ‘elder abuse’), and keep the perpetrator in view through the use of active language (for example, ‘man assaults woman,’ rather than ‘woman assaulted’). However, AMEs should avoid sensationalist language which could contribute to stigma faced by people who experience domestic and family violence.
6.	Evidence-based reporting – AMEs should use their best endeavours to ensure that stories do not perpetuate inaccurate myths or stereotypes, and to place individual stories in broader context. For example, while not all domestic violence is committed by men, statistics demonstrate that most violence against women and children is committed by men and driven by gender inequality. Where relevant, experts should be sought and quoted.
7.	Use appropriate imagery – Consider the impact of images on the victim-survivor, their family and other survivors of violence. Avoid images that disempower or infantilise victim-survivors, such as clenched fists or cowering women. Avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes about gender, race, disability, sexuality, or age, and consider the cultural appropriateness of chosen images, especially when considering whether to publish photos of people who have died.
8.	Consider moderation – The media’s capacity to influence the community is not simply limited to the content of a story. AMEs should consider their responsibility to report respectfully once a story is live, including by moderating or closing comments on their websites and social media as appropriate.	

Other publication restrictions
NOTE: This list is indicative and media should seek independent legal advice before publication.
•	The Criminal Law (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act 1986 may prevent publication of previous criminal convictions of individuals. The rehabilitation period for an offender sentenced in the Supreme and District Courts of Queensland is ten years, and five years for all other convictions in Queensland.
•	Other legislation may restrict publication of information:
-	identifying a child
-	identifying certain people in relation to child protection proceedings
-	identifying the parties to DFV proceedings
-	identifying a person whose ‘identifying matter’ is subject of a non-publication order
-	identifying a person as a party to mental health proceedings
-	identifying a person who is being retried or who has applied to be retried
-	provided in closed court, sometimes referred to as ‘in camera’ hearings
-	the subject of a coronial inquest
-	subject to proceedings under the Mental Health Act 2016.
•	Restrictions may also apply under Commonwealth legislation, for example, a court may suppress publication of evidence related to witness protection under the Witness Protection Act 1994 (Cth).
•	There are a number of court orders that may also restrict the publication of certain information such as suppression orders, non-publication orders and complainant privacy orders. Journalists should take care to ensure that when reporting on DFV that also includes allegations of sexual violence or other criminal offending that the reporting does not breach any relevant order.
Contempt of court
• 	You may be charged with contempt of court if you publish material that has a real tendency to prejudice or interfere with a particular proceeding or the administration of justice. These rules apply equally whether the prejudice would be to the prosecution or the defence.
• 	Generally, publication of material which is only a fair summary of court proceedings conducted in open court should not constitute contempt. However, publication of such material may still breach legislative restrictions on publication.
• 	Failure to comply with a court order restraining publication would likely constitute contempt.
Defamation
•	Journalists who publish defamatory material may be sued for defamation.
•	Defences to defamation include where the journalist proves that the defamatory imputations are substantially true or that the defamatory matter was, or was contained in, a fair report of court proceedings of public concern.
•	The publication of defamatory material, without reasonable excuse, may also constitute the offence of criminal defamation under the Criminal Code. 
Breach of confidentiality and negligence
•	Journalists who receive confidential information or improperly or surreptitiously obtain information may be subject to a duty of confidentiality. Journalists who misuse this information may be sued for breach of confidentiality.
•	Journalists may be liable for negligence if they owed a duty of care and caused loss by breaching that duty.
Reporting on vulnerable and diverse communities
Some people are at a higher risk of experiencing DFV and/or barriers in accessing support in their lifetimes: 
•	women and girls
•	people with children
•	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
•	people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds 
•	people with disability, cognitive impairments or mental health impairment
•	LGBTQIA+ people 
•	children and young people
•	older people
•	pregnant women
•	people living in regional, rural and remote communities
•	people affected by substance misuse
•	people with poor literacy skills.    
Trauma and its impacts
Aspects of an individual’s identity may intersect. For example, a person who has experienced trauma may be an LGBTQIA+ refugee, and this can further increase their risk of DFV and compound their trauma.
As well as DFV-related trauma, victim-survivors may have been exposed to additional trauma through their experiences of social marginalisation, discrimination, economic deprivation, dispossession, displacement, incarceration or racism. Victim-survivors may also have trauma associated with exposure to DFV as children.
Empowering victim-survivors who want to share their stories can be an important part of their healing process and can help them be part of positive social change to address and prevent DFV.
Visibility and telling diverse stories
By telling the stories of people from diverse communities with lived experience of DFV, media can increase the visibility of the issue in the community, its impacts and the victim-survivors. 
A lack of visibility or balanced reporting can lead to them not being viewed as the ‘ideal victim’. An individual’s age, race, religion, sexual preference, gender, employment, physical or mental ability should not determine the value of their life or the worth of telling their story.

‘The Taskforce heard concerns that media coverage of DFV crimes committed against First Nations women was minimal compared to that of violence involving middle-class white women. Women from other diverse backgrounds were similarly underrepresented.’ 
In its inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children, the Australian Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Reference Committee noted that mainstream media underreported violence against First Nations women and gave limited regard to its underlying causes and drivers beyond pointing to alcohol and drug addiction. DFV can directly impact a First Nations person’s connection with the child protection, youth and adult criminal justice systems, housing/ homelessness, health and family law system.
Media reporting should focus on the abusive behaviour of the person using violence, not the behaviour of the victim or their community. This helps minimise the perpetuation of stereotypes or myths about the prevalence or acceptability of DFV in certain groups or communities, or inadvertently contributing to victim-blaming. Consider whether identifying a person’s race, culture, ethnicity or other status is pertinent to the story as it can also reinforce myths and stereotypes.
Reporting which continues to reproduce harmful stereotypes and blame victims can result in a broader lack of trust and confidence in the media. Rather, media could explore the systemic drivers of violence in communities such as socio-economic disadvantage, systemic discrimination and displacement that contribute to DFV. Recent inquiries have found that justice system responses to DFV can misidentify the person most in need of protection, for example, the person who uses violence may be manipulating aspects of the justice system in their favour to undermine the credibility of the victim-survivor. It is important to be mindful of this if reporting about the person using violence.  
Journalists can help frame the conversation in society that DFV will not be tolerated in any communities, not just in those sectors where certain stories have gained more media attention. Their coverage can highlight community-driven initiatives and leadership addressing DFV and promote narratives of resilience and strength.
Challenges for reporting
There are many issues to consider when seeking to report on the experience of victim-survivors from diverse communities. For many victim-survivors, there is a real fear that disclosing the abusive behaviour by telling their story could risk further harm, identify the victim’s whereabouts, or result in them not being believed or being blamed for their own abuse. Reprisals against family or others supporting them may also be a potential risk.
They may hold religious or cultural beliefs about gender roles and behaviours, particularly within marriage, that are inconsistent with speaking out about violence perpetrated against them and their children or with seeking legal redress. 
Communication may be a barrier, particularly for those who might have a disability or are less fluent in English. Some may not understand that what they have experienced is DFV, that it is not acceptable and that they are likely victims of crime. Where people are not proficient English speakers, journalists should seek to access qualified interpreters to assist their reporting. Even where people may be proficient in English, talking about traumatic experiences may still warrant use of an interpreter. It is important to provide safe spaces for victim-survivors to share their stories, such as conducting interviews with First Nations peoples ‘On Country’ if requested. 
A lack of confidence in dealing with cross-cultural issues and sensitivities may deter journalists from reporting on DFV in First Nations communities and culturally and linguistically diverse groups.
Media should consider who is the most appropriate person to report on a matter. In some cultures, a journalist meeting with a woman alone might cause further social stigma.
Reporting should not stigmatise any particular cultural or religious group. Liaison with support services such as First Nations or migrant women’s DFV services may assist journalists to prepare and report in a culturally safe and sensitive way, and provide relevant background and context around issues and stereotypes.
Media should consult with local community leaders or Elders for advice on cultural protocols or to seek permission to use sensitive information or sacred symbols. 
Children and young people may want to speak about their experiences of DFV. As with adult interviewees, avoiding harm and ensuring the child’s wellbeing are key. Protecting privacy is even more critical for children, especially when reporting about distress or abuse.
Care should be taken to ensure that any person nominated to speak on behalf of a particular community does not condone abusive behaviour or blame victims.
‘The women become ostracised within their own communities from men, women and children.’
-	Crisis and support agency worker 

In First Nations communities, additional cultural considerations for victim-survivors include:
•	community members using violence may be in positions of power such as Elders, mayor/councillors or may hold ‘cultural authority’, etc
•	concern about payback from family members or community
•	shame of being a victim and bringing shame on family
•	consequences of reporting against a person who uses violence or family member who is the sole financial contributor and what impact it will have if they are incarcerated. 
First Nations peoples are not only over-represented as victim-survivors of DFV but as offenders in related offences brought by police. 
Reporting on First Nations communities and peoples in a culturally sensitive, strengths-based manner can help promote greater understanding of the diversity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities cross Queensland. Journalists can do this by:
•	respecting cultural protocols of the person or community being reported on
•	ensuring the safety of First Nations sources through their protection and giving the option of anonymity if requested
•	using culturally responsive language and practices, and
•	using language that focuses on abilities, knowledge and capacities, rather than a narrative of negativity, deficiency and failure.

More information on reporting on vulnerable and diverse communities:
Reporting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Issues, Media Diversity Australia. 2020. 
https://www.mediadiversityaustralia.org/resources/

Tips for reporting on violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, Our Watch. https://www.ourwatch.org.au/media-reporting/resources/reporting-on-violence-against-aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-women

Race Reporting Handbook, Australian Human Rights Commission and Media Diversity Australia. 2024. 
https://www.mediadiversityaustralia.org/race-reporting-handbook/

Disability Reporting Handbook, Media Diversity Australia. 2012. https://www.mediadiversityaustralia.org/disability-reporting-handbook/

MEAA Guidelines for Reporting on LGBTQIA+ Issues, Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance. 2021. www.meaa.org/download/meaa-guidelines-for-reporting-on-lgbtqia-issues/

Media reporting guidelines, Older Persons Advocacy Network. 2023. 
www.opan.org.au/about-us/media-centre/media-reporting-guidelines

Valuing diversity in news and newsrooms, News and Research Centre, University of Canberra. 2023. www.apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2023-03

Guidelines for journalists reporting on children, UNICEF, https://www.unicef.org/eca/media/ethical-guidelines

Media guide: Treating every child and young person fairly, National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN). 2024. 
https://www.napcan.org.au/media-guide/

Practical tips
Interviewing tips
•	Approach an individual with sensitivity and respect and explain the purpose of your story.
•	Obtain informed consent to ensure the interviewee is clear about what you will discuss and how that information might be used, including in criminal or other legal proceedings. 
•	Consider the timing of interviewing people, including victim-survivors, involved in matters actively being progressed in the criminal justice system.
•	Seek advice and follow appropriate cultural protocols before and when going to a First Nations community to interview someone. 
•	Allow victim-survivors choice as to the timing, location and duration of the interview.
•	Provide choice as to the gender of the interviewer. 
•	Ask what they would like to achieve from telling their story.
•	Provide questions beforehand if asked and discuss any aspects they do not want to talk about.
•	Ask if they’d like you to prepare by pre-reading certain material and provide them choice about what they share.
•	Always ask permission before using a recording device.
•	Consider their personal space, especially when working with someone who has experienced violence. 
•	Try to limit the number of people present at the interview.
•	If using a wearable microphone, the person may want to fit it themself. 
•	Ask whether they want to be identified, use a pseudonym or remain anonymous.
•	Check if they would like a support person present. Interviewing a child or young person should be done in the presence (or at least with consent of) a parent or trusted adult.
•	Asking someone to repeatedly retell their story may retraumatise them.
•	Allow the interviewee to take a break when needed or to end the interview at any point.
•	Have a list of support services on hand. 
•	Stop the interview if they are visibly distressed.
•	Never say you know how they feel or physically comfort someone without asking permission. 
•	Assist victim-survivors in preparing for media attention, such as referring them to the eSafety Commissioner’s website (esafety.gov.au) for advice on protecting social media profiles.
•	Turn off comments on stories published online or warn the victim-survivor if this is not possible.
Use of language
•	People who have suffered DFV may not wish to be described as victims. Ask if they prefer to be described as survivors, victim-survivors or another term. (Refrain from using terms such as victim-survivor in court reports to avoid compromising any legal process.) 
•	Avoid language that blames the victim or minimises or excuses the actions of the person using violence, for example, ‘a crime of passion’ or ‘just a domestic’. 
•	Focus on the harm done and the impact to the victim-survivor. 
•	Consider the level of graphic detail needed for the story; include only as much detail as is necessary.
•	Include details about the person using violence if the interviewee is comfortable and there are no legal restrictions, such as court proceedings.
•	Don’t sensationalise the victim-survivor’s experience.
•	Avoid relying on masculine stereotypes to describe the person using violence, for example, a good man who snapped, a monster or a coward.
Headlines
•	Avoid headlines that sensationalise stories or undermine the seriousness of the violence. 
•	Consider the impact: while headlines aim to attract attention, they should be accurate and not reinforce stereotypes about domestic and family violence.
•	Don’t minimise the abuse, give excuses for the actions of the person using violence or blame the victim. 
•	Use active language to focus on the actions of the person using violence to keep them in focus, for example, ‘Man assaults woman’ rather than ‘Woman assaulted’.
Use of imagery
•	Don’t use graphic images or stock imagery that stereotype victims.
•	Photos relating to or depicting an incident may be distressing and offensive to the interviewee or others impacted by it.
•	Don’t take photos of victim-survivors that diminish them by making them appear small or look helpless, and don’t use inappropriate social media images.
•	Ensure images do not identity a victim-survivor if you don’t have permission or if there are legal proceedings. Film your interviewee from behind against a strong light, or in shadows, or consider using digital blurring or mosaic techniques.
•	Use images that represent survivors from diverse communities when possible.
•	Follow cultural protocols regarding using the name or image of a deceased Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person. (See page 22 for more information on reporting about DFV and people from vulnerable and diverse communities.)
•	Ensure proper consideration if using stock images or images of First Nations actors in association with sexual violence. Using someone’s face or image for this type of reporting can have harmful impacts on them and their community.
While editors may have the final say over the use of content, headings and images used to accompany a story, journalists should liaise between the interviewee and their editors or supervisors about the use and appropriateness of material.

Dos and Don’ts

DO When legally possible, name the violence to help the audience understand that DFV against women and their children is widespread rather than as ‘random’ or ‘isolated’ acts of violence.	DON’T Use terms that minimise or trivialise violence, for example, a ‘DV relationship’ or calling an incident ‘a domestic’.	
DO Ensure you report in a way that doesn’t compromise the victim-survivor’s safety and the safety of family or others supporting them. 	DON’T Name a victim-survivor without their explicit and informed consent or include specific details which might risk identifying victim-survivors if they don’t want to be identified or can’t be by law. In First Nations or migrant communities or rural and regional areas, it may be easy to identify a person even when measures are taken to de-identify them.	
DO Use language that helps the audience understand the evidence that, globally, most violence against women and children is driven by gender inequality.	DON’T Describe the drivers of violence as being alcohol/drugs, mental health, stress, finances, culture, the ‘burden’ of caring for someone with a disability or a person using violence ‘just snapping’. These issues may exacerbate violence but evidence shows the main driver is gender inequality.	
DO Depict DFV as serious, noting it can amount to a crime depending on the circumstances.	DON’T Imply responsibility for the violence lies with the victim-survivor. Don’t focus on the victim-survivor’s clothing, employment, marital status, sexuality, past relationships or substance use.	
DO Use active language to emphasise that someone perpetrated the violence against a victim. Name the current or previous relationships between the victim-survivor and person using violence if legally possible to remind the audience that most violence against women and children is perpetrated by someone known to them.	DON’T Sensationalise or trivialise DFV, including through use of overly dramatic language, unnecessary details, gratuitous or disempowering images, or inappropriate references or puns.	
DO Ensure any court report is a fair and accurate report of the proceedings and circumstances of the case. Contempt laws can limit inclusion of broader contextual information about violence against women and statistics which could imply guilt and prejudice a trial.	DON’T Reinforce the idea that women should modify their own behaviour in order to avoid men’s violence. Accountability for violence should always sit with the person who has used it.	
DO Ensure that people with lived experience, advocates from the DFV sector, academics and those from more diverse communities are given opportunity to speak about the issue to help improve understanding of the issue and its impacts.	DON’T Focus solely on the voice of law enforcement, legal profession and people who use violence when reporting on DFV.
	
DO Use the opportunity to help men, women and children who may be looking for help. Include information about support options for people who have experienced DFV, as well as for people who use violence.	DON’T Just provide information about suicide or mental health services. Advise those experiencing DFV about where they can go to seek specialist help.
	
Sources: Our Watch. 2019. How to report on violence against women and their children, Our Watch Limited; Blatchford. A. Tips for media reporting on violence against women where there are legal restrictions, Our Watch Limited
Further information, advice and assistance
Information for media
Australian Government	National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032
www.dss.gov.au/ending-violence
National Principles to Address Coercive Control
www.ag.gov.au/families-and-marriage/publications/national-principles-address-coercive-control-family-and-domestic-violence
Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children, Final Report, Australian Senate, Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee 
Final Report	
Australian Press Council	Family and domestic violence reporting advisory guideline
www.presscouncil.org.au/document/family-and-domestic-violence-reporting-advisory-guideline	
Blue Knot Foundation	www.blueknot.org.au/resources	
DART Centre for Journalism and Trauma
	Trauma and Journalism: A Guide For Journalists, Editors and Managers
https://dartcenter.org/content/trauma-journalism-handbook
Intimate partner violence 
www.dartcenter.org/topic/intimate-partner-violence
Self Care Tips for News Media 
www.dartcenter.org/content/self-care-tips-for-news-media-personnel-exposed-to-traumatic-events	
Department of Justice	Media enquiries
Media.Relations@justice.qld.gov.au
P: 07 3738 9295
	
eSafety Commissioner	Social media
www.esafety.gov.au/women/being-social/social-media	
Jane Gilmore	Fixed It: Headlines 
www.janegilmore.com/fixedit-headlines	
Media Diversity Australia 
	Reporting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Issues
https://www.mediadiversityaustralia.org/resources/
Disability Reporting Handbook
https://www.mediadiversityaustralia.org/disability-reporting-handbook/	
Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance	MEAA Guidelines for Reporting on LGBTQIA+ Issues
www.meaa.org/download/meaa-guidelines-for-reporting-on-lgbtqia-issues	
Micah Projects	Resound Group of Lived Experience Experts
communication@micahprojects.org.au	
Mindframe	Quick reference guide for media communicating about murder and suicide
www.mindframe.org.au/quick-reference-guides
Reporting suicide and mental ill-health: A Mindframe resource for media professionals
www.mindframe.org.au/guidelines	
Office of the Victims’ Commissioner	Charter of Victims’ Rights www.victimscommissioner.qld.gov.au/Charter-of-Victims-Rights	
Older Persons Advocacy Network	Media reporting guidelines 
www.opan.org.au/about-us/media-centre/media-reporting-guidelines	
Our Watch	Media comment
media@ourwatch.org.au; 0448 844 930
Guidelines for reporting
https://www.ourwatch.org.au/media-reporting/resources/guidelines-for-reporting
Tips for media reporting on violence against women when there are legal restrictions
https://media.ourwatch.org.au/reporting-violence-against-women/tips-for-media-reporting-on-violence-against-women-when-there-are-legal-restrictions/
Tips for media reporting on violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women
https://www.ourwatch.org.au/media-reporting/resources/reporting-on-violence-against-aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-women	
Queensland Council of Social Services 	Media enquiries
media@qcoss.org.au	
Queensland Courts	Supreme and District Court media enquiries MediaSDC@justice.qld.gov.au
Magistrates Court media enquiries
MediaMC@justice.qld.gov.au	
Queensland Government	Need to Know
www.qld.gov.au/needtoknow
Domestic and Family Violence Media Guide
www.qld.gov.au/dfvmediaguide
Sexual Violence Media Guide
www.qld.gov.au/svmediaguide
Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Strategy 2016-2026
https://www.families.qld.gov.au/our-work/domestic-family-sexual-violence/end-domestic-family-violence/dfv-prevention-strategy 	
UNICEF	Guidelines for journalists reporting on children
https://www.unicef.org/eca/media/ethical-guidelines	

Awareness training for media
Our Watch
	Training for Journalists
https://www.ourwatch.org.au/media-reporting/resources/professional-development#training-for-journalists	
DART Centre for Journalism 	Ethical reporting on traumatised people
www.dartcenter.org/content/dvd-launched-ethical-reporting-people-affected-by-trauma  	
Walkley Foundation	Scanlon Foundation Media Training
www.walkleys.com/professional-development/training/scanlon-foundation-media-training/ 	

Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
	Personal Safety Australia
www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/personal-safety-australia/2021-22
Recorded Crime – Victims
www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/recorded-crime-victims/latest-release	
Australian Institute of Criminology	Intimate partner homicide dashboard
www.aic.gov.au/statistics/homicide-in-australia	
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)
	Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia: continuing the national story 2019
www.aihw.gov.au/reports/domestic-violence/family-domestic-sexual-violence-australia-2019/contents/summary
Family, domestic and sexual violence data
www.aihw.gov.au/reports/domestic-violence/family-domestic-sexual-violence-data/contents/about	
Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) 
	The 2021 National Community Attitudes Towards Violence Against Women Survey (NCAS)
https://www.ncas.au/
Violence Against Women: Accurate use of key statistics 
https://www.anrows.org.au/resources/fact-sheet-violence-against-women-accurate-use-of-key-statistics/
Media representations of violence against women and children 
https://www.anrows.org.au/publication/media-representations-of-violence-against-women-and-their-children-final-report/
Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Network Data Report: Intimate partner violence homicides 2010-2018
https://www.anrows.org.au/publication/australian-domestic-and-family-violence-death-review-network-data-report-intimate-partner-violence-homicides-2010-2018/ 	
Coroners Court of Queensland	Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Advisory Board
https://www.coronerscourt.qld.gov.au/dfvdrab	
Our Watch
	Quick facts
https://www.ourwatch.org.au/quick-facts/	
Queensland Courts	Domestic and family violence statistics
https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/court-users/researchers-and-public/stats	
Queensland Police Service	Maps and statistics
https://www.police.qld.gov.au/maps-and-statistics	
Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, Queensland Treasury 	Crime and justice statistics, Reported crime
www.qgso.qld.gov.au/statistics/theme/crime-justice/crime-justice-statistics/reported-crime	

Support services
Media stories will reach people who have experienced or are experiencing domestic and family violence so you can encourage them to seek help by providing information on sources of support.
DV Connect Womensline
24 hours, 7 days a week	1800 811 811	www.dvconnect.org/womensline	
DV Connect Mensline
9am-midnight, 7 days a week	1800 600 636	www.dvconnect.org/mensline	
1800 RESPECT	1800 737 732	www.1800respect.org.au	
Kids Helpline
24 hours, 7 days a week	1800 55 1800	www.kidshelpline.com.au	
Lifeline
24-hour crisis counselling line	13 11 14	www.lifeline.org.au	
Mensline Australia	1300 78 99 78	www.mensline.org.au	
State Sexual Assault Helpline
7.30am-11.30pm, 7 days a week	1800 010 120	www.dvconnect.org/sexual-assault-helpline	
Additional contacts
13 YARN 
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples	13 92 76	www.13yarn.org.au	
Blue Knot Foundation	1300 657 380	www.blueknot.org.au	
LGBTI Legal Service	(07) 3124 7164	www.lgbtilegalservice.org.au	
Office of the Victims’ Commissioner		www.victimscommissioner.qld.gov.au	
Queensland Elder Abuse Helpline	1300 651 192	www.eapu.com.au/elder-abuse-helpline/	
Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service	1800 887 700	www.qifvls.com.au	
Victim Assist Queensland	1300 546 587	www.qld.gov.au/victims	
Women’s Legal Service Queensland	1800 957 957	www.wlsq.org.au	
WWILD 
for people with an intellectual disability	(07) 3262 9877	www.wwild.org.au	

Quick reference template for support services and reporting DFV 

Report domestic and family violence 
If domestic and family violence is happening now or you are in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000) and ask for Police. If there is no immediate emergency, you can report DFV to police by phoning Policelink on 131 444. You can go to your local hospital or emergency department for medical advice.

To make a non-urgent report of DFV online, use the Report feature on the Queensland Police Service homepage at www.police.qld.gov.au.

Support services
DVConnect Womensline on 1800 811 811
DVConnect Mensline on 1800 600 636
1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732
13 YARN on 13 92 76
Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380
Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800
Mensline Australia on 1300 78 99 78

Key terms and definitions
The following are some common terms associated with domestic and family violence. Some words can have a general meaning and a legal meaning.
Aggrieved
The person for whose benefit a domestic violence order or a police protection notice may be made or is in force under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld). 
Coercive control
Coercive control is when someone deliberately uses a pattern of abusive behaviours against another person to control or dominate them. It can create a climate of fear, humiliation, isolation, and over time erode the person’s sense of identity, freedom and independence. It can include physical and non-physical forms of abuse. It is almost always an underpinning dynamic of domestic and family violence.
In Queensland, from 26 May 2025, the criminal offence of coercive control will apply to the conduct of an adult who is in a domestic relationship with another person that consists of domestic violence occurring on more than one occasion. To prove the offence, the prosecution must show the accused intended for the course of conduct to coerce or control the other person, and that the course of conduct must, in all circumstances, be reasonably likely to cause the other person harm.
Dating violence
Violent or intimidating behaviours perpetrated by a current or previous boyfriend, girlfriend or date.
Domestic and family violence 
In broad terms, domestic and family violence is when one person in an intimate or romantic or former relationship, family or informal care relationship uses violence or abuse to maintain power and control over the other person.
Under Queensland law, domestic and family violence is defined as behaviour, or pattern of behaviour, that is physically, sexually, emotionally, psychologically or economically abusive, threatening, coercive or in any way controls or dominates another person, causing them fear. The behaviour must occur within a ‘relevant relationship’ – an intimate personal relationship, a family relationship or an informal care relationship. The behaviour, or pattern, may occur over time, be more than one act and must be considered in the context of the relationship as a whole. The violence or abuse can take many forms ranging from physical, emotional and sexual assault through to financial control, isolation from family and friends, threats of self-harm or harm to pets or loved ones, constant monitoring of whereabouts or stalking. Domestic and family violence is almost always underpinned by a dynamic of coercive control. 
Domestic violence order
A domestic violence order (DVO) is an official document issued by the court to stop threats or acts of domestic violence. It sets out rules the ‘respondent’ (person who has committed domestic violence) must obey. It is designed to keep the ‘aggrieved’ (person who had had violence done to them) safe by making it illegal for the respondent to behave in specific ways. There are two types of order: a protection order and a temporary protection order. DVOs are national orders and are enforceable interstate. A DVO is a civil court order so will not appear on the respondent’s criminal history. However, any contraventions of the order will appear on the respondent’s criminal history, as they are criminal offences.  
Family relationships
Under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld), family relationships exist between two people who are related by either blood or marriage, as ordinarily understood. Family relationship also encompasses a wider concept of ‘relative’ than is ordinarily understood, where it is reasonable to regard the person as a relative. Wider concepts of who is a relative may be especially relevant for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people who are members of communities with non-English speaking backgrounds and people with particular religious beliefs.
Femicide
The intentional murder of women because they are women. May be defined more broadly to include any killings of women or girls.
Forced marriage
Distinct from arranged marriage, forced marriage is marriage without the free and full consent of one or both parties, or where either party was under 16 years old when they entered into the marriage.
Gaslighting
Gaslighting is a common form of psychological abuse and may be a behaviour employed by a person using coercive control. It is a type of psychological manipulation in which an abuser causes a victim-survivor to question their own reality. This is done by questioning facts, denying memories the survivor has, undermining their judgment and bullying them into believing the abuser’s reality. The term comes from the 1938 play Gas Light, in which a husband tries to convince his wife that she’s going insane by dimming the gas lights in their home ever so slowly while convincing her the darkening house is all in her imagination.
Gender-based violence
Refers to harmful acts directed at an individual or a group of individuals based on their gender. It is rooted in gender inequality, the abuse of power and harmful norms.
Honour killing
The murder of a family member, usually a woman or girl, for the purported reason that the person has brought dishonour or shame upon the family. 
Image-based abuse
The sharing of intimate, nude or sexual images without the consent of the person depicted. This can include digitally altered and AI generated images.
Informal care relationships
Informal care relationships exist where a person is or was dependent on another person for help with an activity of daily living (such as dressing or grooming, meal preparation, grocery shopping or arranging medical care), where that care is not provided on a commercial basis.
Intersectionality
The complex, cumulative way in which multiple forms of discrimination and disadvantage combine, overlap or intersect, especially in the experiences of marginalised individuals or groups. Multiple and intersecting factors can contribute to the prevalence and impact of discrimination and violence.   
Intimate partner violence
Any behaviour within an intimate relationship that causes physical, psychological or sexual harm to those in that relationship. This includes ex-partners from past relationships. Often referred to as domestic violence. 
Intimate personal relationships
Intimate personal relationships under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld) include current and former married and de facto spouses, people who are or were engaged, and people who are or were in couple relationships, including same-sex couples. 
Lived experience
Refers to the personal experiences of victim-survivors. The lived experience of each victim-survivor may be different, and is influenced by factors including class, race, gender, sexuality, disability and age.
Ouster order
A condition of a domestic violence order prohibiting a respondent to a DVO from remaining at a premises, entering or attempting to enter a location or premises or approaching within a stated distance of a location or premises. 
Person most in need of protection
A term used in Queensland legislation to assist police and courts in deciding which party should be considered the aggrieved when making an application for a protection order or making a protection order.
Perpetrator (also referred to as a ‘Person using violence’)
Refers to a person who is being, or has been, violent, abusive, and/or controlling towards the victim-survivor. The term acknowledges that many people who use violence (particularly children and young people) have been victims of domestic and family violence themselves.
Police protection notice
A police protection notice (PPN) is an on-the-spot notice police can issue to provide temporary protection for an aggrieved person. 
Release conditions 
A police officer may release a person from custody on release conditions that the officer considers are necessary or desirable to protect the aggrieved from domestic violence, protected a named person from associated domestic violence, or protect a named person who is a child from being exposed to domestic violence by the person using violence. The conditions are similar to those that may be contained in a domestic violence order. The release conditions are in place until a court considers making a protection order. 
Respondent
In relation to an application for a domestic violence order or where police have responded to domestic and family violence, a person against whom a domestic violence order is made or may be made under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld), or a person named in a police protection notice or release conditions. 
Sexual violence
Any unwanted sexual behaviour towards another person. It can happen in public, private, or institutional settings and can be carried out by people known to the victim (including family members, partners or former partners), or by strangers. It can occur as a form of domestic and family violence.
Stalking
Under Queensland law, the criminal offence of unlawful stalking, intimidation, harassment or abuse is conduct intentionally directed at another person and engaged in on more than one occasion, or on a single protracted occasion. The conduct includes one or more acts of: 
•	following, loitering near, watching or approaching a person; 
•	contacting a person in any way, including, using technology; 
•	loitering near, watching, approaching or entering a place where a person lives, works or visits;
•	monitoring, tracking or surveilling a person’s movements; 
•	leaving or publishing offensive material;
•	an intimidating, harassing, threatening, humiliating or abusive act; or
•	an act of violence or a threat of violence, against, or against property of, anyone. 
The conduct must cause the person apprehension or fear of violence to property, themselves or another person, or cause detriment to themselves or another person. 
Vicarious trauma
A person’s negative trauma reactions resulting from exposure to the trauma of others. Also known as secondary trauma. Can result from the cumulative effect of working with people who have experienced traumatic events. 
Victim-survivor
A person who has experienced, or is experiencing, DFV. The term acknowledges that a person is not defined by their experience of violence and can survive and thrive after experiencing trauma. It recognises their choice to identify as either as victim or survivor or both.