Elise Archer,Attorney-General
Minister for Justice
A Bill to introduce a new stand-alone criminal offence of non-fatal strangulation, choking and suffocation, and to amend the definition of 'consent' to add stealthing, will be tabled in Parliament today.
This Bill delivers on our 2021 election commitment to the Tasmanian community and appropriately recognises that non-fatal strangulation, choking or suffocation is a significant form of violence, which can be a precursor for escalation in the severity of family violence.
Violence in any form is never acceptable, and this legislation will strengthen our laws and send a strong message it will not be tolerated in Tasmania.
Additionally, while our consent laws are amongst the best in the nation already, we are further strengthening our laws by expressly addressing conduct that is colloquially known as 'stealthing'.
While stealthing can be prosecuted under our existing laws, specific recognition of 'stealthing' will help educate the public, discourage would-be offenders, and encourage complaints and prosecutions for sexual offences such as rape.
This Bill will be closely followed by further amendments to our Family Violence Act, which I intend to progress through Parliament in the coming weeks.
This significant suite of family violence reforms confirms we are continuing to ensure our laws are strong and robust, to protect victim-survivors of family violence, and ensure perpetrators are appropriately held to account for the severity of their crimes.
