In NSW, contravening an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) is considered to be a serious offence carrying a penalty of imprisonment for up to two (2) years and/or a fine of up to 50 penalty units.

All AVOs have a mandatory prohibition on:

• Stalking;
• Harassing;
• Threatening;
• Intimidating; or
• Damaging the property of, the Protected Person or a person with whom they have a domestic relationship

Examples of this behaviour include:

• Persistent contact, regardless of the method, it could be through phone calls, text messages, or social media;
• Threatening statements to the Protected Person;
• Attending places where the Protected Person lives, works or otherwise attends regularly without a lawful excuse.
• Damaging property belonging to the Protected Person or a person to whom they have a domestic relationship, regardless of whether or not they were present at the time the damage was done;
• Or attempting to do any of the above.

In addition to the mandatory orders, each AVO is tailored to the needs of the protected person and the Defendant and their personal circumstances. Therefore, to determine the prohibitions in place against you, you should review the Apprehended Violence Order documents carefully.

Common prohibitions available for an AVO are:

• Not to reside with the Protected Person.
• Threatening statements to the Protected Person;
• Not to approach within a certain distance of the Protected Person’s home, work or other specified place. For example, this may include family member’s homes or children’s schools;
• Not to contact the Protected Person at all; and
• Not to approach the Protected person within 24 hours of consuming alcohol or drugs;

Failing to comply with any of the provisions of the AVO can result in criminal charges.