By James Stevens, Director and Solicitor, Go To Court Lawyers. Last reviewed 15 April 2026.
Key points
- A domestic violence order protects you from domestic violence by a partner, ex-partner, family member or informal carer.
- The court must be satisfied of a relevant relationship, that domestic violence was committed, and that the order is necessary or desirable to protect you.
- Police can issue a police protection notice without going to court, and the court can make a temporary protection order until the case is decided.
- How long: 5 years if no other date is stated; a shorter period only with reasons.
- Consent without admissions: an adult respondent can agree to an order without admitting the allegations.
- Breaching a DVO carries up to 3 years' imprisonment, or 5 years with a domestic violence conviction in the past 5 years.
- For advice on applying for or responding to a protection order, call 1800 577 015 at any hour: free general legal information, and a 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Queensland for a fixed $295.
In Queensland, a court can make a domestic violence protection order if a relevant relationship exists, the respondent has committed domestic violence against the aggrieved, and the order is necessary or desirable to protect them; the order lasts for the period the court sets, or 5 years if no date is stated, and a shorter period needs reasons. Breaching an order carries up to 3 years' imprisonment, or 5 years for a respondent with a domestic violence conviction in the previous 5 years.
Checked on 23 October 2026 against the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld).
If you are in danger now, call 000. DVConnect Womensline (1800 811 811) answers 24 hours, 7 days; DVConnect Mensline (1800 600 636) answers 9am to midnight, 7 days.
What is a protection order?
In Queensland, a domestic violence order (DVO) protects a person (the aggrieved) from domestic violence by someone they are in a relevant relationship with (the respondent). The Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 provides for protection orders, temporary protection orders made until a case is decided, and police protection notices.
- Relevant relationship: an intimate personal relationship (spouses, including de facto partners, former spouses and the parents of a child together; an engagement relationship; or a couple relationship), a family relationship, or an informal care relationship.
- Domestic violence: behaviour, or a pattern of behaviour, towards the other person that is physically or sexually abusive, emotionally or psychologically abusive, economically abusive, threatening or coercive, or that in any other way controls or dominates them and causes them to fear for their or someone else's safety or wellbeing.
- No relevant relationship, no DVO: if there is no relevant relationship between the two people, a domestic violence order is not available, whatever the behaviour.
Getting a protection order
- Who can apply: the aggrieved, an authorised person on their behalf, the police, or a person acting under another Act. Applications are made to a Magistrates Court in the approved form, and an applicant other than police must verify it by statutory declaration.
- What the court must be satisfied of: that a relevant relationship exists, that the respondent has committed domestic violence against the aggrieved, and that the order is necessary or desirable to protect the aggrieved from domestic violence.
- Temporary protection order: the court can make one when it adjourns the hearing of an application, or when the applicant asks for the application to be heard before it is served on the respondent. It must be satisfied that a relevant relationship exists and that the respondent has committed domestic violence; if the respondent has not been served, it must also be satisfied the order is necessary or desirable to protect the aggrieved.
- Police protection notice: a police officer who reasonably believes the respondent has committed domestic violence, and that a notice is necessary or desirable to protect the aggrieved, can issue a police protection notice without going to court, with a supervising officer's approval. If the respondent is not there, the officer must first make a reasonable attempt to locate and talk to them, including by phone. The notice is taken to be an application for a protection order, so the case then goes to court.
- Consent: if the parties consent to the order, or do not oppose it, the court can make it once satisfied a relevant relationship exists, without being satisfied that the domestic violence happened or that the order is necessary or desirable, and whether or not the respondent admits the allegations. This does not apply where the respondent is a child.
What the order says
- Standard conditions in every order: the respondent must be of good behaviour towards the aggrieved and not commit domestic violence against them, and must not get anyone else to do something that would be domestic violence if the respondent did it. Similar conditions protect any named person.
- Other conditions: the court must consider whether any other condition is necessary or desirable, and must consider an ouster condition for the aggrieved's usual home. Other conditions can stop the respondent approaching the aggrieved (within a stated distance), contacting them or asking someone else to, or trying to locate them; require the respondent to leave a home (an ouster condition); deal with recovering personal property; and, in some cases, require the respondent to wear a monitoring device.
How long a protection order lasts
- 5 years by default: a protection order stays in force until the day the court states in it, or, if no day is stated, for 5 years after it is made.
- Shorter only with reasons: the court can order a period of less than 5 years only if it is satisfied there are reasons for doing so, and it must give those reasons.
- Safety first: in deciding the length, the principle of paramount importance is the safety, protection and wellbeing of people who fear or experience domestic violence, including children.
Breaching a protection order
| Contravening a domestic violence order | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|
| Generally | 120 penalty units or 3 years' imprisonment |
| With a domestic violence offence conviction in the previous 5 years | 240 penalty units or 5 years' imprisonment |
The offence applies once the respondent was in court when the order was made, has been served with a copy, or has been told about it by a police officer, which can be done in any way, including by phone, email, text message or social media. If the respondent was told only by police, they cannot be found to have breached the order unless the court is satisfied they were told about the condition they are said to have broken, and the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that they were told.
Free help in Queensland
| Service | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Police, ambulance or fire in an emergency | 000 | Any time |
| DVConnect Womensline | 1800 811 811 | 24 hours, 7 days |
| DVConnect Mensline | 1800 600 636 | 9am to midnight, 7 days |
| 1800RESPECT (national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling) | 1800 737 732 | 24 hours a day, 7 days a week |
| Legal Aid Queensland | 1300 65 11 88 | 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday |
How Go To Court Lawyers can help
Our free line, 1800 577 015, answers at any hour. Jen, our AI legal information assistant, gives general legal information and takes your details; Jen is not a lawyer and does not give advice about your case. A 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Queensland is a fixed $295, by phone, video or in person where the lawyer offers it. The lawyer can help you apply for an order, advise a respondent whether to consent without admissions or contest it, and act on a breach charge. Requests are taken at any hour; how soon a lawyer can see you depends on who is available. Request a $295 consultation.
General information only, not legal advice. Updated 23 October 2026. Checked against the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld) (current as at 1 January 2026), sections 8, 13 to 15, 32, 37, 44, 45, 47, 51, 56 to 59, 63, 66B, 97, 101, 102, 112 and 177, on 23 October 2026.