Victoria announces legal reforms to limit suppression orders for rapists

The Victorian Labor government has announced plans to amend the Open Courts Act to prevent convicted rapists from using suppression orders to hide their identities. Premier Ben Carroll and Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny stated that if Labor is re-elected in November, new legislation will be introduced to limit legal maneuvers that currently allow offenders to exploit victim-protection laws for their own anonymity.

The government is also conducting a review of interim suppression orders and the use of mental health grounds to secure them, following public scrutiny of cases where such orders were granted.

Additionally, the government is introducing a bill to establish coercive control as a standalone criminal offense and will implement bans on the use of “good character” references in certain legal proceedings to further protect victims of abuse.