While friends were partying, Conor was preparing for court. His case has now prompted Labor to act on family violence

The Guardian

a day ago

When Conor Pall turned 18, he should have been studying for his Year 12 exams. Instead, he was preparing for court.
In January 2021, his mother had successfully applied for a family violence intervention order (FVIO) protecting them both. But when Pall became a legal adult in June, that protection no longer applied to him – a fact he only learned when he tried to report a breach of the order to police. That order has since expired.
To stay safe, Pall had to start the process again, this time as an applicant, all while juggling the pressures of school.
'While my friends were planning for parties and when I should've been studying, getting ready for Year 12 exams, I was briefing a barrister,' Pall says.
It was a stark shift from months earlier, at 17, when he supported his mother in court but was dismissed because of his age.
'The magistrate looked at me and asked how old I was, and I replied I was 17. His response was, 'A courtroom isn't a place for kids' and he asked me to leave,' Pall says.
'How ironic that I had to attend court when I turned 18 – by myself – just five months later. What had changed?
'I didn't age out of fear, I didn't age out of risk. I was still so scared of the perpetrator.'
Pall wrote to the Victorian government in early 2022 urging changes to the law. His letter has now prompted action, with Labor confirming to Guardian Australia it will introduce legislation to parliament later this year to prevent 'ageing out' of FVIOs.
The Victorian Law Reform Commission is already examining the issue, with a report due in July. But the attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, says reforms will proceed regardless of its findings.
'Having listened to people like Conor, it's a really compelling case about why change is needed,' she says.
There are 'thousands and thousands of children' who are party to a family violence intervention order, but the law is 'not clear about what happens to them when they turn 18', Kilkenny says.
'That creates a heightened level of uncertainty and anxiety about what that means for them when they turn 18. Are they protected or aren't they? Do they have to go back to court, on their own, in circumstances that can be really traumatising?'
Current legislation is 'silent' on the issue, leaving it to magistrates' interpretation, and Kilkenny says reforms will provide certainty by making it clear an FVIO continues to protect a person after they turn 18 until it lapses.
The new legislation will also close loopholes allowing alleged perpetrators to avoid being served, including while in custody, and allow Victoria to issue FVIOs even if violence occurred interstate, helping victim-survivors in border towns or those who moved for safety reasons.
Kilkenny also confirmed a default two-year length for FVIOs will be introduced, bringing Victoria into line with the ACT, New South Wales and Western Australia.
Sign up to Breaking News Australia
Get the most important news as it breaks
after newsletter promotion
The bill, which is guaranteed to pass the lower house but will require the support of the Coalition opposition or members of the crossbench in the upper house, will also include long-awaited changes to stalking laws.
The reforms were first proposed as part of a broader women's safety package announced in 2024 and at the time some experts warned changes to FVIOs could worsen outcomes for victims misidentified as perpetrators.
Kilkenny says that following consultation, the legislation will include safeguards to prevent misidentification when courts issue FVIOs and when police issue interim family violence safety notices – with the latter more prone to error.
Family violence continues to surge in Victoria. In 2024, police recorded 104,786 family violence incidents, an 11.3% increase on the previous year. There were also 61,522 breaches of FVIOs.
Pall has welcomed the reforms, but also called for more support to help victims 'heal and recover', noting his experience with the justice system left a lasting impact.
'I started drinking. I was diagnosed with PTSD. I was suicidal – not just because of the perpetrator's abuse but because of the system's inability to recognise me as a victim in my own right,' he says.
'It's a system that wasn't designed with adult victim-survivors in mind, let alone children and young people.'
In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women's Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org.