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Melbourne Law School, along with The University of Queensland have been funded by the Australian Research Council to undertake a research project examining the offence of non-fatal strangulation (DP200101020).

Up to three-quarters of women escaping domestic and family violence and residing in shelters report experiences of non-fatal Strangulation from their previous partner. Police, prosecutors, lawyers, service-providers and victims often overlook, or misidentify strangulation and this is a concern because the act is both extremely dangerous and a risk factor for future serious harm and death. In Australia, Queensland introduced a new offence focused explicitly on domestic and family violence in 2016 (s315A Criminal Code (Qld)), providing the ideal case to investigate the  operation and outcomes and theoretical implications of this offence. The aim of this project is to address, through rigorous analysis, a clear gap in knowledge about the operation and stakeholder experiences of the non-fatal strangulation offence as a response to domestic and family violence.