What is a personal safety intervention order?

Go to Family Violence Intervention Order if you need protection from a parent, family member, partner or ex-partner.

Contact the police if you are in immediate danger or feel unsafe.

There are two types of personal safety intervention orders: interim orders and final orders. The person applying for a personal safety intervention order is called the applicant or affected person. The person who the application is made against is called the respondent.

When can a personal safety intervention order be made?

If you have been assaulted, harassed, threatened, stalked or had your property damaged by someone who is not a partner, ex-partner or family member you can apply for a personal safety intervention order.

Some examples of people who may be a respondent to a personal safety intervention order include:

• neighbour
• friend
• student
• work colleague
• employer
• employee
• tenant
• landlord
• person you don’t know/stranger

NB: If a family member, partner or ex-partner is behaving this way and/or making you feel unsafe you can apply for a Family Violence Intervention Order.

What protection can a personal safety intervention order provide?

 Personal safety intervention orders include conditions to keep people safe. Conditions are rules that stop the respondent from behaving in certain ways or doing certain things towards the person(s) protected by the intervention order.

Each intervention order has different conditions. They may require the respondent to:

• stop the behaviour
• not contact or communicate with the protected person
• not publish on the internet, electronic communication (email) or other social media about the protected person
• not go or stay near the protected person’s home, school or workplace
• not get anyone else to do anything they are not allowed to do on the order

An intervention order is a civil matter and will not appear on a criminal record. However, if the respondent breaks the rules on an intervention order they can be charged by the police with a criminal offence. This is called a ‘breach’.

What is mediation?

The Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria (DSCV) offers a mediation program for people involved in a personal safety intervention order application in both the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria and the Children’s Court of Victoria.

An applicant or respondent to a personal safety intervention order can contact the DSCV and request to participate in mediation before the court hearing. Sometimes a magistrate may direct the applicant and respondent to speak to an officer from the DSCV about mediation on the day of the hearing.

Mediation is a program where, if it is safe to do so, a trained officer from the DSCV will talk to both the applicant and the respondent to try and find ways to resolve the situation without needing a personal safety intervention order to be made.

How apply for a personal safety intervention order

Further resources

Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria mediation program