Police protection directions in Queensland, part one

What a direction is

A police protection direction is a direction issued by police in response to alleged acts of domestic violence.

The legislation describes its purpose as giving police a way to respond to domestic violence in circumstances where it would be appropriate not to bring the matter before a court.

It is sometimes described as on the spot protection. That is a fair description of what it does, and it is worth being precise about what it does not do. It is not a court order, it involves no hearing, and no findings of fact are made.

The three people a direction affects

A direction ordinarily involves three categories of person, and each has a different set of rights and obligations.

The conditions themselves can look much like those in a court made domestic violence order, including no contact and stay away restrictions, depending on the circumstances.

Why they were introduced

Directions form part of a broader package of domestic and family violence reforms.

The stated policy aim is twofold. To let police provide immediate protection in appropriate cases, and to reduce the number of matters in which complainants and witnesses have to attend court where police consider the situation can be managed safely by police issued conditions.

Structurally, a direction is meant to sit between doing nothing and commencing a court process. That middle pathway did not exist in Queensland before 2026.

It arrives with real concerns attached, about due process, about the presumption of innocence, and about the immediate effect on the people involved. We have set out that argument separately in family violence reform, or eroding basic rights.

Because a direction can run for twelve months and can change where someone lives and how they see their children, understanding how it works is not academic.

Direction, notice or order: which one do you have?

A direction does not replace the existing options. It adds another one, and the three are frequently confused.

Domestic violence order

Made by a court. It can include standard conditions and a range of additional ones. It follows a court process in which evidence can be tested and both parties have an opportunity to be heard. It ordinarily runs for five years under section 97.

Police protection notice

Issued by police, but designed to move the matter to court quickly. It is treated as an application for a protection order, so a magistrate deals with it as an interim step and decides what happens next.

Police protection direction

Issued by police for circumstances where they reasonably believe domestic violence has occurred and protection is necessary or desirable, but consider it would not be more appropriate to take the matter to court at that time. It runs for up to twelve months and is enforceable throughout.

If you are unsure which one you have been given, the title on the document answers it. Look for the words police protection direction, police protection notice, protection order or temporary protection order. The obligations and the next steps are very different, so identify which situation you are in before doing anything else.

When police can issue one

At a high level, police may issue a direction when responding to a domestic violence complaint, report or incident where they reasonably believe:

• the respondent has committed domestic violence;
• a direction is necessary or desirable to protect the aggrieved from domestic violence;
• none of the exclusion circumstances in section 100C applies; and
• it would not be more appropriate to apply to a court for a protection order.

Two features deserve emphasis.

First, a reasonable belief is not a court finding. A direction can be issued without any magistrate assessing the situation or making any determination about the allegations.

Second, the views of the aggrieved matter. Police must consider any views or wishes the aggrieved expresses about whether the matter should go to court. That does not decide the question, but it is a mandatory consideration.

Where the respondent is not present, police must make a reasonable attempt to locate and speak with them, including by telephone, so that some measure of natural justice is afforded before a direction issues.

Section 100C sets out the circumstances in which a direction must not be issued at all, and that list is significant enough that we deal with it separately on our police protection directions page.

What conditions can be imposed

Every direction carries standard conditions under section 100G. The respondent must be of good behaviour towards the aggrieved and any named person, must not commit domestic violence or associated domestic violence, and must not encourage or use anyone else to commit domestic violence on their behalf.

Section 100H allows additional protective conditions where the circumstances warrant them, of the same kinds available in a police protection notice. Those include no contact conditions, ouster conditions removing a respondent from stated premises, return conditions allowing a supervised collection of belongings, cool down conditions imposing a short term restriction, and conditions protecting named persons.

Where a child is named in certain ways, police may be limited to standard conditions only. That limitation is one of the reasons some matters have to go to court rather than being dealt with by a direction.

When it starts and how long it runs

A direction takes effect when it is served on the respondent, or when a police officer tells the respondent that it exists and what its conditions are. Either way it becomes enforceable almost immediately after being issued.

Once in effect, section 100R provides that it remains in force for up to twelve months. It can end earlier if it is overtaken by other steps, including a court order taking effect, a police protection notice being issued, particular release conditions being imposed, or the direction being revoked on review.

It does not renew automatically at the end of the twelve months.

Breaching one is a criminal offence

Yes, and this is the point most often misunderstood.

Contravening a direction is an offence under section 177A of the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld), carrying a maximum of 120 penalty units or 3 years imprisonment. Penalty units are indexed on 1 July annually.

For a respondent, that means treating every condition as legally binding from the moment the direction takes effect, even if you believe it is unfair, based on incorrect information, or you intend to challenge it. A challenge does not suspend the conditions.

For an aggrieved or a named person, it means a breach should be reported to police, and to 000 in an emergency.

The flow-on effects

Directions have real world consequences well beyond a prohibition on contact, and those consequences arrive faster than any legal process.

Depending on the conditions, a respondent may need to:

• leave the family home, sometimes with only a limited supervised opportunity to collect essential items;
• avoid a workplace, a school or other places the aggrieved or a named person attends;
• change parenting arrangements in practice, at least temporarily; and
• deal with licensing consequences, including weapons licence issues dealt with under separate legislation, and potential effects on a Blue Card.

There is no reason to think the practical effect of a direction on a respondent is any less than that of a court made order. This is why early advice matters. The question of what to do tonight is often as pressing as the longer term strategy.

What to do if you are served with one

If you are the respondent

1. Read every condition carefully and assume it is enforceable immediately.
2. Do not contact the aggrieved to sort it out where a no contact condition applies, even if they contact you first.
3. Make an accommodation plan straight away if an ouster or cool down condition affects where you can stay.
4. Keep the document accessible, in digital and hard copy if you can.
5. Get advice early, particularly if the conditions affect children, housing or your employment, or if you dispute the allegations.

If you are the aggrieved or a named person

1. Keep a copy of the direction and note the date and time it started.
2. Report any breach promptly, and call 000 in an emergency.
3. Document incidents as they occur, including dates, times, screenshots and call logs.
4. Seek support through domestic and family violence support services if you need it.

Can a direction be changed or challenged?

Yes. There are two review pathways: a police review, which has a time limit, and a court review in the Magistrates Court, which can be sought at any time while the direction is in force.

One point matters more than any other here. Seeking a review does not stop the direction operating. Unless and until it is revoked, ended or set aside, every condition remains enforceable.

The two paths also lead to very different places, and choosing between them is a genuine strategic decision rather than a formality. Part three of this series deals with police review against court review, the time limits, the forms, the evidence that matters and the outcomes available. It is at challenging a police protection direction.

Key takeaways

• A direction is a twelve month, police issued set of conditions protecting an aggrieved person and any named persons, available since 1 January 2026.
• Police can only issue one where they consider it would not be more appropriate to take the matter to court, and section 100C excludes a range of situations entirely.
• Standard conditions apply to every direction. Additional protective conditions can be added where the circumstances warrant it.
• Breaching a direction is a criminal offence carrying up to 120 penalty units or 3 years imprisonment.
• There are two review pathways, and a review in progress does not pause the direction.

Directions are new, which means confusion about what they mean, how quickly they take effect and what you can and cannot do while one is in place. If you have been served with one, get advice on what the conditions mean in practice, how to avoid an accidental breach, which review pathway suits your position, and how the direction interacts with any parenting arrangements, housing issues or related criminal allegations.