Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) hearings

A defendant will need to attend court on the first date after receiving an application notice which asks for an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) to be made against him or her.

The defendant will be asked by the judicial officer if they agree or disagree to the AVO being made.

If you are the defendant, you should consider carefully whether to agree or disagree to:

• the circumstances raised in the application notice
  
• an order being made
• all or some of the orders being asked for on the application notice
• the period of time that the application notice is asking for the order to exist.

Get legal advice before your case goes to court if you are unsure whether to agree or disagree to an AVO.

Agreeing to an AVO

If the defendant agrees to an order being made, the judicial officer will usually make the order that day. The defendant will need to attend the court office to get a copy of the order.

Disagreeing with an AVO

If the defendant does not agree to an order being made, the case will not be finalised that day. The court will list the matter on a further occasion (adjourn) and set a timetable for the filing of statements. A factsheet (PDF, 122.3 KB) on the filing and service of statements provides further information for parties, including an ‘AVO Statement template’.

The court will consider whether to make an interim order during any period of adjournment. The defendant must obey the interim order until the court decides the case.