In this guide(9 sections)
Of all the questions I'm asked about intervention orders, the one that keeps people up at night isn't really "will there be an order" — it's "what will the order actually stop me doing", or "what will it actually protect me from". Those are the conditions: the specific rules written into the order. And they matter enormously, because they're the part you live with every day — whether you're the person being protected or the person bound by them. I've written this for both of you. If you're frightened, the conditions are what stand between you and harm. If you're the respondent, the conditions are what you must understand precisely so you don't accidentally cross a line that turns a civil order into a criminal charge. Either way, you deserve to know exactly what these words mean before you stand in front of a magistrate. Here it is, in plain English.
This guide is strictly about the conditions. If you want to know how to apply, see applying for an intervention order; if you've just been served, read how to respond to an IVO.
At a glance — standard vs additional conditions
| Standard conditions | The baseline "no family violence" rules that go on nearly every Family Violence Intervention Order — not committing violence, not threatening, not damaging property, not getting others to do it for you |
| Additional conditions | The tailored rules a magistrate adds to fit the risk — no contact, no approaching, exclusion from the home, distance from a workplace or school, firearms surrender, child carve-outs |
| Governing law | Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) |
| Who's bound | The respondent — the conditions restrict their behaviour, not the protected person's |
| When they bite | The moment the respondent is served (for an interim order) or the order is made (for a final order) |
| Children | Can be named as protected people; conditions can include carve-outs for safe parenting time |
| "Consent without admission" | Agreeing to the order and its conditions without admitting the allegations — the most common way matters resolve |
| Breach | A criminal offence under section 123 of the Act — police can charge, even for a "technical" breach |
| If you're in danger now | Police 000 · 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 |
What are the conditions on a Victorian intervention order? They are the specific rules a magistrate writes into a Family Violence Intervention Order under the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic). Standard conditions prohibit violence, threats and property damage; additional conditions can ban contact, approaching, or living in the home, and require firearms to be surrendered. Breaching any condition is a criminal offence.
Standard conditions — the baseline on (almost) every order
When a magistrate makes a Family Violence Intervention Order under the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic), there is a set of standard conditions that go on nearly every order. They're the floor, not the ceiling. In plain terms, they prohibit the respondent from:
- Committing family violence against the protected person — the core condition.
- Threatening to do so, or intimidating, harassing or stalking them.
- Damaging the protected person's property, or threatening to.
- Getting another person to do any of these things on the respondent's behalf — you can't ask a friend, a relative or a new partner to deliver the message or do the harassing for you.
These conditions reflect how broadly the Act defines "family violence" — not just physical assault, but threats, emotional and psychological abuse, financial control, and coercive, controlling behaviour. A respondent doesn't have to lay a hand on anyone to breach a standard condition; a frightening 2am text can be enough.
For most respondents, the standard conditions alone don't change daily life much — they simply formalise "don't be violent or threatening". It's the additional conditions below that reshape where you can live, work and go.
Additional conditions — the ones that change daily life
Additional conditions are where the order gets tailored to the real risk in front of the magistrate. A magistrate can include any combination of these, and can shape them to the situation. Here's what each one actually means in practice.
No contact
A no-contact condition prohibits the respondent from communicating with the protected person at all — no phone calls, texts, emails, social-media messages, DMs, or messages passed through third parties (friends, relatives, and yes, even through the children). It's far stricter than people expect. "I only texted to apologise" is still a breach. Importantly, the condition binds the respondent — if the protected person reaches out first, that does not give the respondent permission to reply.
Not to approach or be within a set distance
This condition keeps the respondent a specified distance away from the protected person, often expressed as "must not approach or remain within [X] metres". It can apply wherever the protected person happens to be — so the respondent has to actively leave if the protected person walks into the same café or supermarket. The onus is on the respondent to remove themselves.
Exclusion from the family home
An exclusion condition prohibits the respondent from living at, or going to, the family home — even if it's their home too, even if their name is on the lease or title. This is often the single most important condition for a protected person, because it lets them stay safely in their own house rather than fleeing. For the respondent, it means finding somewhere else to stay immediately. Collecting belongings is usually done by appointment, police-supervised — never just "popping back".
Distance from a workplace, school or childcare
A magistrate can prohibit the respondent from attending or being near the protected person's workplace, or their children's school or childcare. This protects the places a person can't avoid being. For a respondent who shares children, this is exactly where things get delicate — which is why parenting carve-outs (below) matter so much.
Firearms prohibition
Here there's no discretion to soften it: while a Family Violence Intervention Order is in force, the respondent's firearms licence is suspended and any weapons must be surrendered. This applies to interim orders too. It affects police, security workers, farmers, hunters and sport shooters, and the consequences for some occupations are serious — so if firearms are part of your livelihood, raise it with a lawyer early.
Contact allowed only for arranging child time
This is the practical bridge between safety and parenting. Where the parties share children, a magistrate can write a carve-out into an otherwise strict no-contact order — for example, contact permitted only in writing, only through a third party or a contact service, and only for the purpose of arranging the children's time. It threads the needle: the protected person stays shielded from general contact, while the necessary, narrow communication about the kids can still happen.
How conditions interact with seeing the children
This is the question I'm asked most by respondents, and the fear I hear most from protected people: does an intervention order mean the kids are cut off? The honest answer is — not necessarily, but you have to get the conditions right.
A few principles that genuinely matter:
- An intervention order is not, by itself, a parenting order. It restrains conduct; it doesn't decide who the children live with or spend time with. Those are separate family-law questions.
- Conditions can be carved out to allow safe parenting time — supervised handovers, a neutral changeover location, communication only through a contact service or a nominated third party. If the order is silent and strict, ask for the carve-out before consent is given. Don't assume it.
- The intervention order overrides an inconsistent parenting order to the extent of the inconsistency. If you have parenting orders for weekly time but the intervention order says you can't go near the school, the intervention order wins until the two are reconciled. This catches respondents out constantly. Section 90 of the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) also lets the family-violence court suspend or vary an inconsistent parenting order — but until a court does, comply with the intervention order.
- The children can be protected people too. If they're named on the order, conditions protect them directly — which makes getting the parenting carve-out precise even more important.
If contact with your children is being affected by the conditions — in either direction — that's a conversation to have urgently, because conditions can usually be shaped to allow safe, structured contact rather than no contact at all.
"Consent without admission" — agreeing to the conditions without admitting fault
The single most common way these matters resolve is consent without admission. It means the respondent agrees to the order and its conditions being made, but does not admit the allegations are true. The order binds them for its duration, and the conditions are fully enforceable — but there is no formal finding of fact against them, and they avoid a contested hearing.
Two things are worth understanding clearly:
- For a protected person, consent without admission still gives you a real, enforceable order with real conditions and real consequences for breach. You don't lose protection because there was no admission.
- For a respondent, the conditions you consent to are usually negotiable. We routinely negotiate with Police Prosecutions or the applicant's lawyer to adjust conditions — particularly around the family home, parenting carve-outs, workplace distance and the wording of firearms terms — before consent is given. Please don't consent to broad conditions on the day at court without advice; you may be agreeing to more than the situation requires.
What happens if you breach a condition — and why it's serious
This is the part I'm most anxious that every respondent understands, because the gap between a civil order and a criminal record is a single breach.
The order itself — the Family Violence Intervention Order — is a civil order. It does not appear on a criminal record, and it doesn't mean you've been convicted of anything. But breaching a condition of it is a criminal offence under section 123 of the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic). Police can charge a respondent for breaking any condition — including a "technical" breach with no violence at all, like sending a single text or returning to the home to collect a jumper. The maximum penalty is significant — up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both — and a breach charge is what shows up on a police check, not the order itself.
This is not a rare or theoretical risk. Breaching an intervention order is among the most commonly recorded criminal offences in Victoria — the Crime Statistics Agency recorded over 53,000 "breach of an intervention/safety order" offences in the year ending December 2024 (Crime Statistics Agency Victoria, recorded-offences data). That figure is a sober reminder of how easily, and how often, conditions are broken — usually by people who told themselves "just this once" or "but they contacted me first".
Worked example. David consents to an intervention order without admission. It has a standard "no family violence" condition, a no-contact condition, and an exclusion from the family home — but, because they share two children, a carve-out lets him communicate in writing, through a contact app, only to arrange the kids' time. Two weeks later his daughter is unwell and his ex-partner texts him directly. Relieved, David phones her back to talk about the children. That phone call breaches the no-contact condition — the carve-out only permitted written contact through the app, and the fact that she texted first doesn't give David permission to call. Police are notified and David is charged with breach. He hadn't been violent, hadn't raised his voice, and genuinely thought he was being a responsible parent. The lesson: read the condition word for word, and use only the exact channel it permits.
A safety note — read this before anything else
If you are in immediate danger, this guide can wait. Call 000 now.
- 1800RESPECT — 1800 737 732 — national family violence and sexual assault counselling, 24/7.
- Safe Steps — 1800 015 188 — Victoria's 24/7 family violence response line, including crisis accommodation.
- Lifeline — 13 11 14 — if you're in crisis.
- Men's Referral Service — 1300 766 491 — for men who want to stop using violence.
These services are free and confidential, and you can call whether or not there's an order in place.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between standard and additional conditions on an intervention order?
Standard conditions are the baseline rules on nearly every Family Violence Intervention Order in Victoria — not committing family violence, not threatening or stalking, not damaging property, and not getting someone else to do these things. Additional conditions are tailored by the magistrate to the risk, and can include no contact, no approaching, exclusion from the home, distance from a workplace or school, and firearms surrender.
Can I still see my children if there's an intervention order against me?
Usually yes, but it depends on the conditions. An intervention order restrains conduct; it doesn't by itself decide parenting arrangements. A magistrate can write carve-outs allowing safe, structured contact — supervised handovers, a neutral changeover point, or communication only through a contact service to arrange the children's time. Note that the intervention order overrides an inconsistent parenting order to the extent of the inconsistency, so get the carve-out right.
What does "consent without admission" mean?
It means the respondent agrees to the intervention order and its conditions being made without admitting that the allegations are true. The order is fully enforceable and the conditions still bind the respondent, but there's no formal finding of fact against them and they avoid a contested hearing. For protected people, it still gives you a real, enforceable order with real consequences for breach.
Does an intervention order suspend a firearms licence?
Yes. While a Family Violence Intervention Order is in force in Victoria — including an interim order — the respondent's firearms licence is suspended and any weapons must be surrendered. There's no discretion to soften this condition, and it can have serious consequences for people whose work depends on a licence, so it's worth getting advice early.
What happens if I breach a condition of an intervention order?
Breaching any condition is a criminal offence under section 123 of the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic). Police can charge you even for a "technical" breach with no violence — such as a single text or returning to the home — and the maximum penalty includes up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both. The order itself is civil and doesn't appear on a police check, but a breach charge does.
If the protected person contacts me first, can I reply?
No. A no-contact condition binds the respondent, not the protected person. If they call, text or turn up, that doesn't give the respondent permission to respond. Replying can still be a breach. Save the message as evidence, don't respond, and speak to a lawyer.
Can the conditions on an intervention order be changed?
Yes. Before an order is made, consent conditions are usually negotiable — particularly around the home, parenting carve-outs and workplace distance. After an order is in force, either party can apply to the Magistrates' Court to vary or revoke conditions if circumstances change. Until a court formally changes a condition, it must be obeyed exactly as written.
When you're ready, the first conversation is free
Whether you're seeking the protection of an order or trying to understand exactly what one binds you to, the conditions are too important to guess at. If you'd like someone steady to walk through the precise wording with you — what to ask for, what to negotiate, or what a condition really means for your day-to-day life and your children — that's exactly what I'm here for. The first conversation is free, in confidence, and there's no obligation. Reach out through the contact form, or call 03 4328 5084 and speak with Eliana, our assistant, any time.
And if things ever feel unsafe — ring 000. Your safety comes before any paperwork.
— Elisa
This guide is general information about intervention order conditions in Victoria, not legal advice, and it doesn't create a lawyer–client relationship. Every situation is different — for advice on your own circumstances, please speak with a family lawyer. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.
Prepared by the Fogarty Oliver Rothschild family law team as general information about Australian family law. Family and property law in Melbourne since 2012. Published 5 July 2026.
This guide is general information about Australian family law, not legal advice for your specific situation. For advice on your matter, book a free initial consultation.