First person charged under new DV orders
The Sydney Morning Herald
Date: May 28, 2026
Author: Amber Schultz
A man with a “serious history of violence” has become the first person in the state charged with contravening tough new domestic violence orders which grant police greater surveillance and monitoring powers.
Serious Domestic Abuse Prevention Orders, introduced in September 2024, apply to adults who have been convicted of two or more serious domestic violence offences or have been involved in serious abuse.
Dallas Honeysett was released on parole in February 2025 after serving just under four years in prison for five counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one count of reckless grievous bodily harm, one count of reckless wounding, as well as property damage charges, stalking and attempting to influence witnesses.
A year into parole in February this year, the 42-year-old was charged with contravening an apprehended violence order. In April this year, he was issued a Serious Domestic Abuse Prevention Order. The order was made for five years, expiring in 2031.
Less than a month later, he was charged with breaching that order.
Honeysett appeared via video from Griffith police station before the bail division local court yesterday. His defence lawyer argued he should be granted bail as he lives with post traumatic stress disorder and depression, and is engaged with mental health and social services to assist him and had enrolled in a family domestic abuse course starting this week.
“He says that now that he has help … his future is changing, and he is confident that he is doing the right things for the first time,” his defence lawyer said.
However, the prosecution argued that their case was “strong if not overwhelming”, and that any time spent on remand was unlikely to outweigh his sentence.
Breaching a Serious Domestic Abuse Prevention Order carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.
“There have been fresh offences since that parole date, further offences of domestic violence, including contraventions of Apprehended Violence Orders,” the prosecution said.
“There was more than enough time for him to get the mental health treatment he required [since parole].”
Judge Miranda Moody refused bail. “He has a very serious history of violence and a long history of noncompliance with orders of the court,” she said.
Honeysett began to cry as bail was refused. He will next face Griffith local court on June 11.
Under Serious Domestic Abuse Prevention Orders, a court can impose any conditions it deems appropriate to prevent domestic abuse, which can include stringent police reporting requirements, notifying police when commencing an intimate partner relationship, and not being allowed to use social media and dating apps.
Dallas Honeysett was released on parole in February 2025.
Amber Schultz is a crime and justice reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald
Minns Labor Government cracking down on domestic violence offenders and organised criminals
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
The Minns Labor Government is strengthening protections for domestic violence victims and disrupting organised crime networks with landmark new laws being introduced into NSW Parliament today, targeting stalking and the criminal misuse of tracking devices.
The changes respond to the NSW Crime Commission’s Project Hakea report finding tracking and other surveillance devices are increasingly used to facilitate domestic and family violence and organised crime
Under reforms being introduced to NSW Parliament today, it will become a criminal offence to covertly monitor a person where the victim is unaware they are being stalked.
The existing offence of stalking requires the victim survivor to fear physical or mental harm, a threshold which cannot be met if the perpetrator successfully conceals their conduct.
The new offence under the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007 will cover covert stalking which would reasonably be considered to cause someone to fear physical or mental harm if they were aware of it.
This is a carefully crafted, targeted offence which will not criminalise parents tracking their child’s social media for safety purposes or following someone on social media out of genuine interest.
Project Hakea initially set out to look at how tracking devices were being used by organised crime networks.
But it quickly became clear they were also being widely used by domestic and family violence perpetrators to stalk, intimidate, monitor and harass victims.
Notably, between 2010 and 2023, 82 per cent of offenders charged by the NSW Police Force with unlawfully using a tracking device were committing domestic violence offences.
Location tracking is often just one part of a broader pattern of controlling behaviour within a relationship, and it can pose serious risks to both the physical safety and mental health of victims.
The legislation being introduced today will also make it an offence to direct a third party to engage in stalking on someone’s behalf or promote the unlawful use of a surveillance device.
It follows the NSW Crime Commission’s Project Hakea finding some private investigators and ‘spy stores’ promote the illegal use of surveillance devices and offer illegal surveillance services.
A new offence under the Surveillance Devices Act 2007 ensures someone can be prosecuted for advertising a device in a way which encourages its unlawful use, even if this is not what the supplier intended.
The supply of a surveillance device with the intention of unlawful use is already banned.
The Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 is another example of the Government’s measures to hold domestic violence offenders to account and protect victim survivors including:
- Making it harder for those accused of serious domestic violence offences to get bail and ensuring those who are bailed are electronically monitored by Corrective Services NSW.
- Strengthening penalties for serious, repeat breaches of Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders.
- Bringing in Serious Domestic Abuse Prevention Orders to allow for the strictest possible supervision and monitoring of high-risk perpetrators.
Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:
“The truth is technology is being weaponised against women, and our laws have not kept pace. These reforms change that.
“For the first time, covert stalking through tracking devices will be a criminal offence, giving police the powers they need to intervene and crack down.
“Noone should have to discover they have been monitored for months or years with no legal recourse.”
Attorney General Michael Daley said:
“We are strengthening the law to target offenders who abuse private investigative services or surveillance devices to facilitate stalking.
“This legislation closes gaps in the law identified by the NSW Crime Commission.
“It makes it easier to hold criminals who use tracking devices to facilitate organised crime and domestic and family violence to account.”
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said:
“Domestic and family violence is a blight on our society and we will not stand for it.
“Project Hakea’s revelations are deeply concerning and demonstrates how abusers use constantly updating technology. In response, the Government is working to close loopholes, strengthen regulations and impose tougher penalties for the misuse of tracking devices.
“We cannot continue down the current trajectory of domestic and family violence. Police are doing everything they can to disrupt and prevent this vile offending and the Government backs them fully.”
Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said:
“The Minns Government is working to build a safer New South Wales for victim survivors of domestic and family violence.
“We know perpetrators find many different ways to exert control over victim-survivors. This includes stalking either through personal investigators or covertly monitoring them through surveillance devices.
“We have already criminalised coercive control and these reforms, by closing gaps in the current laws, will be another way we are holding perpetrators to account and increasing protections for victim-survivors.”
NSW Women’s Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin said:
“Research shows that the majority of women experiencing domestic and family violence experience some form of technology-facilitated abuse. This often includes the use of tracking and surveillance devices as a tool of control and coercion.
“The NSW Crime Commission found that one in four people who purchased GPS tracking devices had a criminal history of domestic and family violence. The true number is likely to be much higher, given that this crime is significantly underreported.
“This reform sends an important message that the use of tracking and surveillance devices to facilitate domestic and family violence will not be tolerated. It is an important step to prevent technology-facilitated abuse and support victim survivors.”
WHY THE NSW GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO TAKE ON RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROVIDING CRITICAL DV SERVICES
WHY THE NSW GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO TAKE ON RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROVIDING CRITICAL DV SERVICES
ABC North Coast Breakfast Bridie Tanner interview with Nadia Graham, PSA Organiser
21 MAY 2026
A FRAGMENTED, UNDER-RESOURCED DV SYSTEM NEEDS GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT
A FRAGMENTED, UNDER-RESOURCED DV SYSTEM NEEDS GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT
ABC Sydney 702 Kathryn Robinson interview with Troy Wright, PSA Assistant General Secretary
19 MAY 2026
The domestic violence victim who was promised help that never came
The Sydney Morning Herald, 05 May 2026 by Jordan Baker
When the man who later killed her was granted bail on domestic violence charges in April 2024, Ticehurst was assured help from a state government program called Staying Home Leaving Violence, which was designed to make it easier for domestic violence victims to remain safely in their homes.
She was promised lights, cameras and window security screens for her Forbes home via Housing Plus, a third-party tenancy and property management provider contracted by the government. The upgrades never happened. Billings broke through her bedroom window and stabbed her 15 times.
There is no way of knowing if the security measures could have saved her.
But it is the sort of lapse that a Public Service Association campaign believes shows outsourcing has gone too far, and family violence services should instead be delivered as a core government function alongside policing, housing, health and child protection. “When safety is outsourced, accountability is outsourced,” PSA general secretary Stewart Little said. “A domestic violence response should never depend on whether a contractor turns up.”
Of course, the union would benefit from domestic violence services being brought under direct state control as it represents public sector workers.
Nevertheless, the PSA proposal is worth consideration. Molly Ticehurst’s outsourcing experience exposes a wider problem: despite the hard work and experience of many good staff, support for women and children dealing with violence is patchy, varies wildly depending on location, and is propped up by a vast array of providers who have to compete for a limited pool of funds and spend a huge amount of time lodging repeated funding applications.
Frontline services remain critically underfunded and have not had a baseline increase for a decade. About 38,000 incidents of domestic and family violence-related assaults are recorded annually, and Domestic Violence NSW’s 2025 Stretched Beyond Demand report shows specialist domestic and family violence services are collapsing under the weight.
In response to Molly Ticehurst’s death the NSW government launched a review of the state’s bail conditions for alleged domestic violence perpetrators, and announced alleged perpetrators charged with serious domestic violence offences would wear ankle bracelets and have movements tracked around the clock if granted bail. But such reforms are not enough.
The system’s tragic failure to protect Molly Ticehurst illustrates the yawning operational gaps in the state’s protection of women and families.
Too many women and children are still living in fear. Dealing with such an entrenched problem will require carefully calibrated policies, sustained investment across many layers of government and a willingness to consider significant changes to the way domestic violence services are delivered if those changes will benefit victims.
The Wire – PSA backs push for state domestic violence body
The Wire – 6th May 2026
In New South Wales there is a push for a state domestic violence body that would coordinate services to ensure a better response to the scourge of domestic violence. Currently, in Australia there are over 120,000 domestic violence assaults each year with two women killed every week, which has led to a push to examine different approaches to reduce this appalling statistic.
According the Public Service Association the current system is a patchwork system leading to domestic violence victims missing out on vital support. Stephen Hill talks to domestic survivors and case workers to query what can be done to improve the state’s response to the scourge of domestic violence.
9 News – The need for better domestic violence laws
9 News 05-05-2026
ABC News – Impact of Domestic Violence and new anti-stalking laws
ABC News Tuesday 5/5/2026
ABC Illawarra with Melinda James – Government Oversight of Domestic Violence
ABC Illawarra with Melinda James – 6th May 2026
Interview with Anna Watson Member for Shellharbour
Molly asked for help before her murder. This group thinks it knows what needs to be done
The Sydney Morning Herald, 5th May 2026, Bevan Shields
In the months before she was stabbed to death by her former partner, a terrified Molly Ticehurst asked for help. Repeatedly. The childcare worker from the regional NSW town of Forbes was so convinced her ex was about to kill her that she told a friend: “If I am dead, he 100 per cent did it.”
As is now well established, Ticehurst went to the police about Daniel Billings’ violent and controlling behaviour in the weeks before her murder. Officers acted on her plea, bringing Billings before a court on April 6, 2024, only for him to then be granted bail.
What is not as widely known is that between April 6 and her death just before midnight on April 21, Ticehurst was promised help from a state government program called Staying Home Leaving Violence, which is designed to make it easier for domestic violence victims to remain safely in their homes. Ticehurst was promised lights, cameras and window security screens would be added to her Young Street home via Housing Plus, a third-party tenancy and property management provider contracted by the government. The upgrades never happened before Billings broke through Ticehurst’s bedroom window and stabbed her 15 times.
It is this sort of outsourcing that the Public Service Association will on Tuesday argue must be reversed. PSA general secretary Stewart Little told the Herald that the state’s family violence services should be delivered as a core government function alongside policing, housing, health and child protection, rather than as a job picked up by well-intentioned charities, not-for-profits and community support services.
“Women are still being killed in their own homes. That is the most basic test of whether a system works, and right now the system is failing,” Little said. “We’ve just got to try something different.”
It is difficult to know whether the security measures would have saved Ticehurst – Billings was in many ways careening towards his April 21 attack for months. But the security screens might have given her a chance to dial Triple Zero while her former partner attempted to break in. The NSW Cabinet Office investigated the failure after it was revealed by The Guardian in 2024, but the results remain under wraps. One source close to the incident told the Herald that “arses were kicked”, and another said a report on the failure was submitted to the cabinet.
Housing Plus remains a government contractor, and the Staying Home Leaving Violence scheme was given another $48 million to expand to other providers in other parts of the state.
The PSA points to the Housing Plus failure as just one example of the state’s broken domestic violence system. “When safety is outsourced, accountability is outsourced,” Little said. “A domestic violence response should never depend on whether a contractor turns up.” The PSA, which represents tens of thousands of government workers in NSW, argues that despite record spending, women are still being let down because services are “fragmented, inconsistent and too often outsourced”. It recognises the problem is not only funding levels, but also how services are structured and delivered.
The call to bring some services back under direct state control strikes at the heart of the challenge surrounding the domestic violence sector: that despite the hard work and experience of many good staff, support for women and children is patchy, varies wildly depending on location, and is propped up by a vast array of providers who have to compete for a limited pool of funds and spend a huge amount of time lodging repeated funding applications.
The government does not know exactly how many people work in the sector, but estimates about 3300 are directly involved in providing specialist domestic and family violence support. Nearly 90 per cent are women.
There are about 38,000 recorded incidents of domestic and family violence-related assaults in NSW each year.
The PSA nominated Western Sydney Nepean Blue Mountains Domestic Violence Service – one of the few run by the state government – as an example of the “one-stop” centres it wants replicated across NSW to bring together police, child protection, housing and health workers. NSW Treasury secretary Michael Coutts-Trotter lauded the service as the “gold standard” during his time as secretary of the Department of Communities and Justice.
“Governments have put up the ‘all care and no responsibility’ sign, and outsourced what should be critical frontline public sector services like getting in there and providing interventions to women and children who need support from their government,” Little said. He also dismissed any scepticism that the union’s push to bring some services back under state control could be partly motivated by a potential membership increase as “rubbish”.
The PSA also wants dedicated family violence courts – similar to specialist drug courts operating in NSW – rolled out across the state, and for alleged offenders on remand to undergo more behavioural programs.
A three-year trial of dedicated domestic violence courts at two city and three regional courts ended on Friday. Dedicated courts won’t be created as a result. However, some of the lessons from the trial have been incorporated into local court guidelines.
Housing Plus, the service assigned to install Ticehurst’s security measures, declined to comment.
If you or anyone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (and see lifeline.org.au), national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.