Operation Amarok, Operation Shepherd and family violence offences in the ACT.

What were Operation Amarok and Operation Shepherd?

Operation Amarok is a NSW Police program that targets domestic and family violence offenders judged to pose a higher risk to victims. It runs in bursts, with officers checking on people bound by orders and executing outstanding warrants. Police say the program has charged more than 9,000 offenders since 2023. The August 2026 round was the fourteenth.

The new feature this time was the border. ACT Policing ran its own operation, Operation Shepherd, modelled on Amarok, from 12 to 16 August 2026. NSW Police ran Amarok from 14 to 16 August. The two forces worked together, and the AFP helped move people wanted on warrants between the two jurisdictions. Across the three days police reported 732 people arrested and charged, 228 arrest warrants executed, and 1,589 charges laid, along with thousands of order and bail compliance checks and dozens of firearm searches.

Those numbers are the news. The law they rest on is settled, and it is worth setting out plainly, because most people first meet it at the worst possible moment. Everyone charged in an operation like this is presumed innocent, and an allegation is not a finding. The point of this article is the framework, not any individual case.

What is a family violence order in the ACT?

In the ACT the protective order is called a family violence order, or FVO. It is made by the ACT Magistrates Court under the Family Violence Act 2016 (ACT). Its job is to protect a person from family violence by controlling what the other person can do. An order can stop contact, stop the person coming near a home or a workplace, and exclude them from a residence they may share.

A person affected by family violence can apply at the ACT Magistrates Court, and there are no court fees to do so. The court can hear an application for an interim order within about two days. In an urgent case, including after hours, police can apply for an order on a person's behalf. Legal Aid ACT keeps an office at the court and can help with the application. That access matters, because an FVO can be in force quickly and can carry serious conditions from the day it is served.

An FVO is a civil order, not a criminal conviction. Making one does not, by itself, give the respondent a criminal record. The line into the criminal law is crossed the moment the order is breached.

What does it mean to breach a family violence order in the ACT?

Breaching an FVO is a criminal offence under section 43 of the Family Violence Act 2016 (ACT). A person commits the offence if they engage in conduct that contravenes the order, including a condition of it. The maximum penalty is 500 penalty units, 5 years imprisonment, or both. In the ACT a penalty unit for an individual is $160, so the fine alone runs to a large figure.

The prosecution has to prove the person knew about the order. The Act requires that the person was present when the order was made, or that they were served with a copy of it. If that is not proved, the charge does not get off the ground. This is the first thing to check on any breach allegation.

A breach can be as plain as sending a message the order forbids, or turning up at an address the order excludes. It does not need violence. And each breach stands on its own, so a run of contact over a weekend can turn into several charges rather than one. Where the conduct is also an assault, the assault is charged as well, so a single incident can produce a breach charge and an assault charge together. We deal with common assault in more detail in our note on common assault, and with choking in our note on the choke, suffocate or strangle offence.

What is the difference between an ADVO in NSW and an FVO in the ACT?

The two territories run parallel schemes with different names. In NSW the domestic order is an apprehended domestic violence order, or ADVO, made under the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007 (NSW). In the ACT it is a family violence order under the Family Violence Act 2016 (ACT). Both restrict contact and protect a person at risk, and both are civil orders that become criminal only on breach.

The breach penalties differ. In NSW, section 14 sets a standard breach at a maximum of 2 years imprisonment and a $5,500 fine. A breach done with intent to cause harm or fear can carry up to 3 years, and three or more breaches inside a 28-day period can carry up to 5 years. NSW also has a rule that where the breach was an act of violence, the court must impose imprisonment unless it gives reasons for not doing so. The ACT sets a single maximum of 5 years, or 500 penalty units, under section 43. The precise figures matter when a person is charged in one jurisdiction on facts that occurred, or an order that was made, in the other. We set out the NSW side in our note on contravening an AVO in NSW.

Both schemes also reach conduct short of physical violence. Stalking and intimidation are offences in their own right, and they often sit alongside a breach charge. Our notes on stalking and intimidation and on the covert tracking device offence cover that ground.

Can you be extradited between NSW and the ACT for a family violence charge?

Yes, and the joint operation shows why the border is no shield. A warrant issued in one Australian state or territory can be executed in another under the Service and Execution of Process Act 1992 (Cth). Police in the arresting jurisdiction can take a person into custody on an interstate warrant and bring them before a local magistrate. The magistrate then decides whether the person is remanded or granted bail for return to the jurisdiction that issued the warrant.

The ACT and NSW sit side by side, and people move across the line every day, so the cross-border warrant is a routine part of criminal practice here. In the August operation, ACT Policing arrested people wanted on NSW warrants, NSW Police arrested people wanted on ACT warrants, and the AFP helped move them. A person taken to Queanbeyan on an ACT warrant, or to the ACT on a NSW warrant, is being dealt with under this Commonwealth scheme. We explain how interstate warrants work in more detail in our note on interstate extradition and the SEPA.

Will you get bail if you are charged with a domestic or family violence offence?

Bail in a family violence matter turns on the safety of the protected person. In the ACT bail is governed by the Bail Act 1992 (ACT), and in NSW by the Bail Act 2013 (NSW). In both, a court weighs the risk to the complainant, the risk of further offences, and whether conditions can manage that risk. Conditions such as non-contact, staying away from a home, and reporting are common in these matters.

Some offences, and some patterns of repeat offending, make bail harder to get. A person arrested on a weekend is often brought before a bail court quickly, and the first application sets the tone. That is why early advice pays off. The conditions imposed at the start can shape how the whole matter runs, and a condition breached becomes a fresh charge. Our guides on bail in the ACT set out how these applications are decided.

What about firearms in a family violence matter?

Firearms and family violence sit close together in the law. In the August operation, police reported dozens of firearm prohibition order searches and the seizure of more than a hundred firearms. A firearm prohibition order, or FPO, is a police order banning a person from having anything to do with firearms, and it carries wide search powers. When an FVO or an ADVO is made, a person's firearms licence is affected, and possession of a firearm can quickly become an offence.

The general point holds across both jurisdictions. A protective order changes what a person is lawfully allowed to hold and to do. Contact that was fine last month can be a crime this month. A firearm that was lawfully held can become unlawful once an order is in force. The order is the line, and the criminal law starts where the order is crossed.

What should you do if you are charged with a family or domestic violence offence?

Get advice early, and be careful what you say before you have it. Breach and assault charges in this area often rest on the terms of the order, on service, and on the account of a single incident. Each of those is a place where a defence can be built or an overcharge cut back. If police want to interview you, our free guide on the recorded police interview explains how those answers are used later.

Do not contact the protected person to sort it out. That contact can itself be a breach, and it can make bail harder. If the order has conditions you do not understand, ask a lawyer to read them with you before you do anything. And if the matter runs across the ACT and NSW border, get someone who works in both, because the order, the charge, and the court may not be in the same place.

If you or someone you know is experiencing family or domestic violence, support is available. You can call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 at any time, and in an emergency call Triple Zero on 000.

Frequently asked.

What is a family violence order in the ACT?

A family violence order, or FVO, is an order of the ACT Magistrates Court made under the Family Violence Act 2016 (ACT) to protect a person from family violence. It can stop the other person contacting or approaching the protected person and can exclude them from a home. There are no court fees to apply, and police can apply for an after-hours order in an urgent case. An FVO is a civil order, not a criminal conviction, but breaching it is a criminal offence.

What is the penalty for breaching a family violence order in the ACT?

Under section 43 of the Family Violence Act 2016 (ACT), contravening a family violence order carries a maximum of 500 penalty units, 5 years imprisonment, or both. The prosecution must prove the person was present when the order was made or had been served with a copy of it. Each breach is a separate offence, so a course of contact can produce several charges.

What is the penalty for breaching an AVO in NSW?

Under section 14 of the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007 (NSW), a standard breach of an apprehended violence order carries a maximum of 2 years imprisonment and a fine of $5,500. Breaching with intent to cause harm or fear carries up to 3 years, and three or more breaches in a 28-day period can carry up to 5 years. Where the breach was an act of violence, the court must impose a sentence of imprisonment unless it gives reasons for not doing so.

Can you be extradited between NSW and the ACT for a family violence charge?

Yes. A warrant issued in one state or territory can be executed in another under the Service and Execution of Process Act 1992 (Cth). Police who arrest a person on an interstate warrant take them before a local magistrate, who decides whether the person is remanded or bailed for return to the jurisdiction that issued the warrant. Crossing the ACT and NSW border does not defeat an outstanding warrant.

Will you get bail if charged with a domestic or family violence offence?

Bail is decided case by case. In both the ACT and NSW the safety of the protected person is a central consideration, and conditions such as non-contact and exclusion from a home are common. Some family violence offending, and some repeat offending, makes bail harder to obtain. Getting advice before a first bail application matters, because the conditions set early can shape the whole matter.

Primary sources: the ACT offence is in the Family Violence Act 2016 (ACT), section 43. The FVO process is set out by the ACT Magistrates Court. The NSW breach offence is in the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007 (NSW), section 14. Interstate warrants are governed by the Service and Execution of Process Act 1992 (Cth). The operation figures are drawn from the joint NSW Police and ACT Policing media release of 18 August 2026.

To speak to a criminal defence lawyer, call Aaron Kernaghan on 0421 717 019.

This article is written by Aaron Kernaghan, criminal defence lawyer at Good Legal Lawyers, as at 18 August 2026. It is commentary and reflects the personal opinion of the author only. It is not legal advice, it is not a substitute for advice on your own matter, and it does not purport to be accurate or complete. Any matter referred to may be before the court and any person charged is presumed innocent. For advice on a specific matter, contact Aaron Kernaghan on 0421 717 019 or contact the firm.

More criminal-law commentary by Aaron Kernaghan.

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