2The Legislative Assembly also recognises the following features of family

2 The Legislative Assembly also recognises the following features of family violence: (a) anyone can be a victim of family violence: it occurs in all areas of society, regardless of location, socioeconomic and health status, age, culture, gender, sexual identity, ability, ethnicity or religion; (b) family violence is predominantly committed by men against women and children; (c) family violence extends beyond physical violence and may involve the exploitation of power imbalances and patterns of abuse over many years; (d) children exposed to family violence are particularly vulnerable and the exposure may have a serious impact on their current and future physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing. The Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory therefore enacts as follows:

Preliminary Part 1 1 Name of Act This Act is the Family Violence Act 2016.