Labour MP Deborah Russel - who is shepherding the legislation through its final reading today - says it's "good to give people an opportunity to get away from a relationship in which they have suffered abuse". Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Legislation giving family violence survivors the power to quickly dissolve abusive marriages is expected to pass with unanimous support today.
The bill - nicknamed "Ashley's law" - will allow survivors to apply for a court order dissolving a marital arrangement as soon as they get a final protection order.
The current system requires parties to live apart for two years before making an application.
Divorce law changes expected to pass with unanimous support
Wellington woman Ashley Jones petitioned her local MP for Hutt South Chris Bishop to make the law change after leaving an abusive marriage in 2020.
She said survivors had to bear a "mental and emotional" toll waiting for two years and the delay also put them at risk of ongoing abuse.
"You've made a really hard decision to walk away from something and you can't break ties because you need to then go through a legal process in two years time.
"I was getting punished for being brave and trying to recreate a new life and I never felt like I could truly just move on with my life because that was always hanging over me."
Jones said the day felt exciting - but also bittersweet, as she'd spent four years of her life advocating for the law change.
"Going into this I very quickly learned that politics isn't fast and it wouldn't make a difference for me but I knew that if I could make a difference for anyone that came after me, then that was going to be amazing.
"Advocating for others so they don't have to experience what I experience gives me a lot of peace; knowing that I didn't go through everything for nothing."
Labour MP Deborah Russell was shepherding the legislation through its final reading today. The bill was originally introduced by her former colleague Angie Warren-Clark.
"This particular change is really important because of the way that abusers can continue to abuse their ex-partner because they are tied to them legally," Russell said.
"So it's good to give people an opportunity to get away from a relationship in which they have suffered abuse."
Bishop said he was looking forward to seeing the legislation pass with support from all MPs today.
"It's a classic example of a member of the public identifying an issue, bringing it to parliament's attention by way of a petition, a lot of people figuring out that something needed to be done and parliament going through the process of doing that."
He acknowledged Jones' advocacy and said while it had taken several years to get to this point, it was still progress.
"It's taken a bit longer than Ashley would have liked I'm sure and probably longer than we all would have liked but it's a members bill, it's not a government bill... good things take time sometimes."
Russell said those who had advocated for change did not want others to deal with what they had too.
"I've had a number of people contact me about the bill and talk about their own circumstances and they've said it's a shame that they won't be able to use it themselves... but they've all said we want to make sure that no one has to go through this again."
The Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill will be read a third and final time later today.
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