The opposition will push for a more specialised and dedicated court to deal with the large number of family violence cases that come before the ACT's courts.
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Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson wants to see a single magistrate dedicated to the Family Violence Court, to ensure consistency of decision-making and accumulation of expertise.
Mr Hanson, who pledged bipartisanship to tackle family violence earlier this year, will move a motion in the ACT Legislative Assembly this week seeking support for the change.
"When I do talk to people on the frontline, when I talk to the experts, it seems like something that would make a difference," he said.
"People are at the point where they want to see substantive action."
The ACT purports to have a distinct Family Violence Court, which deals with the vast number of cases in separate lists to other matters.
The law governing the Family Violence Court, however, differs from that of the specialised ACT Childrens Court and ACT Industrial Court.
The chief magistrate has the power to declare a single, specialised "childrens court magistrate" for a period of up to two years, and a dedicated "industrial court magistrate" for up to four years.
The legislation does not allow for the same to be done in the Family Violence Court, and any of the ACT's magistrates preside over the lists on any given week.
Support workers have been calling for a more specialised and victim-centred approach, arguing a dedicated magistrate would improve consistency in sentencing and other decision-making.
The introduction of a dedicated magistrate, it is argued, would better acknowledge the complexities involved in family violence, and help identify the risks and "red flags" to victims through the court process.
Mr Hanson said the spirit of bipartisanship on family violence was broadly being engaged in by both sides of politics.
He said the government was expected to make further announcements on Monday as part of its ongoing strategy to tackle family violence.
"I don't know what they're going to announce, but I hope it is things we can support," he said.
"I think there is a desire on all sides of politics and throughout the community to see action taken."
Mr Hanson acknowledged there were many areas of pressing need, including preventative measures, and that support services were currently stretched.
He said having a dedicated Family Violence Court would help to "stem the demand".
The opposition will move a motion calling for the support of Labor and the Greens in the ACT Legislative Assembly, probably on Wednesday.
"Having spoken to people on the frontline ... what they want is a full-time court that's got a dedicated magistrate that can hear applications, breaches of orders, contested matters, sentencing, all of the matters related to family violence," he said.
"There is an inconsistency potentially in the way that matters are heard, if they are heard across different magistrates."
The Women's Legal Centre has previously led calls for such an approach, with director Elena Rosenman saying in June:
"A specialised domestic violence court means these matters would be heard by someone with a sophisticated understanding of domestic violence, someone who is alert to red flags."
Victims of Crime Commissioner John Hinchey has previously questioned whether the lack of resources and heavy workload is compromising the court's ability to specialise properly in family violence.
