The 27-year-old will have to serve at least four months of the sentence before it can be suspended for him to serve the rest in the community.

The man pleaded guilty in August to six charges, including making a demand with a threat to kill, aggravated furious reckless driving, damaging property and possessing a weapon.

The court heard the man, at one point, held an axe to his child and threatened to put it through their face if his partner did not get in his car.

The man had caused significant damage to the family's home with holes in the wall, axe marks in the door frames and a destroyed bed head.

The incident began with an argument between the man and his partner during which he pushed her off their bed and swung the axe dangerously close to her.

He then bundled his four children into the car and drove dangerously around the suburb.

Justice Michael Elkaim described the incident as a case of "domestic violence at its worst".

The man's defence lawyer, James Maher, admitted his client had shown a "cavalier disregard for his children's safety" but his intention had never been to harm his partner or children.

He had had no intention to carry out his threats of harm, Mr Maher said.

He said the man had been experiencing an acute stage of depression and had been heavily intoxicated at the time of the offences and had wanted to harm himself.

The children had been found physically unharmed, sleeping at a relative's home, Mr Maher said, although he acknowledged they would have been emotionally scarred.

Mr Maher said he did not highlight the man's mental health to provide an excuse for his actions or to detract from the "ugly facts" of the case.

However, he said his client had made significant progress towards rehabilitation, participating in, among others, the EveryMan program. He said it was in the interest of the man's family and the community for him to continue on his path.

The man was fortunate to have the "unwavering support" of his partner who had not simply forgiven him but was encouraging him to get help, Mr Maher said.

Prosecutor Patrick Dixon said the man had demonstrated "outrageous behaviour" and recommended a term of imprisonment was the only option in sentencing the man.

Mr Dixon said the man had used his children to manipulate his partner.

Justice Elkaim recognised the man's genuine progress towards rehabilitation and described the man's partner's actions as admirable. He acknowledged she would suffer financially if the man was incarcerated.

However, he said he was left with no option but to send the man to prison as fathers and partners needed to understand that this sort of behaviour would not be tolerated by the court.

The man, who had been on bail, was taken away by ACT Corrections staff while his partner cried in the court.

He could be released in time for Christmas with his sentence eligible for suspension in December.