Insidious, traumatic but less-visible forms of abuse are in the spotlight as the federal government attempts to tackle family and domestic violence.
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Coercive control is a form of abuse where perpetrators display a pattern of controlling and manipulative behaviour designed to intimidate, isolate or control.
About 3.6 million Australians - 2.2 million women and 1.4 million men - have experienced emotional abuse by a partner at some point since the age of 15, a 2022 analysis by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found.
The abuse underpins domestic and family violence and can have traumatic and pervasive impacts on survivors and their loved ones, although its less-obvious signs can make it harder to recognise and address.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus is expected to the release of a set of national guidelines on coercive control after a meeting with his state counterparts in Perth on Friday.
"Though coercive control is almost always present in instances of family and domestic violence, we don't currently have a shared understanding of its nature or impacts on individuals," he said.
"A consistent, national approach is critical to creating better community awareness, which is the first step toward eliminating this insidious threat."
The National Principles to Address Coercive Control in Family and Domestic Violence will outline the impacts and features of coercive control while offering resources and advice on how those affected could respond.
During the drafting process, the government consulted survivors, academics, members of the legal sector, representatives from frontline services and other experts on family and domestic violence.
Additional resources for First Nations communities will be released in the coming months.
In August, governments across the country set targets for ending violence for the first time, such as a 25 per cent annual reduction in female victims.
Targets have also been set to encourage more people to reject violence against women.
The NSW state government has also taken steps to address a specific form of coercive control after announcing an $8.1 million investment in legal initiatives to help those experiencing financial abuse on Sunday.
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Australian Associated Press
