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Orders are made for a minimum of 5 years (unless a court is satisfied a shorter order can be made) and may be extended where necessary. A DVO is not a criminal order, however, if the respondent disobeys it, they can be charged by the police with the criminal offence of breaching a DVO.

The process for withdrawing a DVO in QLD if you have made the application without police assistance will depend on the stage of the proceedings. If a Temporary Order has been made and no Protection Order exists, then you can ask the Magistrates Court to dismiss your application and remove the temporary DVO.

Changes to current orders can include: adding or removing conditions. adding or removing named people (e.g. children, relatives, and associates) extending or reducing the time the order is in force.

There is no power for a court to outright dismiss or remove a DVO once it is made permanent, but varying the duration so that it ends immediately is possible.

A contested hearing can also be called a trial. At the hearing, the magistrate will hear your evidence about why a domestic violence order should not be made and evidence from the aggrieved or the police about why an order should be made. The magistrate can also hear evidence from witnesses.