What is stalking?

What is stalking?

Stalking refers to the repeated intrusion of a person into the life of another person in a way that causes fear or distress. Examples of stalking behaviours include:^12,13

• following a person or loitering near their home, place of work or another place they frequent making threats to harm a person or their family or friends
• sending inappropriate emails, letters, faxes or social media messages making inappropriate phone calls
• distributing malicious material about a person (for example, through flyers, websites, social media posts) making baseless complaints of professional misconduct or filing spurious lawsuits against the victim ordering or cancelling goods or services on behalf of the victim
• interfering with/damaging property
• physically attacking or attempting to attack a person.

 In Australia, stalking is a crime under various state and territory laws, though there are differences in the legal definition across jurisdictions.

 While the stalking of GPs is uncommon, doctors are more vulnerable to this risk than others in the community.¹²