An Apprehended Violence Order or AVO in New South Wales is a Court order made under the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007 to protect you from violence, intimidation or harassment in the future. AVO in New South Wales An AVO in New South Wales is called an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) if you and the person against whom you are seeking the order have been or are in a domestic relationship. This means: being married or in a de facto relationship living at the same premises (including in a residential care facility) being in an intimate relationship being related (including as kin or extended family if you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person). Otherwise, the AVO is called an Apprehended Personal Violence Order (APVO). In an APVO the court will order you and the defendant to go to mediation unless there is good reason not to.