Consorting

The Summary Offences Act 1953 (SA) also contains anti-association laws. One of these is a law against consorting (associating) with particular people.

It is an offence, under s 13 of the Summary Offences Act 1953 (SA), to:

habitually consort with (at least 2) convicted offenders (people who have been convicted of indictable offences) on at least 2 occasions, and
consort with those offenders after receiving an official warning (by police) in relation to each of the offenders.

The maximum penalty is imprisonment for 2 years.

If the consorting was:

with family members
in lawful employment or in the operation of a lawful business
in training or education
in the course of health services provision or legal advice, or
in lawful custody or in the course of complying with a court order, and

the defendant satisfies the Court that the consorting was reasonable in the circumstances, then it is to be disregarded for the purposes of the offence of consorting [s 13(3)].

Consorting : Last Revised: Thu Feb 26th 2026
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