But more needs to be done to help front-line services that assist victims and survivors of domestic violence, given cases continue to rise, Labor says.

The state government introduced new wording for ADVOs on Saturday, in an attempt to make the parameters clearer for the people involved and reduce the number of people who breach the legal orders.

The change came as Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures released this week showed that the rate of convictions for domestic violence assaults in the Maitland local government area jumped by 20 per cent in the year to September, 2016.

Fairfax Media reported earlier this year that the rate had jumped by 23 per cent in the 12 months to June.

Opposition spokesperson for the prevention of domestic violence, Jenny Aitchison, said the change in ADVO wording was a positive step.

But Ms Aitchison – who is also the state member for Maitland – said the government needed to commit more resources to help front-line services for victims and survivors of violence.

“There are places that are having a domestic violence crisis – Maitland is one of those places,” she said.

“The government needs to look at strengthening deterrents for people who breach ADVOs.

“Domestic violence is a terrible crime that has inter-generational economic consequences for families, victims and survivors.”

NSW Attorney General Gabrielle Upton said the new ADVOs would mean offenders would no longer have an excuse for not understanding an order.

"These new ADVOs will help break the cycle of violence by using clear and simple language," she said.

"We have removed all the complex legal jargon and spelled out a defendant's obligations in plain English, so they can no longer claim they didn't understand the meaning or consequences of the ADVO.”