Violent alleged offenders will find it harder to get released on bail under changes targeting domestic violence, but opponents to incarceration say keeping them locked up will not make women safer.
Reforms will be tabled in the NSW parliament, with cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon to sign off on "long overdue" plans to stem domestic violence.
Premier Chris Minns said the reforms include measures to limit the release of the most serious offenders and would hopefully be introduced to parliament within days.
The judicial overhaul is part of a $230 million four-year government package unveiled a week earlier aimed at curbing domestic and family violence amid public outcry over several serious and fatal attacks on women.
"We're particularly focusing on high-risk offenders that are facing serious charges in the court, whether they've got a criminal history or not, who pose an ongoing risk to their former intimate partner," Mr Minns told Sydney radio 2GB.
"We're particularly looking at that question around bail or remand."
A woman has been killed every four days across Australia this year, sparking mass rallies and calls for political action at all levels of government.
Forbes woman Molly Ticehurst's alleged murder at the hands of a former partner on bail accused of raping, stalking and intimidating her in April has spurred calls for urgent legal changes.
Her accused killer was released by a registrar handling court matters in place of a magistrate.
Registrars could lose the capacity to sign off on bail in serious domestic-violence cases under the proposed changes.
Mr Minns apologised for government failures to take earlier action to address domestic violence while unveiling the emergency funding package earlier in May.
It includes more than $73 million for justice system reforms, including bail-law changes.
Justice Reform Initiative executive director Mindy Sotiri said there was a need for urgent measures to keep women and families safe.
"But it is difficult to see how the proposed changes to bail will either improve women's safety or go deeper to address the social drivers of domestic and family violence," Dr Sotiri said.
Keeping alleged offenders in custody before trial may temporarily address the risk, but could increase it long-term, entrenching underlying drivers of violence such as poor employment prospects and isolation from community, she said.
"Nearly 40 per cent of people in prison in NSW are there on remand, and this move will drive those numbers higher."
The opposition has called for the expanded use of electronic monitoring devices for serious domestic violence offenders, but the government is lukewarm on the proposal.
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman wants to co-operate on the overhaul while pushing for further changes and shadow attorney-general Alister Henskens is concerned the government will only "tinker" with laws.
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