Domestic and family violence

Domestic and family violence is a repeated pattern of behaviour that looks to control another person in a family relationship, such as a partner, a parent, child, sibling or another relative. This type of violence can be:

• physically or sexually abusive;
• emotionally or psychologically abusive;
• economically abusive (limiting access to money or impacting overall financial wellbeing);
• threatening or coercive;
• controlling or dominating a family member in any other way, causing that person to fear for their safety or wellbeing, or that of someone else; and
• traumatic for a child hearing, witnessing, or being exposed to domestic and family violence behaviours. 

Financial abuse happens when someone uses money and resources to control a partner or family member, and can include withholding money, controlling household spending or refusing access to funds or financial decisions.

Financial abuse often keeps a partner or family member trapped in an abusive relationship or forces them to return because they are unable to stay safe and live independently.

Financial abuse can include:

• Being forced to take on unwanted debt;
• Withholding, or threatening to withhold, money;
• Limiting access to money; and
• Trying to ruin a person’s credit rating by not re-paying debt.

Call 000 if you are in immediate danger.

To access 24/7 counselling and support call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.

Many of the resources outlined below and on our External Support Services page are free and may be of assistance.

Ensuring your privacy

We understand that privacy and confidentiality is paramount to safety in domestic and family violence situations. Our Privacy Policy has been developed to protect your personal information. Depending on your circumstances, there are several options to protect your finances and privacy.

Call 1300 131 144 to have a confidential conversation with a member of our team, who will help support you to manage your finances and explain your options.

Protecting your money

Depending on your circumstances, we can assist you to: 

• Remove or change your online banking access. Note that this may not be appropriate in circumstances where this could cause a risk to your personal safety.
• Cancel any additional credit cards. A ‘primary’ credit cardholder is liable for any outstanding balances. We can cancel any additional cards to avoid more debt being incurred. Please note that when a change is made, we are required to notify the primary cardholder of the change.
• work through your power of attorney arrangement, if you have one. If you have revoked an existing power of attorney or appointed a new attorney, we will update our records accordingly. You may require legal assistance with these arrangements.

1800RESPECT 1800 737 732
Confidential online and telephone counselling, information and referral services, available 24/7.

Lifeline
Supporting Australians experiencing emotional distress, with 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.

Full Stop Australia
Offering confidential, trauma specialist counselling for people impacted by violence and abuse.

National Association of Community Legal Centres
Providing legal and related services to people experiencing discrimination or disadvantage. You can search for state-based community legal centres.

No to Violence
Working with men to help change abusive and violent behaviour. 

White Ribbon
Working to eliminate gendered violence, with resources for help and support on their website.

To find out more, please call or book an appointment to have a confidential conversation with our staff:

Call 1300 131 844 during business hours
Email us at [email protected]
Visit a branch