Domestic and family violence and financial hardship

Steps to get help with financial hardship caused by domestic and family violence

01

Safety first

The first thing you need to do is make sure you’re safe. Call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) if you need information, counselling and/or support (including putting together a safety plan).

If you’re in immediate danger call 000.

Safety planning can help reduce the risk of you being harmed. It’s recommended you get the help of a support service in making a safety plan.

02

Get legal advice

If you were coerced or forced into getting a debt, you may have a case as to why you do not owe the debt at all, or only owe part of the debt. Speak to one of our financial counsellors and they can explain where you can obtain free legal advice (if needed).

03

Work out what you can afford to pay, if anything

This page will show you how to work out what you can afford to pay.

If you can afford to pay something

Start paying the amount you can afford. Get in touch with your creditors straight away to put a repayment arrangement in place. See below for tips on talking to your creditors.

If you can’t afford to pay anything

You may not be able to pay anything for a little while if you have no income, are in temporary housing, or are homeless.

One option may include negotiating a repayment arrangement, where you make no payments for a short time while you get settled.

Call us on 1800 007 007 or live chat to go through your options.

04

Speak to your creditor’s hardship department

If you’re in financial difficulty, a good place to start is the hardship department of your creditors.

Experiencing domestic and family violence is traumatic. Staff in the hardship teams of financial services providers and other organisations may have specialised training around family violence.

Staff in the hardship department are also more likely to have the authority to consider more flexible options.

Consider telling the creditor about the family and domestic violence

Many creditors have special assistance for people affected by family and domestic violence. You can access that assistance by telling the creditor about your experiences.

You don’t need to provide evidence (e.g. court orders)

The creditor should believe you. You shouldn’t need to provide evidence, such as a copy of an Intervention Order. If the creditor insists on copies of orders, call us on 1800 007 007.

You don’t need the permission of a joint account holder to make a repayment arrangement

You can make a repayment arrangement without obtaining the consent of any joint account holder.

Ask the creditor about safety

The creditor should make sure any action it takes doesn’t make you unsafe. But the best way to make sure is to ask the creditor to (if relevant):

– Make sure your details remain confidential, and check there are systems in place to keep them confidential ongoing

– Let you know if information needs to be sent to a joint account holder

– Not ask you to contact the perpetrator (the person who is causing the harm)

Ask the creditor about your credit report

Ask the creditor to remove a default on your credit report if this will affect your ability to get a new rental property or access to other credit. This page explains how to get your credit report.

05

If you can’t agree, dispute it

If you can’t come to an agreement you think is fair, you may have the right to access dispute resolution. These free and independent services give you an opportunity to explain how you can work with your creditors to get back on track with payments. See our page on dispute resolution for more details.

If your creditor is a bank or other finance company

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority is the dispute resolution scheme for financial services.

It has a publication called The AFCA Approach to joint facilities and family violence (available here under the headline AFCA Approaches), which explains AFCA’s approach to family violence situations.

06

Speak to one of our financial counsellors

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need some help to deal with your financial hardship, you can speak with one of our financial counsellors.

Financial counsellors aren’t judgmental about your circumstances – they’re here to offer you free, confidential and independent advice and assistance.

To speak to a financial counsellor you can:

Call the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 – open Weekdays from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Use our live chat service by clicking the chat icon in the bottom right corner of your screen. Live chat is available 9:00 am to 8.00 pm weekdays. If you send a message outside these hours a financial counsellor will get back to you.
Make an appointment to see a financial counsellor in your local area – Find a local Financial Counsellor.