Question to the Minister for Social Services: Domestic Violence Crisis Payment - 26 November 2024

26/11/24

This is a question for the Minister for Social Services. A crisis payment is meant to be available for women escaping domestic violence but the conditions exclude half the women who apply. The payment is only available if a woman can show she fits the narrow criteria within seven days of leaving. This is an unrealistic expectation for women whose lives are in chaos. Will the government review the conditions of the crisis payment so it actually helps women when they need it?

I give the call to the Minister for Social Services. Thank you, Speaker. I would like to thank the member for Curtin to for her question and her long standing advocacy for women and children escaping family and domestic violence. We know that at a time when a woman is leaving a violent relationship it is a very difficult time and our government's made a number of changes and investments to try and support women at that particular time when they are leaving a violent relationship. We have brought in, for example, 10 days of family domestic violence leave, to allow someone in that circumstance to attend to appointments, court or see police. We have also made permanent the escaping family violence payment which is not administered by Services Australia, but by another nongovernment organisation that has the expertise which provides people with $5,000 of support to set up a new home or to get things that they may need. In addition, there is the crisis payment as the member has identified, which is another plank of support. While legislation requires that that person has seven days from the traumatic event to lodge a claim for crisis payment, there is flexibility to support people in this circumstance. Services Australia provides an additional 14 days after contact to lodge a claim if they have experienced family and domestic violence Notwithstanding that, we know as a government too often perpetrators of family and domestic violence can exploit and manipulate government systems to control, harass or threaten a current or former partner and we have continued to look at government systems across the board through some of the work we are doing. Most recently, the officials undertaking this whole of government systems abuse review in the Commonwealth have met with their lived experience advisory Council to talk with them about the interactions with the social security system, but also the Australian tax system and the child support system, so we will continue to look across government systems about how we best can support victims, victim survivors of family and domestic violence, but it is not the only plank. We have a number of measures in place and we will continue to look at all we can do.

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