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What is domestic and family violence?
Domestic and family violence (DFV) occurs when one person in a current or former relationship uses violence, coercion or abuse to exercise or maintain power and control over another person.
DFV can include behaviour that is:
- physically, sexually, emotionally, spiritually, psychologically or economically abusive (including financial abuse)
- threatening and coercive or aimed at controlling or dominating the other person through fear
DFV can occur in any type of relationship including current or former: partners, spouses, carers or paid support workers, parents, guardians, adult children and adolescents. We know DFV does not discriminate, and can happen to anyone regardless of their religion, culture, social background, gender or sexuality.
Some examples include if your current or former partner:
- Refuses to give you access to money and information about your own finances, such as your loan account or offset sub-account
- Forces or pressures you to take on a debt without your consent
- Withholds or controls your money
- Transfers your home or car out of your name
- Intentionally tries to damage your credit by not making payments
- Fraudulently uses your personal information to obtain a loan without your permission.
How can we help?
We're here to help customers impacted by DFV including financial abuse.
You can speak confidentially to a trained loans.com.au Customer Care team member about your current situation. They can assist you in managing your loan and discuss available options confidentially.
You can contact the Customer Care team on 1300 538 488 between 8:30am-5:00pm, Monday to Friday (AEST). We are available on public holidays excluding national public holidays where we'll respond on the next business day.
Our Approach
As one of Australia’s leading non-bank lenders, we are committed to supporting customers who may be experiencing DFV.
Our mission is to make the conversation about family and domestic violence a conversation that is had by all Australians. We partner with Challenge DV to ensure our staff recognise the signs of DFV and are ready to assist our customers.
Our Procedures and Training
Our internal training and procedures are built on the below principles:
RECOGNISING
DFV can occur in any relationship and can affect people of all cultures, religions, ages, genders, sexual orientations, educational backgrounds and income levels. Some groups may be more vulnerable to DFV, including women, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, LGBTIQA people, First Nations people or people with a disability.
We know customers may not always disclose DFV. Our staff are trained to recognise potential indicators of abuse during phone calls and other interactions.
RESPONDING
Customers experiencing DFV may be in significant distress, in fear for their personal safety, homeless or residing at temporary accommodation. We will be flexible and accommodating in considering requests from customers to meet their individual needs.
We take confidentiality seriously. All information and records relating to DFV matters are handled securely.
COMMUNICATING
We prioritise the safety and wellbeing of our customers and those affected by DFV.
When a customer shares their DFV experience, we aim to ensure they:
- feel heard and understood
- only need to explain their situation once
- have confidential, respectful interactions
- are given clear information and time to make informed decisions
In an emergency contact 000.
1800RESPECT
Call 1800 737 732
www.1800respect.org.au
Family Relationship Advice Line
Call 1800 050 321
Relationships Australia
Call 1300 364 277
relationships.org.au
Mensline Australia
Call 1300 789 978
mensline.org.au
No to Violence
Call 1300 766 491
www.ntv.org.au
Lifeline
Call 13 11 14
lifeline.org.au
Another Closet
www.humanservices.gov.au
Centrelink
Call 1800 737 732
www.1800respect.org.au
Child Protection Helpline
Call 132 111
Kids Helpline
Call 1800 551 800
www.kidshelpline.com.au
QLife
Call 1800 184 527
www.qlife.org.au
National Disability Abuse Hotline
Call 1800 880 052
jobaccess.gov.au/complaints/hotline
Elder Abuse Hotline
Call 1300 652 192
eapu.com.au
Translating and Interpretiang Service
Call 131 450
tisnational.gov.au
Services and Practitioners for Elimination of Abuse (SPEAQ)
speaq.org.au
Legal Aid
Find a legal aid commission at
www.nationallegalaid.org
Community Legal Centres (CLC)
Find a local CLC at
www.naclc.org.au
Women's Legal Service Australia
www.wlsa.org.au or
www.familyrelationships.gov.au
Financial Counselling Australia
www.financialcounsellingaustralia.org.au/Home
MoneySmart
www.moneysmart.gov.au/life-events-andyou/families/financial-abuse
Useful tools
Sunny app
Sunny is 1800Respect's app for women with disability who have experience violence and abuse
Download for: iOS
