From 19 October 2021, the Morrison Government brought in a women leaving a violent relationship access to a one-off payment of up to $5,000 to help them establish a life free of violence.

Under the two-year Escaping Violence Payment trial women will receive financial assistance of up to $1,500 in cash with the remainder available for goods and services or direct payments of bonds, school fees or other support to help establish a safe home. (But once again this is not inclusive of all women in this country. The most vulnerable at left behind once again! 

-The payment is available to:
-Australian citizen / permanent resident in Australia

ONLY FOR AUSTRALIAN CITIZENS & PERMANENT RESIDENTS 

NOT FOR A VICTIM-SURVIVOR ON A PARTNER VISA - WHY NOT? 

NOT FOR a VICTIM-SURVIVORS ON A BRIDGING VISA -WHY NOT?

AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS MUST STOP DISCRIMINATING AGAINST PEOPLE BECAUSE OF A VISA STATUS AND FOCUS ON ONE CORE PRINCIPLE THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS TO SAFETY AND PROTECTION. FULL STOP. 

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TO REQUEST AN AMENDMENT FOR THIS 2 YEAR TRIAL PAYMENT TO BE A UNIVERSAL PAYMENT TO EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING WHO IS A VICTIM-SURVIVOR OF THIS SHADOW PANDEMIC KILLING ONE WOMAN PER WEEK FROM DOMESTIC | FAMILY | INTIMATE PARTNER | GENDER BASED VIOLENCE FROM PERPETRATORS. 

DEMONSTRATE COMPASSION NOT POLICY IS WHAT WE NEED FROM OUR LEADERS WHEN IT COMES TO SUPPORTING VICTIMS-SURVIVORS IN A MEANINGFUL WAY. #LeaveNoOneBehind #thewhycampaignteam #wehearyou #weseeyou #wecare  

How it works & Delivery of this Escaping Violence Payment (EVP)

The UnitingCare Australia Consortium among other organisations have been selected as the service providers to deliver the payments and will also support women to engage with other relevant services (Wesley Mission) that support women and their children. This includes other Commonwealth or state and territory government funded community services.

Minister for Women’s Safety Anne Ruston said the payments would help address the financial barriers that may stop women leaving violent relationships.

“We know that financial hardship as well as economic abuse, which may involve interfering with work or controlling or withholding money, reduces women’s ability to acquire and use money and makes it difficult to leave violent relationships,” Minister Ruston said.

“The new Escaping Violence Payment aims to help address those issues so women have more security when making that brave decision to leave any form of intimate partner violence – including physical violence, coercive control and financial abuse.

“The payments will assist people who need financial support to leave. We know the size of the house a woman is fleeing doesn’t matter – often she bundles the kids into the car, maybe the dog too and they leave with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.

UnitingCare Australia National Director Claerwen Little said the Escaping Violence Payment would help women to access some of the essentials needed to create a safe home and life for themselves and their children.

“The UnitingCare Network has extensive experience supporting victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence and staff would leverage that knowledge to provide a wrap-around service for women and their children,” Ms Little said. “We believe that all people, especially women and their children, have the right to live freely and without fear, and this payment is an important step forward to ending violence against women and their children.

“As part of the individualised support packages, UnitingCare Network agencies will provide tailored assistance and engage with other relevant agencies that support women and their children including other Commonwealth or state and territory government funded community services.” The Escaping Violence Payment is not considered taxable or reportable income and will not impact on any other social security payments a recipient may be receiving. Eligibility includes financial stress and evidence of domestic violence including, but not limited to, a referral from a family and domestic violence service provider with a risk assessment and safety plan, an AVO, court order or a police report.

Women can apply for the payment through UnitingCare Network from 19 October 2021. More information will be available at unitingvictas.org.au/escaping-violence-payment.The Escaping Violence Payment will build on and complement existing programs offered by state and territories, as well as Australian Government support offered to women experiencing violence, including:

Services Australia’s Crisis Payment for Extreme Circumstances of Family and Domestic Violence
No Interest Loan Scheme for Women Experiencing Domestic Violence
Emergency Relief
Keeping Women Safe in Their Homes.
The two-year trial will be independently evaluated to assess the benefit of the payment, including demand, eligibility criteria, needs of specific cohorts, and how it works with related services.

The $144.8 million Escaping Violence Payment trial is part of the landmark $1.1 billion women’s safety package contained in the 2021-22 Women’s Budget Statement. (Source - https://ministers.dss.gov.au/media-releases/7676 

WHO CAN ACCESS THE SERVICE? 
Use the below information as a guide to whether you can access the payment. All of the below requirements must be met in order to be eligible.

*EVP is not a crisis intervention service.

-The payment is available to:
-Australian citizen / permanent resident in Australia - EXCULSION 
-People over 18 years old
-Have not accessed EVP in the last 12 months

(Source - https://www.unitingvictas.org.au/services/family-services/family-violence-services/escaping-violence-payment 

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