Following the National Cabinet meeting on 6 September 2024, the Australian Government commenced an audit of key Commonwealth government systems to identify areas where they are being weaponised by perpetrators of family and domestic violence in order to stamp out opportunities for systems abuse.
Too often, perpetrators of family and domestic violence exploit and manipulate government systems to control, threaten or harass victim-survivors. This “systems abuse” is often part of a pattern of coercive control and financial abuse that perpetrators use to control or punish their victims.
As an immediate response to the audit, the government is taking steps to close financial abuse loopholes by:
- Preventing perpetrators from using tax and corporate systems to create debts as a form of coercive control and making perpetrators accountable for these debts.
- Looking at making perpetrators liable for social security debts that a victim-survivor incurs due to coercion or financial abuse.
- Looking at how to stop perpetrators receiving their victim’s superannuation after death.
Work is also underway across government to address the findings from the audit and to identify interventions and system improvements that can protect and support victim-survivors of gender-based violence.
The audit is an ongoing mechanism to examine existing government systems to identify areas where they are being weaponised, and how these systems can be strengthened to improve safety for victim-survivors and prevent further abuse. There is also a strong focus on how systems can be improved without creating unintended consequences, so that they are safe and work as intended for all Australians.
This work is being informed by targeted stakeholder consultation, including engagement with people with lived experience of this type of abuse, system reform experts, and other key stakeholders to ensure the government understands system vulnerabilities and how they are or may be weaponised by perpetrators of family and domestic violence. This includes incorporating the views and experiences of people who face additional and intersecting barriers when interacting with systems or seeking support, including First Nations people.
The audit is also leveraging findings from existing reviews across the Australian Government that seek to strengthen systems. It also will build on existing research and evidence that has indicated where systems are being misused.
The government is also working to apply the principles of safety by design into systems reform and design, to contribute to preventing systems abuse. Safety by design is a preventative approach where safety considerations are holistically considered in the design and operation of systems and prevent abuse before it occurs.
The audit is being overseen by a Secretaries Working Group on Gender-Based Violence, a sub-committee of the Australian Public Service Secretaries Board. The Office for Women in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is supporting the delivery of the audit in close partnership with Australian Government departments and service delivery agencies.
The audit directly responds to recommendation 16 from the Report of the Rapid Review of Prevention Approaches, which called for an immediate audit informed by safety by design principles. It also aligns to Action 5 under the First Action Plan of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032, which includes strengthening systems to better hold perpetrators accountable.
For more information, the Office for Women can be contacted at OFW-SystemsAbuse@pmc.gov.au.