Available Family Violence Payments:
Leaving Violence Program
The Leaving Violence Program supports people leaving a partner who uses violence with financial and other supports. This can be a risky time. The Program is available to eligible victim-survivors regardless of gender or visa status.
To be eligible for support through the Leaving Violence Program, you must meet all of the below eligibility criteria:
- be a victim-survivor experiencing Intimate Partner Violence;
- have left or have a plan to leave a violent Intimate Partner Relationship;
- have changed, or have been planning to change, how or where you live in the past 12 weeks because of the violence. This can, for example, be that you:
- have left your shared home, or
- partner has left or been made to leave your shared home and you have stayed in the home, or
- have a plan or want help to make a plan, to leave a partner who uses violence and change your living arrangement;
- be 18 years or older;
- reside in Australia and have a current address; (at the time of application as an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or temporary visa holder);
- be experiencing financial stress;
- have not been supported through the Leaving Violence Program, Escaping Violence Payment (EVP) trial, or the Temporary Visa Holders Experiencing Violence Pilot in the last 12 months.
Services Australia Crisis Payment
A one-off non-taxable payment if you’ve experienced an extreme circumstance and are in severe financial hardship. There are different types of Crisis Payments for different extreme circumstances.
To be eligible for this Crisis Payment, you must meet all of the following:
- be eligible for, or getting, an income support payment or ABSTUDY Living Allowance
- be in severe financial hardship
- have experienced family and domestic violence
- be contactable by our social workers to assess your situation
- be in one of the required living arrangements
- be in Australia when the incident happened and when you submit your claim
- contact Services Australia or make a claim within 7 days of your living arrangements changing.
As part of the claim process, you have to speak with a social worker. They will ask you for both:
- Evidence of the extreme circumstance. This could include you experienced an incident of family and domestic violence that forced you to leave your home or you stayed in your home after experiencing domestic violence and the family member responsible left or was removed from the home.
- Permission to contact someone else who can confirm your circumstances.
Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS)
If you have been affected by a crime, you may be able to apply for financial assistance. You can apply for the scheme if you are injured by a violent crime in Victoria. This can be a mental or physical injury, or both. This also includes trauma. You must report the crime to the police (unless you have special circumstances for not reporting to police). The offender does not need to be charged or convicted of the crime.
Adult victims must apply within:
- 10 years from a sexual offence or family violence.
- 3 years from other violent crimes.
There is no time limit for victims who are children if the violent crime involves family violence or child abuse. For all other crimes, a child must apply within 3 years of turning 18. In some circumstances, the FAS may be able to accept late applications.
Additional Resources
