Spotlight on Economic Abuse: a Literature and Policy Review

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considered by community sector groups to have been positive initiatives for women who are parents and carers (ACOSS 2012). The discussion that follows considers some key areas of policy, practice and regulation relating to these issues. First it examines areas for regulatory intervention which are primarily directed to preventing violence through protective workplace measures. It then goes on to examine policies and practices relating to employment assistance and support, including for women who have experienced violence. The final section is a brief consideration of some preventative education and awareness raising strategies which have been targeted to workplaces and this discussion points to some issues and gaps around the engagement of key stakeholders. Responding to violence and regulating for security and safety at work Protective and tertiary interventions for women who have experienced family or domestic violence include the provision of paid leave clauses in enterprise agreements which set out employment conditions. Over the last couple of years family violence clauses providing leave provisions have been included in a number of enterprise agreements, including for public sectors workers in various states (Domestic Violence Workplace Rights & Entitlements Project 2011). These arrangements may well be picked up in other industries. A more comprehensive employment response to family violence would be for the inclusion of family violence in modern awards, which set out the minimum conditions for most employees in Australia. However, these awards are currently being reviewed and they may not be due for further systematic review for another four years. The other regulatory frameworks governing employment are the Fair Work Act and the National Employment Standards. Family violence leave provisions could be included in the latter while the Fair Work Act could provide for flexible work arrangements to meet the needs of someone experiencing domestic or family violence. These types of arrangements have been suggested by the ALRC (2011c) in its recent review. Workplace health and safety legislation in each state and territory set out employers’ obligations to provide safe and healthy workplaces. Recent initiatives promoting workplace responses to violence against women have included guides for the development of workplace safety plans for individual workers at risk of domestic and family violence. These projects also provide training materials, policy templates, model clauses, and guides for managers and supervisors and co-workers for responding to domestic and family violence VicHealth 2012; ADFVC Safe at Home, Safe at Work, ). Who’s leading change in workplaces? There have been a range of responses to domestic and family violence led by employers and corporate sponsors in Australia. One initiative specifically targeting workplace as sites for secondary and tertiary interventions is Australia’s CEO Challenge, a not-for-profit body which works with the corporate sector and domestic and family violence services in Queensland “to create and sustain a world free from family violence—where homes and workplaces are places of safety and care”. This organisation facilitates partnerships between corporate bodies and domestic and family violence services to sponsor services and programs and it also provides workplace education and training “to educate employers and their staff to recognise and deal with violence … and (to) educat(e) employers on how to best respond to an employee who may need help”. (, viewed 24 June 2012). 50
Other initiatives that rely on engaging employers have been led by federal and state governments with the consequences that they involve large organisations and the public sector and that small businesses are ‘largely absent’ (Chung, Zufferey & Powell 2012, p. 39; see also Murray & Powell 2008). Other initiatives with government funding include the White Ribbon’ campaign which targets men’s awareness and understanding of economic abuse including through working with large corporations. Other bodies have also targeted workplaces as sites for action including for example Women’s Health Victoria which has developed a guide for community organisations to provide professional development programs to prevent violence against women to businesses (Women’s Health Victoria 2012). These types of initiatives may have some success targeting smaller employers and employer bodies although it is not known if they have done so. Conclusion: participation, supportive workplaces and safety at work While employment participation is increasingly essential for lifetime economic wellbeing there remain significant gender inequities in opportunities for equitable participation and reward from work. These concerns have been at the centre of some recent policy developments in Australia and are key issues for all women as well as preventative measures at the societal level in relation to economic abuse. There are a range of secondary and tertiary responses which can be implemented at the workplace level to ensure women are safe at work and also to support those who experience violence. With federal funding of the ADFVC Safe at Home, Safe at Work project and commitment from the trade unions representing large public and community sector workforces (often female-dominated) there appears to be considerable momentum to implement these types of interventions. However, for the achievement of change which includes protection for women employed in smaller enterprises there would need to be broader regulatory change through changes to the National Employment Standards, the Fair Work Act and/or to anti-discrimination laws. There may also be opportunities for education and awareness raising targeted to small businesses. Strategies to assist women gain employment are likely to be critical for those women who have been outside of the paid workforce for any period of time, including as a result of economic abuse. 51
Page 1 and 2:
Spotlight on econo
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This literature review is written a
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List of Abbreviations Australian Bu
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Influences, impacts and points of i
Page 9 and 10: Currently, there are a number of ga
Page 11 and 12: Introduction This literature review
Page 13 and 14: Economic Abuse This section is conc
Page 15 and 16: elationships; sibling relationships
Page 17 and 18: A.2 Preventing acquisition of econo
Page 19 and 20: Diagram 1: Power and Control Wheel
Page 21 and 22: Economic abuse and elder abuse Econ
Page 23 and 24: studies, which concern different gr
Page 25 and 26: Figure 1: An ecological model of ec
Page 27 and 28: also parents and children and paid
Page 29 and 30: A recent qualitative study by the A
Page 31 and 32: 3) suggests the impacts of economic
Page 33 and 34: The connections between policies, f
Page 35 and 36: The establishment of a National Cou
Page 37 and 38: the Victorian Government commenced
Page 39 and 40: insufficient to meet costs for wome
Page 41 and 42: welfare payment and to encourage so
Page 43 and 44: The ALRC recommended a host of chan
Page 45 and 46: exclusion. In addition to increasin
Page 47 and 48: Conclusion: public policies and eco
Page 49 and 50: Legal and Regulatory Frameworks Aus
Page 51 and 52: a. DEEWR and Job Services Australia
Page 53 and 54: provide guidance materials for supe
Page 55 and 56: laws and a variety of other ‘soft
Page 57 and 58: for hardship, although as with the
Page 59: Employment Frameworks, Policies and
Page 63 and 64: Australian context where a strong f
Page 65 and 66: Financial education and asset build
Page 67 and 68: List of References Aboriginal Affai
Page 69 and 70: Banks, M 2011, Caught short: explor
Page 71 and 72: Dimopoulos, M 2010, Implementing le
Page 73 and 74: McCrystal, S & Smith, B 2011, 'Indu
Page 75 and 76: Sanders, CK & Schnabel, M 2007, 'Or
Page 77 and 78: Appendices APPENDIX A: Key policy d
Page 79: APPENDIX B: Economic abuse in the V
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Spotlight on Economic Abuse: a Literature and Policy Review

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