A change to the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code will allow for flexible repayment arrangements for Australians experiencing violent relationships. 

The announcement has been welcomed by Tasmanian family violence organisation SHE (Support Help Empowerment). 

SHE chief executive Alina Thomas said financial abuse was a “massive issue” in family violence situations and “anything that helped” victims was a “positive step forward”.

“Family violence can leave people in debt or struggling to pay their bills … access to finance is a really large element of family violence,” she said.

“People who are living with family violence, if they are trying to leave or their partners have left and they lose their income or have a dramatic drop in income, that would be an occasion where this would be very helpful.

“Equally if not more important is that we are changing the way we talk about family violence in our community. It really sends a message to people who experience family violence that the community is taking the situation seriously.”

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The change to the code was approved by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, following a report of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence last year.

ACMA chairman James Cameron said telecommunications services were “vital for consumers who have experience family violence”.

“The Code now explicitly recognises that family and domestic violence may be just causes for a consumer to seek access to financial hardship arrangements,” he said.

“How telcos deal with the consequences of family violence is very important so we will be monitoring the development of the guidance closely.”