Recognising economic control as family violence and understanding your rights under Australia’s new laws

Financial abuse is one of the most powerful but least visible forms of family violence. It can happen to anyone, in any type of relationship. For people in the LGBTQIA+ community, financial abuse is difficult to detect due to social stigma and underreporting, plus a lack of tailored services providing education or support.

As Australia marks Economic Abuse Awareness Day on 26 November, it is an important time to highlight economic abuse and lift the lid on what is a common experience in all relationships.

At Parker Coles Curtis, we apply our specialist family law knowledge and expertise to work with clients of all identities and relationship structures whether you’re married, de facto, same-sex, trans or gender-diverse. We guide and support those who have experienced financial control, coercion or exploitation. These experiences are real, valid, and deeply impactful. Following reforms in 2025, they are now explicitly recognised at law.

What financial abuse looks like in relationships

Financial abuse occurs when one partner uses money or financial systems to control the other. Common forms are:

1. Restricting access to joint bank accounts
2. Monitoring or controlling spending on essentials like food, petrol or medication
3. Forcing or coercing a partner to take out loans or credit cards in their name
4. Sabotaging employment, study or income opportunities
5. Refusing to provide financial support after separation
6. Running up debts including on shared accounts
7. Exerting financial dependence to prevent someone from leaving
8. Threatening to out a partner, unless they meet financial demands

Why LGBTQIA+ people can be more vulnerable:

1. Fear of discrimination or not being believed
2. Past experiences with unsafe systems
3. Isolation from family of origin
4. Economic marginalisation, especially for transgender or gender-diverse people
5. Limited access to LGBTQIA+-friendly crisis housing
6. Cultural shame or community stigma

New laws now recognise financial abuse as family violence

Under the Family Law Amendment Act 2024 (effective June 2025), economic and financial abuse is now explicitly embedded within the legal definition of family violence.

Key changes include:

Financial abuse clearly defined: including restricting financial independence, coercive control, dowry abuse, exploitation of joint assets, and sabotaging employment.
Impacts of family violence MUST now be considered in:

1. Property settlements
2. Spousal maintenance decisions

Courts must assess:

1. How violence or financial control affected the victim’s financial contributions
2. How it impacts upon the current and future needs of a party
3. Whether one partner’s actions created economic disadvantage for the other

This is a major shift. It seeks to ensure that victim-survivors, particularly those whose financial autonomy was deliberately restricted during a relationship, are properly understood and addressed in financial proceedings after the relationship ends.

The financial cost of economic abuse in Australia

Data from national reports underscore the seriousness of the issue:

• 1 in 6 Australian women, and many LGBTQIA+ individuals, experience economic abuse.
• Economic abuse costs victim-survivors billions each year, with national estimates exceeding $5.7 billion annually.
• More than 350 recommendations on economic abuse and financial security remain outstanding.

Economic Abuse Awareness Day (#Awareness2Action) urges governments, workplaces and communities to act to close this gap and improve pathways to safety and financial independence.

Financial abuse is recognised as family violence in the ACT

The ACT was one of the first jurisdictions to formally list financial abuse within family violence legislation. This includes:

1. Preventing access to money
2. Coercing financial decisions
3. Misusing joint property
4. Deliberately creating or increasing debt
5. Controlling or sabotaging employment

For LGBTQIA+ victim-survivors facing additional identity-based vulnerabilities, these protections are vital.

How Parker Coles Curtis supports LGBTQIA+ clients experiencing financial abuse

As the ACT’s largest female-led specialist family law firm, we provide trauma-informed, inclusive, and confidential support tailored to each person’s circumstances. Our team helps with:

Legal advice and representation: To secure a fair property settlement that recognises the impact of family violence and financial control.

Spousal maintenance claims: Under new reforms, courts must consider how family violence has limited financial independence.

Safety-focused referrals: Including DVCS, LGBTQIA+ affirming services, psychologists and specialist financial counsellors.

Legal finance options: For clients who are financially trapped, or fearful of the cost of leaving an abusive relationship.

Support for all family structures: Including same-sex couples, gender-diverse couples, blended LGBTQIA+ families, polyamorous relationships, and relationships with shared or non-traditional parenting arrangements.

Economic Abuse Awareness Day: 26 November 2025

This year’s national theme, "From Awareness to Action", highlights the need to move beyond recognising economic abuse to actively addressing it.

How you can take action:

1. Share the statistics
2. Learn the signs
3. Encourage open conversations
4. Support community organisations working with LGBTQIA+ victim-survivors
5. Advocate for stronger reforms and financial safety pathways

If you’re experiencing financial abuse, you are not alone.

There is confidential, non-judgmental support available.

Immediate help

DVCS (ACT): 02 8000 9000
1800RESPECT (Australia-wide): 1800 737 732
QLife (LGBTQIA+ support): 1800 184 527

Whether you need urgent safety planning, legal advice, or help understanding your rights under the new reforms, our team at Parker Coles Curtis is here to support you with dignity, courage and clarity.

Your financial wellbeing matters.

Your independence matters.
And there is a path forward.

For further resources take a look at this Financial abuse in LGBTQIA + relationships fact sheet.