Protecting Survivors from Economic Abuse: Our Response to the ATO's Vulnerability Framework

Economic abuse is a hidden but devastating form of domestic violence, and it's increasingly recognised as a significant issue across Australia. Abusers often exploit financial and taxation systems to control and harm their victims, leaving them burdened with debt and unjust tax liabilities.

We're dedicated to transforming systems that harm vulnerable communities, especially First Nations peoples and women experiencing economic abuse. We've recently submitted a detailed response to the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) consultation on their Vulnerability Framework, advocating for crucial reforms to better protect victim-survivors.

Our recommendations include:

• Legal recognition: Clearly defining economic abuse within taxation law to ensure fairness and accountability.

• Debt reassignment and annulment: Introducing provisions to allow coerced tax debts to be transferred to perpetrators or annulled, reducing unjust burdens on victims.

• Specialist support within the ATO: Establishing a dedicated, trauma-informed unit to handle complex cases of economic abuse effectively.

• Strengthened safeguards: Enhancing fraud protections to prevent abusers from exploiting business registration processes.

• Comprehensive staff training: Ensuring ATO staff are fully equipped to identify and sensitively respond to economic abuse.

These reforms are urgently needed. Economic abuse can trap victim-survivors in cycles of poverty, trauma, and dependency, and our submission calls for systemic change to prevent further harm.

We encourage everyone to read our full submission to understand the impacts of economic abuse and the critical need for legislative and policy reforms. Let's work together to ensure survivors of economic abuse receive the justice and protection they deserve.