Domestic Violence Policy

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Our Approach

As one of Australia’s leading non-bank lenders, we are committed to supporting customers who may be experiencing domestic and family violence (DFV).

Our mission is to make the conversation about family and domestic violence a conversation that is had by all Australians. We partner with Challenge DV to ensure our staff recognise the signs of DFV and are ready to assist our customers.

What is domestic and family violence?

DFV occurs when one person in a current or former relationship uses violence, coercion or abuse to exercise or maintain power and control over another person.

DFV can include behaviour that is:

physically, sexually, emotionally, spiritually, psychologically or economically abusive (including financial abuse)
threatening and coercive or aimed at controlling or dominating the other person through fear

DFV can occur in any type of relationship including current or former: partners, spouses, carers or paid support workers, parents, guardians, adult children and adolescents. We know DFV does not discriminate, and can happen to anyone regardless of their religion, culture, social background, gender or sexuality.

Some examples include if your current or former partner:

Refuses to give you access to money and information about your own finances, such as your loan account or offset sub-account
Forces or pressures you to take on a debt without your consent
Withholds or controls your money
Transfers your home or car out of your name
Intentionally tries to damage your credit by not making payments
Fraudulently uses your personal information to obtain a loan without your permission.

How we can help

Speak to our Customer Care Team

We're here to help customers impacted by DFV including financial abuse.

You can speak confidentially to a trained Firstmac Customer Care team member about your current situation. They can assist you in managing your loan and discuss available options confidentially.

Available times

You can contact the Customer Care team on 1300 538 488 between 8:30am-5:00pm, Monday to Friday (AEST). We are available on public holidays excluding national public holidays where we'll respond on the next business day.

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Our Procedures and Training

Our internal training and procedures are built on the below principles:

1. Recognising

DFV can occur in any relationship and can affect people of all cultures, religions, ages, genders, sexual orientations, educational backgrounds and income levels. Some groups may be more vulnerable to DFV, including women, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, LGBTIQA people, First Nations people or people with a disability.

We know customers may not always disclose DFV. Our staff are trained to recognise potential indicators of abuse during phone calls and other interactions.

2. Responding

Customers experiencing DFV may be in significant distress, in fear for their personal safety, homeless or residing at temporary accommodation. We will be flexible and accommodating in considering requests from customers to meet their individual needs.

We take confidentiality seriously. All information and records relating to DFV matters are handled securely.

3. Communicating

We prioritise the safety and wellbeing of our customers and those affected by DFV.

When a customer shares their DFV experience, we aim to ensure they: