Yarra Valley Water has joined more than 40 prominent Australian businesses, including AGL, Coliban Water, South East Water and Wannon Water, in a united stand against financial abuse via the Respect and Protect initiative.
The initiative aims to disrupt financial abuse through smarter product and service design, ensuring greater protection for victim-survivors.
Financial abuse is a hidden epidemic in Australia, where money is weaponised to control another person. Perpetrators misuse essential services, including water, to threaten victim-survivors or accrue debts in their name.
Yarra Valley Water Managing Director, Pat McCafferty, said the utility is committed to designing services that cannot be exploited as tools of coercion or control.
“Our role as a provider of essential services means we have a responsibility to support customers experiencing financial abuse and ensure our processes protect them,” Mr McCafferty said.
“We’ve joined this initiative to demonstrate our commitment to protect our customers and ensure they have access to the support they need. By strengthening our policies, processes and working with others, we can all build a safer and more respectful society.”
Yarra Valley Water has strengthened its domestic and family violence policy, making it clear that the organisation has zero tolerance for its services being used to perpetrate harm.
The corporation provides comprehensive training to ensure employees are equipped to safeguard and respond appropriately to customers impacted by family violence. Additionally, staff experiencing family violence are supported through measures such as family violence leave and a free and confidential employee assistance service. Managers receive specialised training to compassionately support members of their team.
“This is an ongoing conversation, and we are committed to supporting systemic change with businesses across Australia. Together, we can help eliminate financial abuse and provide the support that victim-survivors deserve,” Mr McCafferty said.
The Respect and Protect initiative, launched by the social enterprise, Flequity Ventures, unites Australian businesses to address financial abuse through innovation in product and service design.
Yarra Valley Water’s pledge:
“Family violence has a devastating impact on our community. As an essential service provider, we fully support the collective effort to promote respect for women prevent abuse and protect those affected by domestic and family violence.
As part of our pledge, we have strengthened our domestic and family violence policy to clearly state our zero tolerance approach to our processes, practices and services being misused to perpetrate harm.
We are focussed on creating a safe environment for our customers by:
- Continually strengthening our operations to prevent the misuse of our services.
- Actively supporting customers and staff impacted by domestic and family violence, including ensuring our staff receive appropriate training and support.
- Collaborating on the long-term systemic change needed to build a future free from domestic and family violence.
This is a critical and ongoing responsibility and we are committed to being part of the solution. Together we can word towards a safer society for everyone.”
For more information about the initiative, visit respectandprotect.au,
Featured image: fizkes/shuttterstock.com.au
