DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE ACT 2007 - SECT 8 Economic abuse

DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE ACT 2007 - SECT 8

    (1)     "Economic abuse", of a person, is conduct that is coercive, deceptive or unreasonable and results in the person losing economic or financial autonomy or suffering economic or financial loss or damage.

    (2)     Without limiting subsection (1), economic abuse includes any of the following conduct:

        (a)     coercing the person to relinquish control over assets or income;

        (b)     unreasonably disposing of property owned by the person or owned jointly by the person and someone else without consent;

        (c)     without lawful excuse, preventing the person from taking part in decisions over the disposition of joint property or spending shared income;

        (d)     withholding or threatening to withhold money reasonably necessary for the maintenance of the person or a child of the person;

        (e)     creating or causing to be created a debt in the person's name without the person's consent;

        (f)     preventing or threatening to prevent the person from accessing financial assets;

        (g)     removing or threatening to remove the person's personal property from a place without permission;

        (h)     preventing or hindering the person from seeking or maintaining employment;

            (i)     coercing the person to make a claim for a payment under the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth);

        (j)     coercing the person to make a power of attorney in respect of an asset;

        (k)     coercing the person to sign a contract;

        (l)     coercing the person to sign a document establishing or in connection with the operation of a business.

Example for subsection (2)(a)

Using stand-over tactics to obtain the person's credit card or money.