One-third of Western Australians exposed to financial abuse

Nearly one in three Western Australian residents have experienced financial abuse, while one in four know someone personally impacted, according to new data.

New data commissioned by Bankwest has suggested that financial abuse is relatively common in Western Australia, with nearly one-third of its residents admitting to a personal experience.

The report, titled “Hidden Costs” and published by YouGov during the Western Australian government’s fifth annual “16 Days in WA” gendered-violence awareness campaign, explored the experiences of 1,008 adults in the state regarding financial abuse.

Financial abuse is a form of violence where one person will use money as a means to overt power and control over another, such as a romantic or intimate partner.

The act is considered to be a form of domestic family violence.

According to the results of this survey, 29 per cent of respondents expressed that they had experienced financial abuse personally, while 25 per cent noted that they knew someone – not including themselves – who had been financially abused.

The most common experiences noted by respondents were having their income spent by an abusive partner on household expenses who would keep their own income for themselves (59 per cent), having property destroyed, damaged or stolen (58 per cent) and having an abuser refuse to contribute financially to their family (58 per cent).

The survey also reported that 12 per cent of Western Australians had, either willingly and not knowingly, committed financial abuse.