parliamentary inquiry into financial abuse holds Perth hearing

Many messages called her derogatory names and taunts about his sexual relationship with another woman, Adams wrote.

“Numerous messages of financial abuse includ[ed] requesting her to ask me for money, wanting to access her inheritance from her grandmother (my mother), confusing messages indicating that he had all their finances in order whilst at the same time taking out a payday loan, and words to the effect of her being a financial liability,” the submission continued.

Molly had a superannuation account with HESTA but no binding death nomination, and died without a will.

Although she listed her mother as her beneficiary, under current laws the only eligible superannuation dependent was the alleged perpetrator, her husband, who received her super and death benefit despite her mother’s efforts to stop it.

Adams’ submission details four ways financial institutions can reduce the risk of financial abuse, including updates to terms and conditions to ban misuse of their products and services; stricter witnessing requirements for superannuation binding death benefit nominations; and the introduction of a new ‘domestic violence related suicide’ cause of death for death certificates.

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A 2022 WA Ombudsman report found 59 women over the age of 18 who were known victims of domestic violence ended their own lives in 2017, with DV-related suicide accounting for 56 per cent of suicides in women.

“There is increasing awareness over the incidence of domestic violence-related suicide,” Adams said.

“Victims of domestic violence are ten times more likely to die from their own hand, than be murdered by the perpetrator.”