Domestic Violence and Economic Abuse

Send a textIn this episode of Lady News, we sit down with Robin Ray, CEO of Beryl Women Inc. in Canberra, to unpack economic abuse as a powerful and often hidden tactic of domestic and family violence.Robin is a proud Kamilaroi woman born in the small NSW country town of Collarenebri, where she grew up on the Aboriginal Reserve. Before becoming CEO, she worked within the service as an Aboriginal Support Worker, gaining deep frontline experience supporting women escaping violence and navigating complex systems.In our conversation, Robin explains how financial control is woven through everyday life for women experiencing abuse - from stolen identity documents and coerced access to Centrelink accounts, to blocked bank access and debts taken out in a woman’s name. Often these tactics remain hidden until a woman tries to take a simple step toward independence - like buying groceries, catching a bus, or opening her own bank account.Drawing on decades of frontline experience, Robin speaks about the intergenerational patterns of violence she has witnessed: mothers arriving at services with their children, and those same children returning years later as adults needing support. These realities pushed Beryl to reshape its model around trauma-informed, wraparound care.Sometimes the first steps to safety are practical ones - replacing identity documents, securing income, opening a bank account, enrolling children in school. Only once stability begins to return is there space to process the deeper story.Robin also reflects on how systemic barriers compound risk, particularly for Aboriginal women who may face racism, poverty, and historic distrust of institutions, as well as limited safe access to financial services.The conversation also shines a light on gaps within the support system itself: crisis funding models built around three-month stays when real recovery often takes nine to twelve months or more; older women and women with disabilities falling through service gaps; and children frequently treated as secondary to a parent’s case rather than as clients with their own needs.Through initiatives like Beryl’s therapy van, counselling and support can reach families directly, removing transport and cost barriers and ensuring that early intervention and prevention are more than just policy language.The message running through Robin’s work is simple but profound: real safety is built through trust, time and community - not quick fixes. Resources mentioned in this episodePower & Control Wheelhttps://www.theduluthmodel.org/wheels/Beryl Women Inc. (Canberra)https://beryl.org.auDonate to Beryl Womenhttps://beryl.org.au/donateDomestic Violence Crisis Service ACThttps://dvcs.org.au📞 02 6280 09001800RESPECT – National Domestic Violence Supporthttps://www.1800respect.org.au📞 1800 737 732Women's Legal Centre ACTSupport the show