‘My whole life is in that house’: survivors fleeing domestic violence can lose much more than their home

In Australia, victim-survivors can only take out property recovery orders before an apprehended domestic violence order (ADVO) is finalised.

This leaves victim-survivors a short timeframe to get their property – during a time when they are also dealing with leaving a violent relationship. Once an ADVO is finalised, they have few options.

“If the victim-survivor doesn’t think to mention certain belongings they can miss the boat and it can then be too late to recover property without going through a civil legal process,” Opdam said.

If a perpetrator disputes ownership over belongings listed in the recovery order, victim-survivors face a lengthy and costly legal process. Opdam said the centre often sees this issue with assets, particularly cars.

“Even if the car is worth say $5,000, and it’s their only mode of transport, the minimum they would have to pay a private family lawyer can be $8,000,” she said.