Family Violence Policy

Family violence (sometimes called "domestic and family violence") is any behaviour by one person toward another in a current or former family, domestic or intimate-partner relationship that is physically, sexually, emotionally, psychologically or financially abusive, threatening, coercive, or controlling — including behaviour that causes a person to fear for their safety or wellbeing or that of any other person.

This policy applies to all Peaknet customers and is delivered confidentially. We've designed it to comply with the ACMA Telecommunications (Customers in Vulnerable Circumstances) Industry Standard 2024 and TCP Code §6.5.

1. How we can help

If you're experiencing family violence, we can:

• Protect your account information — add an extra-verification flag so account details can't be disclosed to anyone, including a current or former partner who is also on the account or has previously been authorised
• Stop billing or payment alerts being sent to a shared address or contact number
• Separate joint accounts — split or transfer the account into your sole name, waiving any standard transfer or paperwork fees
• Pause direct debits or arrange payment plans without late fees — see our Financial Hardship Policy
• Set up a new account with credit-check waiver if you're starting fresh after leaving a violent situation
• Provide free temporary service for up to 30 days while you stabilise your situation (case-by-case basis)
• Maintain a confidential contact channel — a dedicated email address that won't be visible to the rest of the account history
• Connect you with specialist support services — see the resources below

2. How to reach us safely

If it's safe to do so, contact us via any of these channels and let us know you're experiencing family violence. You don't need to provide proof or detailed explanation — your word is enough.

• Phone: 1300 606 766 — ask for the Customer Vulnerability team. Available 24/7. Tell us if you can't speak freely and we'll switch to text-based support.
• Confidential email: support@peaknet.com.au with "Vulnerable Circumstances - Confidential" in the subject line — only the dedicated team will see it
• Online form: peaknet.com.au/enquiries — tick the "Confidential / safety concern" box

3. Our promise to you

• Believe you — we don't require proof or documentation
• Listen, don't judge — our trained team will not ask why or what happened in detail
• Keep it confidential — only staff directly involved in your account safety will know
• Move at your pace — we follow your lead on what changes you want and when
• No extra cost — fees we'd normally charge for account changes are waived
• Train our team — all customer-facing staff complete annual family violence awareness training

4. Specialist services that can help

• 1800RESPECT — 1800 737 732, 24/7 confidential family violence and sexual assault helpline · 1800respect.org.au
• Lifeline — 13 11 14, 24/7 crisis support · lifeline.org.au
• Men's Referral Service — 1300 766 491, support for men using violence or affected by it
• 13YARN — 13 92 76, 24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• QLife — 1800 184 527, support for LGBTQI+ people · 3pm–midnight daily
• Kids Helpline — 1800 55 1800, 24/7 free counselling for ages 5–25
• Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) — 131 450, free interpreters for over 100 languages

5. Leaving a shared account

If you want to leave a shared account where you're concerned about the other account holder:

• Contact us via the confidential channel above
• We can either remove your authorisation from the existing account, or transfer the existing service into your sole name (depending on whose name the account is in and what you need)
• We won't notify the other account holder about your decision unless we're legally required to
• We'll waive any fees normally associated with the change
• If you need to leave the connection running for safety reasons (e.g. medical devices, child contact apps), tell us — we can arrange continuity

6. If you're unhappy with how we've handled this

See our Complaints Handling Policy. Complaints involving family violence are prioritised and handled by a senior staff member. You can also escalate to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman on 1800 062 058.