Domestic, Family & Sexual Violence Support

1. Who this support applies to

This statement applies to prospective, current and former consumers who tell Alder they are, or may be, affected by domestic, family or sexual violence. Sexual violence outside a domestic or family relationship is included. Protections may also apply to a small-business or not-for-profit consumer where the individual involved needs the protections of the Telecommunications (Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Consumer Protections) Industry Standard 2025.

You do not have to be the named account holder to ask Alder for information about the support options that may be available to you.

2. Alder’s safety principles

• We prioritise the safety, privacy and continued connectivity of affected people.
• We use a trauma-informed, respectful approach and minimise the need to repeat your story.
• We collect only the information reasonably needed to provide support.
• We do not require you to prove abuse simply to access support, except where information is required by law or genuinely necessary to protect you.
• We do not ask you to contact, negotiate with, obtain permission from or otherwise engage with an alleged perpetrator.
• We consider whether ordinary account-security or billing processes could create a safety risk and adapt them where the Standard requires or permits.

3. How to ask for support

You can contact Alder by phone, email, My Alder support or another current Alder support channel. You do not need to use a special phrase. If you tell us that domestic, family or sexual violence is relevant to your telecommunications service, account, debt, safety or ability to communicate, staff must treat that as a request for DFSV support and apply the appropriate safeguards.

If you are not safe to explain the situation in detail, say only what you safely can. Detailed disclosure is not required.

4. Safe communication

Before discussing sensitive information, we will check whether it is safe to communicate and agree with you how Alder should contact you. This can include:

• a safe email address or mobile number;
• a preferred time or method of contact;
• instructions not to leave voicemail, SMS or detailed messages;
• instructions not to use an existing shared email, phone number or postal address; or
• another reasonable communication arrangement that reduces risk.

Safe-contact instructions are recorded with restricted visibility where practicable and should be reviewed if your circumstances change.

5. Evidence, disclosure and your story

Alder will not require evidence of domestic, family or sexual violence unless evidence is required by law or is genuinely necessary to protect you—for example, to manage a particular fraud or account-security risk. We will not ask for unnecessary details about the abuse.

If evidence is exceptionally required, we will explain why, request the minimum reasonably necessary information and provide a safe way to supply it. Payment-assistance applications by victim-survivors are also subject to the no-evidence protection in Alder’s Payment Assistance Policy.

6. Account and identity security measures

Depending on what is safe and technically possible, support options may include:

• changing contact details and account recovery channels;
• adding or changing support PINs or stronger verification controls;
• removing or limiting an authorised user’s access where permitted;
• changing how staff authenticate future requests;
• reviewing household or guardian access in My Alder;
• restricting visibility of sensitive support or safety information;
• reviewing mobile/SIM security and suspected unauthorised porting; and
• creating a new or “clean-slate” account where this is the safest practical option.

We will explain consequences that may affect billing, service continuity or access before making a change where it is safe and practical to do so.

7. Account, number and service changes

We will discuss options for changing or separating services and account arrangements. Depending on legal authority, supplier capability and the service involved, this may include separating a service from a shared account, establishing a new account, updating account ownership/authority, changing a number or service, or another arrangement designed to improve safety.

Alder will not make a change that we know is likely to expose your new contact details, location or service information to an alleged perpetrator without considering the safety impact.

8. You will never be required to engage with the alleged perpetrator

Alder must not require an affected person to contact or engage with the alleged perpetrator or that person’s authorised representative. This applies even if involving them might appear quicker or easier. We will not make support conditional on obtaining their permission, negotiating a debt with them or asking them to facilitate an account transfer.

Where a shared-account issue creates legal or technical complexity, Alder will work through lawful provider processes without shifting the safety risk onto the affected person.

9. Keeping you connected

Once you seek DFSV support, Alder applies the connection protections required by the Standard. In particular, we will not restrict, suspend or disconnect the affected service for the protected period merely through ordinary credit-management action, unless you ask us to do so or another lawful exception applies.

Current ACMA guidance describes a 30-day connection safeguard after a customer tells their telco they are at risk of, or experiencing, DFSV. We will apply the Standard as in force at the relevant time and consider safety before any later credit-management action.

10. Urgent reconnection or reversal of restrictions

If a service has been disconnected, suspended or restricted and you make an urgent request because of a DFSV-related safety risk, Alder will reverse the restriction, suspension or disconnection where required by the Standard. If restoration of the same service is not practical, we will work to provide an equivalent service where the Standard requires it and it is technically possible.

If you are in immediate danger or need emergency assistance, telecommunications support is not a substitute for emergency services—call 000 where it is safe to do so.

11. Debt, billing and payment assistance

DFSV can involve financial abuse, coercive debt and control of communications. Before taking credit-management action in circumstances covered by the Standard, Alder considers the potential impact on the affected person, whether another person may have contributed to the debt, and whether assistance already agreed has actually been implemented.

Current ACMA consumer guidance requires an additional check before debt action where a customer has asked for DFSV help in the preceding 60 days. We will apply that protection and any successor requirement in force at the relevant time.

Payment assistance is available under our Payment Assistance Policy, including tailored payment plans, deferrals and other options. Asking for DFSV support does not prevent you from also receiving financial-hardship assistance.

12. Privacy, confidentiality and information sharing

DFSV information is treated as highly sensitive operational information. Access should be limited to staff who need it to provide support, protect the customer, manage a complaint or comply with law. We avoid putting detailed safety information into general notes where a more restricted record is available.

Before sharing information with a third party, representative or another provider, we consider whether disclosure is necessary and whether it could create a safety risk. Where safe and appropriate, we confirm the affected person’s agreement to relevant sharing. If a privacy breach involving DFSV information occurs, Alder will respond promptly and provide support information as required.

13. Complaints involving safety

A complaint by a person who is or may be experiencing domestic/family violence is an urgent complaint where the person indicates a threat to their safety or the safety of their children. Urgent complaints must be resolved, including implementation, within 2 working days unless a permitted exception applies.

See our Complaints Handling Policy for escalation and TIO rights.

14. Authorised representatives and support people

You may use a trusted representative, advocate, support worker or financial counsellor. We will take reasonable steps to ensure the representative is legitimate and that involving them is safe. A representative will not be accepted simply because they already have access to the account if there is reason to believe that access could create a safety risk.

15. Staff responsibilities, transfer of information and training

Staff who handle DFSV matters are trained on safety, privacy, communication, account security, connection protections, payment assistance and complaint escalation. If your matter must be transferred internally, staff should pass on the information necessary to continue support so you are not unnecessarily required to repeat traumatic details.

Alder maintains written internal procedures supporting this public statement and reviews them against ACMA guidance and operational experience.

16. External support

1800RESPECT provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day: 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au.

If there is immediate danger, call 000 where it is safe to do so. If financial abuse is contributing to payment difficulty, the National Debt Helpline can also provide free financial counselling on 1800 007 007.