Old phones become new lifelines: Yarra Valley Water donates secure devices for family violence survivors
The partnership launches with an initial donation of 40 refurbished phones, with dedicated drop-off points installed at its head office for staff to bring in their surplus devices.
The utility expects the program to provide a steady stream of phones for frontline agencies to distribute to people fleeing violence.
General Manager Retail Services, Lisa Anelli, said having access to a private, secure phone can be crucial for someone trying to seek help.
“Many victim-survivors have their phones monitored, broken or taken from them. A safe device can be the difference between reaching support or staying isolated,” Ms Anelli said.
“Refurbishing old work and staff phones means they can be reused by people who need them. A refurbished phone can support people to contact loved ones, emergency assistance or support services like our WaterCare Support team who help in financial abuse situations.”
DV Safe Phone repurposes donated devices into secure lifelines distributed via more than 500 frontline agencies across Australia.
Family and Domestic Violence Senior Program Manager, Laura Mahoney, said the partnership is part of a broader program of work to support customers at risk and is guided by specialist family violence organisations and those with lived experience.
“We’re strengthening digital safety across our services and working closely with victim-survivor advocates to ensure our approach reflects what people are actually dealing with and the support they need,” Ms Mahoney said.
The initiative comes ahead of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, running from 25 November to 10 December, and is one of several steps the utility is taking to support customers facing difficult or unsafe situations.
Yarra Valley Water’s action includes enhanced privacy protections, specialist and business-wide staff training and being an active member on the One Stop One Story platform, which enables customers to access coordinated agency support without having to repeat their circumstances each time.
“Yarra Valley Water takes a zero-tolerance approach to the misuse of our water and sewerage services to perpetrate family violence, including financial abuse,” Ms Anelli said.
Customers experiencing family violence can contact the WaterCare Support Team directly on 1800 637 316 for support with their bill payments. This links customers with a trained consultant faster and without customers having to repeat their story.
Customers can also request a confidential call-back through the Yarra Valley Water website.
For 24/7 confidential support, call 1800 RESPECT. In an emergency, call 000.
* DV Safe Phone is an Australian charity providing secure, untraceable phones to people experiencing family violence. DV Safe Phones research shows every 3 minutes, someone in Australia calls for emergency help due to domestic violence. Providing mobile phones to victims who may not have access to a working or unmonitored phone helps them stay connected to loved ones and reach the support they need. More information is available at https://dvsafephone.org/