%0 Journal Article
%T Entrapment and institutional collusion: Domestic violence police reports and the ¡®couple rule¡¯ in social security law
%A Lyndal Sleep
%J Alternative Law Journal
%@ 2398-9084
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/1037969X18796900
%X In Australia¡¯s heavily targeted social welfare apparatus, couples are assessed jointly for their eligibility for social security payment. Specific guidelines for deciding if a social security recipient is a member of a couple are provided by the ¡®couple rule¡¯ in section 4(3) of the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth). A plethora of information is used by the Department to decide if a social security recipient is a member of a couple for social security purposes. Of particular concern is the use of domestic violence police reports as evidence of a couple relationship. This article argues that the current use of police domestic violence reports in ¡®couple rule¡¯ decisions is problematic. This is because it effectively entraps women in violent relationships, provides a financial barrier to leaving and is used by perpetrators to further control their victims
%K Australia
%K domestic violence
%K social security
%K women
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1037969X18796900