Family and Domestic Violence Policy

• Provide you with a specialist case manager
• Protect your private information
• Provide sensitive claims handling
• Help you set up a new policy
• Provide financial hardship assistance
• Refer you to appropriate support agencies

Our employees are trained to support you

Employees, agents, partners, distributors, and suppliers receive training relevant to their roles. This training includes how to:

• Identify the early signs that a customer may be experiencing family and domestic violence
• Respond to disclosures of family and domestic violence with dignity, respect and care
• Refer you internally to our specialist teams for more support
• Refer you to external community services to provide extra support

In addition, our specialist claims and distribution teams have a higher level of training to support customers experiencing family and domestic violence. Case managers can minimise the number of times you need to disclose your situation. They can provide additional confidentiality, sensitive claims handling, and financial hardship assistance.

While our case managers are not social workers, they can refer you to community organisations to receive additional support.All our customer-facing employees will receive training relevant to their role. Additionally, TIO has dedicated employees within our claims and contact centre teams who have specialist skills and knowledge to support customers experiencing family or domestic violence with extra care and flexibility.

Protecting your private information

We understand the risks of disclosing information in relation to customers experiencing family and domestic violence. In addition to our Privacy Policy, we’ll:

• Discuss safe ways to communicate with you and record this information
• Accommodate your communication preferences, including the option to communicate with your preferred gender where possible
• Make sure your contact information is secure and confidential
• Where possible, give you control over how your personal information is shared with third parties
• Inform you about what information needs to be shared with other policyholders, such as information about a claim, so you can make appropriate arrangements

In line with our Privacy Policy, there may be times when legislation requires us to disclose information. We’ll work with you wherever possible in the instances of disclosure.

Sensitive claims handling

We’ll support you throughout the claims process. This may include:

• Fast-tracking the claim
• Providing emergency payments or accommodation
• Reviewing decisions where there is disagreement about cover

If you let us know you’re experiencing family and domestic violence, we can better support you during the claims process. It won’t prejudice your claim.

Joint policies

If you hold a policy with another person, we’ll:

• Inform you of what each person’s rights are under the policy
• Help you take out your own policy – if needed
• Send information to two different email addresses
• Not need you to make direct contact with an alleged perpetrator
• Make sure we’re paying the appropriate beneficiaries under a policy given the claim and circumstances

Conduct of Others Clause – Home, Motor and Landlord

Where a claim is made for a loss that is excluded as the result of the act of any person who is insured under the policy, we may consider certain factors that may have triggered the exclusion and we may make a discretionary decision to assist you in a way which is fair and reasonable in the circumstances. If we do, this we may make a payment to you or repair, reinstate or replace an item.

This will apply even though we are not legally required to pay the claim. Factors we will consider include:

• Mental illness
• An act of violence or intimidation; and/or
• When cover has been varied or terminated with malicious intent.

This clause does not apply to the liability section of the policy or form part of the terms and conditions of the policy and does not confer any contractual or other right. Any payment we may make is at our sole discretion only.

Consequences for customers who use our insurance to harm others

You must not use any of our products or services to engage in unacceptable conduct, such as conduct that is abusive, coercive, or violent towards any person including financial abuse. If you are found to have used our products, services or processes in this way, we may decline to renew your insurance. However, we may consult any other policy holders before we decline renewal. In addition, we may report unacceptable conduct to law enforcement. If you experience unacceptable conduct, please contact us. We will keep this confidential and may be able to assist in the ways set out in this Policy.

Financial hardship support

If you’ve been impacted by family and domestic violence, you may be able to access financial hardship assistance such as deferred or reduced payments for premiums and reduced or waived claims excess payments.

Support if you have outstanding debt

If you’re experiencing family and domestic violence and owe us debt due to an accident with one of our customers, tell us about your situation. We may keep your debt in-house, buy back your debt if it’s with a debt collector, or defer or waive payments owed to us. Find out more about our financial hardship practices.