In this paper we look at recent happenings concerning social security law and domestic violence. Several decisions have been made in which women subject to domestic violence were found to qualify for discretionary rulings under section 24 of the Social Security Act 1991 (the ‘SSA’) that a...

Specific problems relating to domestic violence are outlined for children, pregnant women, the elderly, indigenous people and people of non-English speaking background. Individual case studies illustrate the effects of domestic violence on a nine week old baby, an elderly person, an indigenous...