Building a lifeline

DV Safe Phone founder Ashton Wood knows how important a mobile device can be in the hands of those facing domestic violence.

Which is why he started the organisation which collects, repurposes and gifts mobile phones to those in need. It recently reached the milestone of providing its 10,000^th phone – in just four years since opening its doors in 2020.

The figure is significant, he says, because in many domestic violence situations abusive partners often confiscate the phones of victims – severing their links with the wider world.

Safe phones provide a clean break from violence, coercion and control, while also providing a way to stay in contact with loved ones and vital support services.

“It helps them stay away from danger and keep in contact with emergency services. And then they keep the phone. We never need it back - it's a gift,” Ashton says.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2.3 million (1 in 4) Australian women have experienced violence at the hands of an intimate partner. About 693,000 Australian men (1 in 14) have experienced the same.

Ashton explains DV Safe Phone is adapting its process to make sure the phones are keeping those facing domestic violence safe – right down to supplying them in a waterproof Ziplock bag – and not a normal box.

A discarded box that once housed a phone could be used as tip off an aggressor that the person has secured a phone.

“We were looking at trying to find a biodegradable bag, but we've been told by the police that quite often phones are hidden and buried in backyards and in other areas where moisture could be an issue. So a biodegradable bag would not be suitable,” he says.

Ashton says DV Safe Phone’s goal is to put a safe phone into the hands of every person facing domestic violence. His comments came as ANZ, which has partnered with DV Safe Phone since 2023, donated $100,000 to the organisation.

“This is by far the biggest single donation we’ve received,” Ashton says.

ANZ also provides DV Safe Phone with so-called ex-fleet phones and a postage program, which provides express post envelopes to the group’s 900 collection points around Australia. The envelopes allow pre-owned phones to be sent in and refurbished, ready for those who need them.

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Pictured: Badrinath Mahabhasya, Product Owner, Technology; Ashton Wood, founder of DV Safe Phone; Sam Thomson, Technology Area Lead; Richard Sluiter, DV Safe Phone Chairperson; Gerard Florian, Group Executive Technology & Group Services; Jo Hayes, Divisional CIO, Group Services; Matt Wilson, Domain Lead Technology, Digital Experience.

Ashton says the donation was crucial to increasing the time its technicians have to fix the donated, second-hand phones.

“We have thousands of phones in the office now that currently need to be checked or repaired and the support is going to allow us to make some significant impact in that.”

“Quite often the screen is damaged or the battery is not holding a suitable charge. And the battery has to be okay to make emergency calls. So, we will test every battery and if they're not good, we need to replace them,” he says. “The screens are the big challenge, we won’t send the phone out if it's got a cracked screen and they can be very expensive to replace.”

ANZ’s financial support and other efforts represent another step in our ongoing relationship with DV Safe Phone.

A new phone represents a lifeline and a fresh start for those fleeing dangerous circumstances. We’re proud to come together with DV Safe Phone to help make a critical impact on the lives of those effected by domestic violence. 

Janet Liu is Head of Social Impact and Community Partnerships with ANZ