OptiTel Australia
Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Statement
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Our Commitment
We recognise that domestic, family and sexual violence can seriously impact our customers’ safety, privacy and access to telecommunications services. We also understand that phone and internet access can be lifelines during difficult times, but can also be abused as a tool of control.
OptiTel Australia is committed to supporting customers who are experiencing, or have experienced, domestic, family and sexual violence.
This Statement sets out the ways we can help, and resources you can use if you are affected by domestic, family and sexual violence.
How We Support You
We have policies and procedures in place to support and protect customers who may be affected by domestic, family and sexual violence. We can provide tailored support to your situation, including:
· keeping you connected to your service, including reversing service restrictions, suspensions or disconnections as a matter of urgency to ensure your safety
· offering you an equivalent service where re-connection is not possible
· assisting you with securing your account (e.g. passwords, PINs)
· setting up a new account that is not linked to another person
· providing support with billing and payment arrangements
· protecting the privacy of your personal and account information
We will not ask you for evidence of your circumstances to access support, unless required by law. We will not ask you to contact with persons who are causing you harm to access our support.
What if I am having trouble paying my bill?
We understand that your situation may make it hard for you to pay your bill. Let us know if this is the case so that we can look at how we can help you, in line with our payment assistance www.optitel.com.au/help.
We will work with you to find a solution for your individual situation.
Contacting Us
We offer multiple safe and confidential ways for you to contact us for help. We will treat you with understanding, empathy and respect, and we will do everything we can to help while also complying with our obligations.
You can reach our Specialist Team in any of the following ways :
· Phone: 1300 678 483 8am – 5pm Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holidays)
· Webform: www.optitel.com.au/contact
· Email: via email to support@optitel.com.au. We will respond within 2 business days.
· If you are deaf, hearing or speech impaired, you can contact us via the National Relay Service.
You can also ask us to call you back or contact you at a specific time or by a specific method. We will always use your agreed communication method unless you instruct us otherwise or we are legally obligated to communicate with you via a different method.
You may also want to nominate someone to contact us on your behalf, please let us know so we can set up an authorised agent on your account.
Please also let us know if we can assist with making this Statement available to you in another method.
Other Support Services
In an emergency or if you’re not feeling safe, always call 000
If you need any further support, we have set out below some external support services available across Australia.
1800RESPECT
National counselling helpline, information and support 24/7
1800 737 732 (24 x 7 support) | 1800respect.org.au
Kids Helpline
Online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25.
1800 551 800 (24 x 7 Support) | kidshelpline.com.au
Relationships Australia
Support services for individuals, families and communities
1300 364 277 | www.relationships.org.au
Lifeline
24/7 Crisis Support
13 11 14 | Txt – 0477 131 114
Mensline
Support for men with family and relationship issues
1300 789 978 (24 x 7 Support) | mensline.org.au
QLife
Support for LGBTQI+ People and their families
1800 184 527 | Qlife.org.au
13YARN
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporters
13 92 76 | 13yarn.org.au
Special Communication Needs
If you need a spoken language interpreter, you can contact the Australian Government’s
Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) by calling 131 450. Please note that a personal account is required and fees may apply. For more information, visit https://www.tisnational.gov.au/en/Non-English-speakers/Available-services.
For written translations of this Statement, you may wish to use a commercial service such as Ethnic Interpreters & Translators. They can be contacted on (03) 9998 2280, or you can visit https://ethnic.com.au for more information. Fees apply.
If you are deaf or have difficulty hearing or speaking over the phone, you can use the National Relay Service (NRS). For more information, visit https://www.accesshub.gov.au/about-the-nrs
Feedback and Complaints
We welcome feedback to improve our DFV support. To contact us, call 1300 678 483 or email support@optitel.com.au for assistance and support. You can read more about our complaints handling processes in our complaints handling policy found here www.optitel.com.au/help
All feedback and complaints will be handled promptly, respectfully, and with a focus on safety and confidentiality.