Mia JonesBailey Banfield, utility and midfielder for the Fremantle Dockers, was named the winner of the 2026 AFL Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award at the Brownlow Medal ceremony — recognised for eight years of hands-on advocacy for some of Australia's most vulnerable families, including those rebuilding their lives after domestic violence.
The AFL Award That Spotlights a Hidden Legal Crisis
The Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award is one of Australian rules football's most prestigious honours, named after the legendary Melbourne Demon who dedicated his life to social change. In 2026, Banfield beat Western Bulldogs midfielder Tom Liberatore and Melbourne forward Kysaiah Pickett to claim the prize — a $40,000 donation directed toward Worthy Australia and the Purple Hands Foundation.
Banfield's involvement with Worthy Australia is not celebrity optics. He has physically volunteered to help furnish Safe Haven homes — empty properties transformed within 72 hours into fully equipped residences for women and children transitioning out of domestic violence refuges. The organisation addresses a gap that often goes unnoticed in the crisis response system: many survivors leave emergency shelters only to enter vacant housing with no furniture, no bedding, and no immediate safety net. Banfield's player-driven initiative, Freo Cares, has also mobilised Fremantle coaches and staff to help construct safe havens, deliver meals to people experiencing homelessness, and support seriously ill children through Starlight Children's Foundation. In 2026, Fremantle's annual Purple Haze awareness game raised more than $300,000 for the cause.
But while community programs like Worthy Australia provide critical early stabilisation, legal experts say that housing is only the first chapter for most survivors. Knowing your legal rights — especially under Australia's newly reformed family law — is what determines long-term outcomes for you and your children.
What Worthy Australia Does — and Why Legal Support Must Follow
Worthy Australia's Safe Haven model solves an urgent, immediate problem: getting families out of danger and into stable accommodation within days. Founded in Perth and now partnering with major refuge networks including Zonta House, Orana House and the Salvation Army Women's Refuges, the organisation's all-volunteer model delivers exceptional value per dollar invested.
But once the immediate crisis is resolved, survivors face a different and often longer set of challenges: property division, parenting arrangements, protection orders, and financial recovery from economic abuse. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, more than half of people who experience family violence do not engage with the legal system — not because their rights don't exist, but because they don't know what those rights are, or they fear what engaging will involve.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 97,800 family and domestic violence offenders were recorded by police in the 2024–25 financial year — an 8% increase on the year prior. For the families behind those numbers, the legal aftermath can define the next decade without the right guidance.
The 2025–2026 Family Law Reforms Every Survivor Should Understand
Australia's Family Law Act 1975 was significantly reformed in mid-2025, with changes that took full effect in early 2026. For domestic violence survivors, three reforms in particular reshape what is legally possible after leaving.
Family violence must now be considered in property settlements. For the first time, courts dividing matrimonial or de facto assets are explicitly required to take family violence — including economic and financial abuse — into account when determining what is "just and equitable." A history of coercive financial control, being prevented from working, or having debts incurred in your name without consent can directly affect the property split in your favour.
Economic abuse is formally recognised as family violence. Previous law was inconsistent in treating financial coercion as domestic violence. Under the 2025 reforms, this is now unambiguous. If your partner controlled all household finances, ran up debt in your name, denied you access to banking, or sabotaged your employment, these behaviours are legally recognised as family violence and factor into both property and parenting decisions. Earlier in 2026, Australia's handling of coercive control was tested in a high-profile case that underscored how the courts are now interpreting these patterns.
Cross-examination by the abuser is prohibited in court. The federal government's $89.29 million Cross-Examination Parties Scheme ensures that family violence survivors cannot be directly questioned in court by their abuser. Legal representatives are provided, removing one of the most significant fears survivors report about engaging with the court process.
These reforms matter because they change the calculation for survivors who stayed in relationships partly due to fear of losing property rights or parenting time. The legal landscape in 2026 is materially different — and more protective — than it was even two years ago.
A Concrete Scenario: What the New Law Means for Your Home and Children
Legal consultants at ExpertZoom regularly hear one question above all others: If I leave now, what actually happens to our house and our kids?
Here is how the 2026 reforms apply in a realistic situation. Emma (name changed) is 36, based in Perth, and has been in a 6-year de facto relationship. She and her partner jointly own a home currently valued at $790,000, with $280,000 remaining on the mortgage — net equity of $510,000. They have two children aged 4 and 8. Her partner has controlled all household finances for the past three years, cancelled her access to their joint bank account in 2024, and ran up $24,000 in personal debt registered in Emma's name without her knowledge.
Under the pre-2025 law, the starting point for property division would have been a rough 50/50 split, adjusted for financial and non-financial contributions. Economic abuse may or may not have been explicitly raised in submissions.
Under the 2026 reforms, Emma's lawyer can now formally present the financial abuse as family violence evidence before the court begins any property calculation. The $24,000 in unauthorised debt may be assigned entirely to her partner. Her three years of unpaid domestic and primary-caring work, combined with documented financial coercion, could move the settlement from 50/50 toward 60/40 or 65/35 in her favour. On a $510,000 equity pool, that shift represents between $51,000 and $76,500 in additional entitlement — a difference that can determine whether Emma can afford to rent or buy independently after separation.
On parenting: under the same reforms, courts must now give greater weight to child safety when family violence has occurred. Emma's lawyer would seek an interim parenting order with supervised contact, supported by evidence of financial control and coercive behaviour. If Emma already has a Domestic Violence Order in place — which she can apply for at a magistrate's court at no cost — this strengthens the interim application substantially.
The timeline from filing to resolution is typically 12–18 months for a contested property matter. An interim financial agreement, which a lawyer can prepare within days of initial instructions, can protect Emma's access to joint funds in the meantime.
Additional Legal Protections Available Right Now
Beyond property and custody, survivors in 2026 have access to several legal tools that remain underutilised:
Domestic Violence Orders: Free to apply for through a local magistrate's court, with urgent interim DVOs available within 24 hours. Breaching a DVO is a criminal offence carrying up to 3 years' imprisonment in most Australian states and territories. A lawyer familiar with DV applications can guide you through the process in a single consultation.
Legal Aid: Available in all states and territories for eligible applicants. A family law solicitor can assess your eligibility and lodge an application on your behalf. Income thresholds are more generous than most people expect.
Debt dispute and financial abuse remedies: If your partner incurred debts in your name without consent, a lawyer can advise on the Australian consumer credit framework and formal hardship applications to lenders. Complaints can also be made to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), which has specialist processes for financial abuse situations.
Name suppression orders: If you fear your address or personal details being exposed through court records, a suppression order can be sought. This is particularly relevant for survivors whose abusers have demonstrated surveillance or tracking behaviour.
For more on how Australian legal systems respond to family violence across each stage — from crisis response through to court — the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare provides a comprehensive family violence and legal systems overview.
If you are currently in danger, call 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or contact police immediately before seeking legal advice.
Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information only. It does not constitute legal advice. Individual circumstances vary — please consult a qualified family lawyer for advice specific to your situation.
How ExpertZoom Can Help You Find the Right Lawyer
Bailey Banfield's Jim Stynes Award draws well-deserved attention to the organisations doing the physical, community-level work of getting families safe. Worthy Australia provides beds and furniture. Freo Cares provides meals and safe structures. But the legal chapter — who keeps the house, where the children live, whether economic abuse gets formally recognised — requires a specialist family law solicitor who understands the 2026 reforms.
If you or someone you know is navigating the legal side of a domestic violence separation, ExpertZoom connects you with family lawyers who specialise in DV matters, property settlements under the reformed Family Law Act, and urgent DVO applications. Initial consultations are available within 24 hours, with many specialists offering reduced-rate assessments for family violence situations.
The 2025–2026 reforms exist because policymakers recognised that leaving is not the end of a survivor's legal journey — it is the beginning. Understanding your rights early in that journey makes a concrete, measurable difference to the outcome.
