Content note: this episode discusses domestic and family violence, including coercive control and financial abuse, as well as housing insecurity and serious illness.

When the rent depends on Centrelink and child support, a late payment or a small pay rise can be the difference between staying housed and falling behind.

Mandy and Heidi talk with Vanessa, a single mum who has raised her two daughters largely on her own for more than a decade. She left a relationship marked by financial control, built a career from scratch and came through cancer. She says the hardest part has been dealing with the systems that are supposed to help: hours on hold, support that disappears after a small pay rise, and child support letters that reveal her income to her ex.

Vanessa also shares what kept her going, and her ideas for a better safety net: connected systems, tiered support, plain-English guidance and community “credit” schemes.

Mentioned: Global Sisters Grace campaign.

Need support? In immediate danger, call 000. 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 (24/7). Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7).

• (00:00:00) - Content warning and introduction
• (00:00:38) - About Locked Out and the series theme
• (00:02:04) - Meet Vanessa: career, cancer, and single parenthood
• (00:02:53) - Leaving a controlling relationship and early struggles
• (00:05:18) - Cancer diagnosis as a financial turning point
• (00:07:56) - Reflecting on leaving and financial literacy gaps
• (00:11:14) - Child support system failures and accountability
• (00:12:56) - The administrative burden and privacy issues
• (00:16:22) - Being penalised for earning more
• (00:17:58) - Selling herself to secure a rental
• (00:20:31) - What should change for women leaving with no money
• (00:23:45) - Experience with affordable housing and makeshift solutions
• (00:26:27) - Advice for women in similar situations
• (00:30:10) - The career and life not lived
• (00:34:35) - Designing a better safety net system
• (00:40:42) - Closing thoughts and sources of hope