Toowoomba residents can help save the lives of women and children fleeing domestic violence by simply donating their old mobile phones.

The DV Safe Phone program collects, repairs and gifts free mobile phones to domestic violence survivors.

These safe phones provide a lifeline to call for help when it is needed most.

Member for Toowoomba South David Janetzki MP said the program was a simple and practical way to help the thousands of victims of domestic violence in our region.

“The mobile phone is one of the first items to be smashed or stolen during domestic violence incidents, leaving victims cut off from the outside world with no way to call for help,” Mr Janetzki said.

“Frontline domestic violence agencies give the mobile phones to victims to take home and hide as part of their escape plan,” he said.

“Please donate an old phone if you can – you might just save a life.”

Police data shows the number of recorded breaches of domestic violence protection orders in Toowoomba has risen sharply to 1,406 in 2022-23 – an increase of 34% from 1,048 recorded breaches in the 12 months prior.

Mr Janetzki said instances of perpetrators who continued to terrorise their victims while a court order was in place had almost doubled in the past four years.

“Having access to a second secret phone also provides security as evolving technology gives domestic violence perpetrators more ways to monitor and track victims through GPS tracking apps,” Mr Janetzki said.

Lions Club of Toowoomba West member Robyn Bishop is collecting old mobile phones for the DV Safe Phone charity.

Mrs Bishop has placed a branded DV Safe Phone donation box at the HumeRidge Church of Christ office for members of the public to donate their old working phones.

“There are so many women in bad situations that they (charity) just can’t keep up with the need for a secret phone,” Mrs Bishop said.

“Many people have old mobile phones sitting in bottom drawers, so we are encouraging them to drop off the phones at a collection point,” she said.

Mr Janetzki’s Ruthven Street office is also a registered drop-off location for DV Safe Phones.

DV Safe Phone collects, erases, repairs and gives free mobile phones to domestic violence survivors through more than 200 domestic violence agencies, safe houses, and hospitals Australia-wide.

The charity has received and repurposed more than 23,000 phones since it began four years ago.

Received phones are tested to ensure they work, then paired with a new charging cable, sim card and call credit.

For more information about DV Safe Phone visit here: Learn More

*DV statistics cited from:

• https://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/issues/7856/crime-report-qld-2019-20.pdf
• https://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/issues/7856/crime-report-qld-2020-21.pdf
• https://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/issues/7856/crime-report-qld-2021-22.pdf
• https://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/issues/7856/crime-report-qld-2022-23.pdf