A South Australian foundation tackling domestic violence will receive $5.5 million from the federal government to expand its services nationally.
The funding will help the Zahra Foundation deliver free and confidential financial counselling over the phone and online to victims and survivors across Australia, a service it currently provides in South Australia.
Minister for Women's Safety Anne Ruston said the foundation would partner with existing services to offer a referral-based service.
"The first thing we need to do now that we've got this money is to sit down with the Zahra Foundation and make sure that we build a national framework," she said.
"We'll be working with other organisations like 1800 Respect and the National Debt Helpline to make sure that this referral service is designed so that it's immediately and appropriately ready to respond to women who are seeking the support."
Zahra Foundation's general manager Kelly-Ann Tansley said she expected the service to be running within the next financial year.
Ms Tansley said the foundation had supported more than 1,000 women during the past seven years to become "economically independent and recover from domestic and family violence".
Ms Tansley said the discreet nature of telephone and online services "opens the door for more women across Australia to get access to this type of support", particularly women in regional areas.
Zahra Foundation was established in honour of Zahra Abrahimzadeh, who was killed by her former husband in 2010, and aims to address the financial abuse and disadvantage women experience as a result of domestic violence.
Zahra Foundation co-founder Arman Abrahimzadeh said 13 years ago his mother and siblings faced poverty, homelessness and isolation when they had "no option but to flee our family home".
"When it came to establishing the foundation back in 2015, we decided to focus on financial empowerment because we experienced it ourselves," he said.
"And we know to this day women are fleeing abusive environments, not having any control over their finances and having their independence taken away from them."
