Former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu is leading a push for a ban on brides being forced to bestow valuable dowries on their husbands.
It's claimed the practice - banned in India - is leading to domestic violence against women and financial hardship.
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After her arranged marriage in India, "Tania" believed the sizeable dowry her family contributed to the union would help provide for a happily-wedded life in Australia.
"It includes everything. It covers all gifts, it covers all money, all clothing, all furniture. Whatever kind of presents they are taking."
Instead, after suffering physical and emotional abuse, she says she's been kicked out of the family home.
"He had another girlfriend from the beginning. He is not happy with me. He does not want to live with me from the beginning."
And the riches?
They've been kept by her estranged husband's family back home in India.
It's an all-too familiar scenario for Indian-born psychiatrist Dr Manjula O'Connor.
She says three-quarters of the domestic violence cases she sees are related to women suffering after broken marriages and dowry demands.
"They are living in Australia. The laws don't match. They can't claim dowry them. They can't claim it back in India and so the girls are falling in between the stones."
The practice is having devastating financial and emotional results.
Former Victorian Premier, Ted Baillieu says it can't be allowed to continue.
"Young girls coming here then finding themselves with demands for dowry, then continuing demands for dowry. The sort of thing we are seeing is family breakdown, we are seeing family violence and on occasion we are seeing worse."
Mr Baillieu says the practice amounts to economic abuse and wants Australia to follow India in outlawing the ancient dowry practice.
He's tabled a petition in the Victorian Parliament calling for a ban.
But it's a move that's divided the local Indian community, with some leaders denying dowry abuse is a problem here in Australia.
Dr O'Connor says they don't understand the extent of the problem.
"The leaders who disagree with me, I don't think see the girls who are experiencing this problem."
Dr O'Connor has also called on the federal Government to make it a condition of permanent residency that no dowries have been paid to the applicant.
