Belinda Walton, Manager – Financial Wellbeing Hub East Arnhem, Anglicare NT
Video here.
Why did you become a financial counsellor?
I was working on Groote Eylandt and was helping a colleague with some debts that she had and was told that Anglicare was also assisting. I contacted them to make sure that we weren’t doubly up. The gentleman on the phone I talked to was a financial counsellor called Alan Gray, and he happened to have a position for a financial capability worker.
At the time, I’d never heard of a financial capability worker or a financial counsellor and once I looked into it, I thought it was a wonderful job and started with them. And then I received the Jan Pentland Scholarship to do financial counselling.
So, I just finished my law degree and then went straight into my diploma for financial counselling and haven’t looked back.
What’s the most rewarding part of your work?
Seeing the positive impact you can have on a client one to one but also when you see those systemic issues and are able to advocate for change and see the changes come into place through policy and procedures as well as legislation and being able to see those positive changes for people that are less fortunate or might not have a voice by themselves. It’s what keeps you doing this job.
Can you share a specific moment for a client that reminded you why this work really matters?
When they came to us, they had accessed their total and permanent disablement, so their claim had been accepted about 7 years prior, but they’d never known how to actually access that money.
Whenever he needs it, he will come to us, and we’ll be able to support him to access that. So, the first amount they were able to purchase a car where his wife had been pushing him in the dirt in the community in a wheelchair for years and more recently just been able to spoil their grandchildren. So that makes it so nice.
What kinds of issues are you most commonly helping people with right now?
A lot to do with superannuation, death benefits, financial hardship or lost superannuation and scambling around the gambling and fraudulent transactions as well. So, trying to provide a lot of education in communities regarding that.
And just the general debts regarding the ATO and Centrelink as well.
Is there anything you would like to add?
How important financial counsellors are, especially having them all around Australia, we’re all probably seeing the same issues but previously haven’t networked together. So, being able to use case studies from all over Australia to make those systemic changes that are needed, I think is important.