Financial Counselling Australia welcomes NAB’s announcement that it has become the first Australian bank to allow customers to block gambling transactions through their banking app. “We congratulate NAB on this move, which makes it much easier for their customers to control their gambling. Gambling has a lot of stigma and…
Financial Counselling Australia welcomes today’s announcement from the Federal Government of $10 million to expand financial counselling services as part of an extra $50 million bushfire assistance package. Financial counselling is a vital response to natural disasters in the immediate and longer term. The sooner people get support, the quicker…
Financial Counselling Australia welcomes the federal government’s announcement of $15 million to provide 60 new rural financial counselling jobs. The $15 million is part of a $100 million grant program to rebuild the nation’s farms, which have been devastated by the months’ long bushfires. The new rural financial counsellors will…
As a community we are rallying to help the many thousands of people around the country affected by the bushfires. The financial counselling sector is ready to play its part as well. The people affected by the bushfires are going to find themselves struggling with money and debt issues –…
19th December 2013 - Rather than a simple “yes” or “no”, Sunsuper and other superannuation trustees should be asking the question: “why?” The Financial Counsellors’ Association of Queensland (FCAQ) has noted that from 1 January 2014, Sunsuper, Queensland’s largest superannuation fund, will no longer allow members to lodge claims for early…
18th December 2013 - Financial Counselling Australia: Avoid a financial hangover this Christmas. The real price of an expensive Christmas gift can be financial stress, says Financial Counselling Australia. Technology transcends income levels and with iPads, play stations, electronic games and other technology-driven items at the top of many Christmas “wish…
23rd October 2013 - The release of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) annual report today highlights just how important this service is for consumers. Over 30,000 people accessed the free and independent dispute resolution services of FOS during 2012-13. “When it comes to access to justice, the existence of external dispute…
1st March 2013 - Financial counsellors around Australia are today celebrating a major leap forward for the profession: legal protection of the terms “financial counsellor” and “financial counselling”. Financial counsellors work in community organisations and assist people in financial difficulty to get back on track. Funded by government, the services…
31st January 2013 - Financial counsellors have welcomed today’s release of a revised Code of Banking Practice. Banks obviously already have to comply with a number of laws – credit laws, privacy laws, fair trading laws – to name a few. The strength of a Code of Practice is that…