24th June 2014 - Consumer advocates and financial counsellors have applauded Federal Parliament’s move to stop the Australian Financial Security Authority charging individuals $120 to declare bankruptcy. The fee, introduced in April, caused wide-spread concern among consumer advocates and financial counsellors who argued it would act as a roadblock for…
22nd June 2014 - Financial Counselling Australia has today released “Too Poor to Go Bankrupt: The Impact of the New Fee for Lodging a Debtor’s Petition”. The report describes the results of a survey of financial counsellors about the impact of the $120 fee for lodging a debtor’s petition for…
4th June 2014 - Last week the Productivity Commission released a hugely important report documenting the literacy and numeracy of adult Australians. The report has received hardly any media attention[1] but should be a wake-up call for all of us - the community sector, industry and government – about how we communicate…
19th May 2014 - Four hundred financial counsellors will converge on Melbourne this Tuesday for the annual Financial Counselling Australia Conference. With the assistance and renewed funding from the Federal Government, financial counsellors will provide free and independent advice and support to over 220,000 cash-strapped Australians this financial year. Fiona Guthrie,…
16th May 2014 - Financial counsellors around Australia have welcomed continued funding for financial counselling services in the Commonwealth Budget. The mood is one of relief, rather than celebration however. The last few months have been particularly difficult for the sector, with the potential for 350 financial counsellors to lose their…
Good news - after a roller-coaster few months of disturbing messages around Commonwealth funding for financial counselling, it now seems that funding for financial counselling and ER will be very similar - largely intact (a minimal cut). More information soon as it emerges, but we wanted everyone to hear the…
Tuesday 13th May 2014 - 10 pm - The budget outcome for Commonwealth-funded financial counselling services (and emergency relief services) remains unclear. The Commonwealth is continuing to invest in the sector, through what is called the "Financial Wellbeing and Capability Programme". You can find programme information here. What is unclear is…
Women’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service (WDVCS) is calling on the Federal Government to continue its funding of financial counsellors as part of an integrated response to tackling domestic violence. WDVCS CEO Annette Gillespie said many clients had experienced economic abuse alongside other abusive tactics including intimidation, threats to kill, emotional…
1st May 2014 - Stunned. Incredulous. Shocked. Financial counsellors around Australia will be aghast that the Commission of Audit can so blithely – in 72 words – recommend de-funding all but $6 million of the $100 million the Commonwealth Government invests in the Financial Management Program.[1] The Commission of Audit…
10th April 2014 - On behalf of financial counselling agencies and financial counsellors, FCA is today calling on the Federal Government to end current funding uncertainty. On 30th June, the entire $20 million in Federal funding for financial counselling expires. FCA notes that there is a precedent for an early announcement, with…