22nd November, 2012 - Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) has welcomed the announcement by the Federal Minister for Human Services, Senator Kim Carr, of an independent review into Centrepay. “Centrepay was set up to help Centrelink recipients budget for essential costs, such as rent and utilities,” said Fiona Guthrie, Executive Director of…
19th November 2012 - Dear Stakeholders I am delighted to release the Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) Annual Report 2012, containing information about our activities, highlights during the year and our challenges in the future. Distributing our Annual Report is timely, given the release in late October of the PwC-CSI Community…
12th November 2012 - Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) welcomes the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s decision to authorise an initiative from the banking industry that will lead to fee-free ATMs in a number of remote Indigenous communities. “This is a huge step forward in reducing the financial disadvantage suffered by people…
26th November 2012 - Financial difficulty disputes have increased by 42% according to the recent annual report from the Financial Ombudsman Service. This comes on top of an increase of 130% in the previous financial year. “The continuing increase in financial difficulty disputes is something that is a cause of…
24th October 2012 - Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) congratulates the Federal government on their $10 million investment towards advancing the interests of consumers in the superannuation system. By providing seed capital for the establishment of a not-for-profit Superannuation Consumer Centre, the government is developing the framework to provide superannuation-related education and…
22nd October 2012 - An insightful report into the impact of financial counselling on both debt resolution and the overall wellbeing of consumers has found that the significant majority of those surveyed benefitted both financially and personally from seeking the assistance of a financial counsellor – and that many wished they…
10th October 2012 - Under legislation passed by the Senate this week, around 100,000 single parent households face the prospect of increased financial stress next year. Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) is disappointed that changes to the Single Parent Payment, mooted earlier this year by the Federal government, have now passed the…
9th October 2012 - A coalition of consumer groups is urging the Federal Government to reconsider aspects of its planned credit reporting reform which could see Australians have their credit history tarnished for late payment of amounts as little as $100. In a recent discussion paper on credit reporting regulations,…
1st October 2012 - Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) congratulates the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on their historic and significant win in the Federal Court last week, in a case cementing the legal enforceability of ‘Do Not Knock’ stickers. The case, brought against an energy retailer and a marketing…
2nd September - “Plenty of people on low incomes are terrific at budgeting; they have to be!” Today marks the beginning of MoneySmart Week - a national initiative bringing together more than 100 organisations from the business, government and community sectors, with the aim of advancing the financial literacy of all Australians. Financial…