FCA publishes reports according to our policy directives, drawing on the casework of financial counsellors.
August 2020
Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) surveyed financial counsellors across Australia to gauge their views and experiences about the link between financial hardship and mental health, and to assess whether the coronavirus pandemic is having an impact on the mental health of those in financial hardship. Read the findings in this report.
July 2020
This report sets out the findings of the 2019 survey of financial counsellors about the hardship practices of the big four banks and non major banks. The survey also assesses the hardship practices of debt collection companies, Buy Now Pay Later providers and consumer lease companies. There are also questions about bank consumer advocates.
August 2019
July 2019
A graphic recording setting out the advantages of raising the rate of Newstart allowance.
May 2018
A report based on the experiences of financial counsellors and other experts who work with people in prison, explaining how people often leave prison in a much worse financial position than when they entered.
March 2018
Financial counsellors in Australia rank the financial hardship policies of the big four banks and the smaller banks
and look briefly at debt collection companies and how financial hardship practices compare across industries.
November 2016
Financial counselors rate their experiences of working with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) and the Credit and Investments Ombudsman (CIO) and whether they should be merged.
November 2016
Financial counselors rate their experiences of working with the financial external dispute resolution schemes and whether they should be merged.
October 2016
A survey of the experiences of financial counsellors and financial capability workers in working with people experiencing family violence.
October 2016
A collection of financial counselling case studies from across Australia.
July 2016
A report explaining why income and expenditure statements need a default savings category.
April 2016
Submission to: ASIC
A survey of 50 specialist problem gambling financial counsellors.
A survey of 50 specialist problem gambling financial counsellors.
November 2015
12 changes needed for online gambling reform.
September 2015
Financial counsellors and consumer solicitors rate the impact of Australia's personal insolvency laws on people in financial distress.
August 2015
This report describes the serious issues that financial counsellors see in their casework with people who have sports betting debts.
March 2015
Financial counsellors around Australia rank the hardship practices of the 'big four' banks, some of the smaller banks and GE.
September 2013
A summary tool used at a comparative hardship forum involving banks, energy companies, water companies and telcos.
September 2013
A summary of the comparative hardship forum involving banks, energy companies, water companies and telcos.
May 2013
Financial counsellors rank the hardship practices of the major banks and some smaller banks.
February 2013
A report outlining concerns with how Centrepay works in practice.
October 2011
The results of a survey of financial counsellors who see clients with payday loans in their casework.
November 2010
This report is based on the experiences of money management workers and financial counsellors working with clients in remote Indigenous communities and the importance of fee free ATMs in those communities.