Reports

This report sets out the findings of a 2023 survey of financial counsellors about the hardship practices of the big four banks, the non-major banks, other credit providers (finance companies, second-tier lenders) and debt collection companies.

Climate change is causing premiums to rise, forcing many people to reduce their cover or opt out of insurance altogether. Even where people can afford insurance, inconsistent and confusing policy terms often mean that when they go to make a claim, they find they aren’t covered. And rising costs of rebuilding mean that many people find they haven’t been adequately insured.

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) use has ballooned over the past year, with soaring numbers of people resorting to the unregulated credit for basics, such as food, fuel and energy, as Australians struggle with cost-of-living pressures, survey of more than 500 financial counsellors has revealed.

A guide which aims to build the capacity of the finance and mental health sectors and create better linkages between both so they can guide people towards the right support as early as possible.

In this report, researchers from Curtin University have calculated the actual costs of the most popular BNPL products for smaller purchases of up to $2,000 and compared them with the costs typically incurred with the use of a traditional credit card. This research shows that if you don’t pay on time, the charges and fees on small amounts of BNPL purchases can be just as expensive or more expensive than credit cards. The addendum to the report was uploaded in February 2024 to clarify some of the figures in the initial 2022 report. This was done in response to interactions between Curtin University and Humm.

This survey of financial counsellors highlights the growing harm caused by gambling and the urgent need for additional workforce training. Financial counsellors are reporting that the rapid growth of gambling has resulted in increasing numbers of people affected by gambling harm, experiencing multifaceted problems. Helping these clients is more complex than working with clients not affected by gambling.

This report documents a virtual policy roundtable held with representation from the gambling industry, government, financial counsellors and therapeutic gambling counsellors, the gambling and mental health helplines, regulators, coroners, banks, peak bodies, people with lived experience, and others touched by gambling. The purpose of the roundtable was to consider what each sector could do, and what could be done collectively, to reduce gambling-related suicide.

This report is based on a survey of financial counsellors about their casework experiences with clients who present with buy now pay later debt. Released in December 2021.

This report is based on a survey of financial counsellors about the hardship practices of telecommunications companies. The report also brings together relevant information from other sources about the way the telco industry treats its customers.

FCA surveyed financial counsellors across Australia to gauge their reactions to the proposed scrapping of responsible lending laws. This one page infographic outlines the key findings of the survey.

FCA surveyed financial counsellors across Australia to gauge their reactions to the proposed scrapping of responsible lending laws. The survey provides important insights into why financial counsellors think the laws are important, how many use the laws to help clients and what they predict will happen if the laws are removed.

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.

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.

A graphic recording setting out the advantages of raising the rate of Newstart allowance.

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.

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.

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.

Financial counselors rate their experiences of working with the financial external dispute resolution schemes and whether they should be merged.

A survey of the experiences of financial counsellors and financial capability workers in working with people experiencing family violence.

A collection of financial counselling case studies from across Australia.

A report explaining why income and expenditure statements need a default savings category.

Submission to: ASIC
A survey of 50 specialist problem gambling financial counsellors.

12 changes needed for online gambling reform.

A model for safer online gambling to protect consumers.

Financial counsellors and consumer solicitors rate the impact of Australia's personal insolvency laws on people in financial distress.

This report describes the serious issues that financial counsellors see in their casework with people who have sports betting debts.

Financial counsellors around Australia rank the hardship practices of the 'big four' banks, some of the smaller banks and GE.

A summary tool used at a comparative hardship forum involving banks, energy companies, water companies and telcos.

A summary of the comparative hardship forum involving banks, energy companies, water companies and telcos.

Financial counsellors rank the hardship practices of the major banks and some smaller banks.

A report outlining concerns with how Centrepay works in practice.

The results of a survey of financial counsellors who see clients with payday loans in their casework.

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.