Dear members…
It’s Conference month! Things might be a little hectic if you call or email our office, but as always we’ll do our best to answer your questions or point you in the right direction for information.
Last month, I outlined our plans for a pre-budget submission. I’d like to thank all those who participated in the survey and our online focus groups. We had a great range of feedback, all of which has been included in our submission, which I will talk more on at Conference.
We’ve now written to all Ministers, outlining the essential nature of the service we collectively deliver. I am pleased to report that meetings with policy advisors are being scheduled to discuss our sector in more detail.
As you are likely aware, the Department of Communities commissioning process for financial counselling services is underway. We’ve attended a training session run by the Department of Treasury and Finance which provided advice and resources to assist with this process. It was an excellent session and the Department offers this and other training sessions at various times of the year; sessions are published in their bulletin. I encourage you to attend one of these sessions if you are planning to apply for a tender or renegotiate a preferred service provider agreement.
It was pleasing to recently see both ANZ and Optus facing repercussions for misconduct. We welcomed the decision of the Federal Court endorsing a record $100million penalty against Optus. We know from the stories told by members that many vulnerable people have been mis-sold products by Optus and this kind of recognition by the Courts is necessary. We hope this ruling will result in stronger, enforceable regulation in the telco sector. In the case of ANZ, them admitting to misconduct and agreeing to pay the $240m in penalties was likewise good news for the sector. This action sends a clear message to all banks: they must to the right thing by their customers, especially the most vulnerable.
We were also pleased to support FC Vic’s submission to the Fair Work Commission Gender-Based Undervaluation – Priority Awards Review (SCHADS Award). This submission highlighted our sector’s urgent concerns regarding the proposed changes to the Award for employees and the misrepresentation of the nature of financial counselling work. We look forward to the outcome of this review and will continue to work with other peaks to advocate for proper recognition and pay for financial counsellors.
Finally, I was proud to represent FCAWA, together with Pam, at the 2025 Financial Literacy Leaders’ Summit in Canada earlier this month. We were fortunate to be awarded sponsorship to attend and learn more about the financial counselling sector in an area with cultural similarities to Australia. I’ll speak more about the learning from this trip at Conference but the key takeaways were while financial counselling frameworks in Canada differ from ours, the shared focus on empowering individuals and fostering financial resilience remains the same and like Australia, Canada is on a long journey of reconciliation with their First Nations peoples, and we gained insights into how financial counselling models can be developed to better serve Indigenous communities.
I look forward to seeing those of you attending Conference very soon and celebrating our 40th anniversary with you all.
Until then,
Mel
FCAWA NEWS
Sector Support Power Check-In
During WA Mental Health Week, Leanne held a ‘Power Check-In’ to give FCs a chance to discuss, in a safe environment, any mental health issues they were experiencing in their clients and/or trends they had noticed in themselves. The session provided rich opportunities to talk about some of the challenges facing FCs, and to reassure FCAWA members that they aren’t alone. Leanne used AI to help type summarise the meeting, and the result is a snappy list of insights, tips and tricks, along with recommendations for future sessions. We hope to see more FCs at our next check-in keep and eye out for the date coming soon!
Grant Alert
The Insignia Community Foundation partners with not-for-profit organisations to help create financial wellbeing for people in communities around Australia. The Foundation operates a Grants Program twice a year and accepts expressions of interest July and November
Building a News Library
We’re seeking to build a library of good news stories to tell our audiences about the impact of financial counselling. To participate, all we need is ten minutes of your time via phone for a short interview – the story will then be written up and you’ll have a chance to review prior to publication.
Stories will be de-identified where needed. For more information, or to express an interest, contact us via email.
The Financial Counselling Industry Fund would like to let you know…
The 2025 Innovation Grants round is open! You now have five weeks to submit an Expression of Interest. Please note – applications close at 5pm AET on Monday 28 April.
They are also excited to announce their Innovation Advisory Panel: Carolyn Bond AO, Professor Mark Evans, Dr Kylie Heneker, Michelle Mackenzie, Scott Pape OAM and Bill Simpson-Young. Each bringing a different perspective, together they will provide a wealth of experience and wisdom and help guide in the decision making.
FCAWA FEATURES
Poverty Increases to 1 in 7 people
The number of people living in poverty in Australia has increased to 1 in 7, according to a new ACOSS and UNSW report released at the start of Anti-Poverty Week.
Using the most recent figures, researchers found 3.7 million people – 14.2% of the population – were living in poverty in 2022–23.
That marked an increase from 12.4% of the population – or 1 in 8 people – in 2020-21.
The study found the poverty rate for children is 1 in 6, equalling 757,000 children.
Australia’s Welfare 2025: In Brief Published
Australia’s welfare 2025: in brief presents a point in time overview of welfare and wellbeing data in Australia, with selected key findings on housing, education and skills, employment and income, social support, and justice and safety.
This publication is produced biennially by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
New Team Member – Sarah Holman
Sarah has joined the FCAWA team as Policy and Advocacy Lead. She brings a diverse background in financial counselling, community education, project management, operations, and systemic advocacy, with a particular focus on addressing economic abuse and improving outcomes for people experiencing financial hardship.
She has led initiatives that strengthened cross-sector collaboration and influenced policy reform and is passionate about amplifying lived experience in policy design and building more trauma-informed, equitable systems. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys being outdoors, especially camping and spending time at the beach.