About Us

About Us

Who are FCAWA?

FCAWA is a respected peak body with well-developed links and networks to other services and organisations in the public, not for profit, and private realm. They are considered an expert in financial hardship, financial literacy, and financial counselling. They focus on identifying emerging issues, recording current trends and responding to social and systemic issues in the social services sector.

What is Financial Counselling?

Financial counselling is a free, confidential and independent service, facilitated by trained professionals to help individuals and small businesses experiencing financial hardship. They provide their clients with information, support and advocacy and work with government, banks, utilities, debt collection and other stakeholders, to improve approaches to financial difficulty for vulnerable consumers.

What is FCAWA’s role?

FCAWA support financial counsellors and their clients through education, information, resources, and relevant casework support. They liaise on behalf of financial counsellors and their clients, with state and federal governments, organisations, businesses and those whose policies affect consumers. FCAWA act on policy advice, submissions for better outcomes and changes to legislation.

FCAWA also provide training to a range of organisations in metro and regional WA.

What services do FCAWA offer?

FCAWA offer the following consultations and workshops:

Hardship Policy Consultation
Family & Domestic Violence Policy Consultation
Financial Hardship Workshop
Financial Hardship impacted by Family Violence Workshop
Customised Consultation, Workshops and Webinars

What’s FCAWA’s history in the sector?

The Financial Counsellors’ Association of WA (FCAWA) was incorporated in 1985 and the primary objectives are to establish, monitor and improve standards for financial counsellors in Western Australia. FCAWA is unique as the peak body to support financial counsellors and their clients through education, information, resources, and relevant legal support.

Financial counselling in Australia is regulated through the Financial Services Reform Act 2001. Legislative recognition further highlights the need to have adequate legal support available for financial counsellors to support the most vulnerable of consumers.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) granted conditional exemption from the licensing obligations for not-for-profit financial counselling services (under Class Order 03/1063 of the Corporations Act 2001 gazetted on 16.12.03). This exemption requires certain conditions to be met and these include:

The service provided is limited to financial product advice of the types described in Class Order 03/163 and counsellors must not give advice about purchasing certain investment products.
No fees or charges are paid by the clients.
The agency does not get remuneration from any action undertaken for the client.
The agency ensures the counsellors are members, or are eligible to be members, of a Financial Counselling Association.
The agency ensures its counsellors have undertaken appropriate training to ensure they have adequate skills and knowledge to satisfactorily provide the service.

Federal legislation to protect the terms came into effect on 1 March 2013. Section 160C of the Consumer Credit and Corporations Legislation Amendment (Enhancements) Bill 2011 and restricts the use of the terms ‘financial counsellor’ and ‘financial counselling’ to organisations that provide financial counselling services as prescribed under the National Consumer Credit Protection Regulations 2010.

Our Board Members

Balbeer Sidhu

Chairperson

Balbeer is the Practice Lead for Financial Wellbeing Services in Uniting WA, overseeing the financial counselling, emergency relief and financial wellbeing workshop programs. He also jointly oversees the Escaping Violence Payment (EVP) program in WA, a national program across Australia delivered by the UnitingCare network. Balbeer has been with Uniting WA for more than 12 years. His previous experience includes working in the Financial Institutions Department of the largest private bank in Malaysia for 18 years. Balbeer joined the FCAWA Board as a Treasurer in 2018.
Clarissa Harp

Vice Chairperson

Prior to becoming a Financial Counsellor I worked in recruitment within various roles with Centrelink. I worked in Policy, Disabilities and before finally leaving I was Manager of Abstudy. After a break I worked part-time hours within HR and Recruitment for NRW, which is a Mining and Construction Company, before starting with Jacaranda Community Centre. I currently work at Jacaranda Community Centre Based at Belmont Office three days of the week. The other two days I work from Zonta House Tuesdays and St Patricks Day Centre Thursdays. I’ve worked as a financial counsellor for the last eight years, within this time I also have delivered training to not only Zonta House but also to Aboriginal Organisations within the Perth Metro Area.
Mandy Dehnel

Treasurer
Hadassah Morrisey

Secretary

Hadassah is the Service Centre Manager at Anglicare WA. She oversees the Hardship Utility Grant Scheme, the HSC Financial Counselling program and the Emergency Relief & Food Access Service. Hadassah has been a Financial Counsellor since 2011, working for Youth Legal Service (WA), Lifeline and Anglicare WA. Hadassah joined the FCAWA Board as Secretary in 2017.
Suzanne Long

Board member
Wendy Black

Board Member

Practice Consultant for Financial Services. Have been working in the Financial Counselling Industry with Anglicare for 21 years. Have a previous history with Youth and Aboriginal Services. I work out of my office in Bunbury and cover an area from Joondalup to Albany.
Tina Bennett

Board Member

Tina is the senior financial counsellor at The Spiers Centre in Heathridge. She has worked at The Spiers Centre since 2008, the past 10 years as a financial counsellor. Previous experience includes community service administration, banking roles and volunteering as a member of the SES Mounted Section. Tina joined the board of FCAWA in 2018.
Roberta Grealish

Independent Board Member

Roberta is the Principal Solicitor at Consumer Credit Legal Service (WA) Inc. (CCLSWA), a specialist community legal centre based in Perth. She studied at the University of Sydney, the National University of Ireland, Galway, and the University of Western Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Law degree. She has also completed professional practice courses at the Law Society of Ireland and the College of Law Western Australia. Roberta worked in private practice in Ireland, specialising in property and banking before relocating to Perth. Following admission to practice in WA, she worked for a commercial law firm before jumping at the opportunity to join CCLSWA and “sit on the other side of the table” to voice the risks of unaffordable lending from the consumer perspective. Since joining the team at CCLSWA she has assisted many vulnerable consumers successfully pursue responsible lending claims against big banks and payday lenders. Roberta takes a lead role in CCLSWA’s law reform submissions and stakeholder engagements in the belief that it is the role of consumer advocates to speak up for those who do not have the knowledge, resources, or capacity to advocate for themselves. She is a regular presenter at the FCAWA annual conference and joined the FCAWA Board in 2021.
Chris Wheatcroft

Independent Board Member