Dear members…
It has been a busy month in the political sphere. We extend our congratulations to Premier Cook on securing another term for WA Labour and welcome Minister Swinbourn to the Communities portfolio. We look forward to working closely with him and other Ministers as we continue advocating for increased funding for the financial counselling profession.
With the Federal Election now announced, this week marks the launch of our sector’s campaign, highlighting the urgent need for more frontline financial counselling services. Keep an eye out for campaign materials as we push for greater support at the national level.
In other news, FCAWA has been preparing for the launch of the WA Financial Counselling Disaster Framework. This event will bring together key stakeholders to showcase the culmination of two years of extensive consultation, undertaken in partnership with the Centre for Social Impact. We are excited to see this framework embedded across the sector, reinforcing the critical role of financial counsellors in helping communities recover from disasters.
The first round of Innovation Funding through the Financial Counselling Industry Fund (FCIF) has now opened (see below). This fund represents years of dedicated advocacy from the sector, and we look forward to seeing the fresh ideas and initiatives it will support.
Many services have been waiting for the outcome of the recent DSS tender round. We now know that the current contracts have been extended for three months. FCAWA want to acknowledge the uncertainty that this creates across the sector. As your Peak body, we have been actively engaging with local and national contacts to gain clarity on the timeline for decisions. We understand the high volume of applications has caused delays—while frustrating, this also reflects the increasing demand from organisations across the nation seeking to introduce financial counselling services.
As always, FCAWA remains committed to supporting our sector through these challenges and advocating for a stronger, more sustainable future for financial counselling.
Thanks for your ongoing support
Melanie Hopkinson,
Chief Executive Officer.
FCAWA NEWS
Thank you to Jenny Cecil…
Many of you will know Jenny Cecil, a Financial Counsellor and Team Leader – Financial Wellbeing at Uniting WA, who was in the sector for over 20 years. Jenny has welcomed a well-earned retirement! We would like to thank Jenny for her contribution to the sector and the community and wish her the very best in retirement.

Joint consultation on approaches to family violence and financial elder abuse…
Australian Financial Complaints Authority is consulting on its ‘Approach to Family Violence ‘ and ‘Approach to Financial Elder Abuse’. The consultation is open now – until 4th April 2025.
Secure the support of an intern for your project – info webinar…
Find out how you can gain 100 hours of support from a talented and motivated UWA student intern for your project through the McCusker Centre for Citizenship.
More than 4,000 internships have been undertaken to date across the not-for-profit, community, local government and public sectors, and 97% of supervisors say they would recommend the program.
Join the webinar and hear from the Centre’s team, as well as an intern and supervisor.
Thursday 10 April, 11:30am -12:15pm – Register via Eventbrite:
https://bit.ly/McCuskerCentreInternshipsWebinar
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.