What is a financial counsellor?

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If you’re experiencing financial difficulty or feeling overwhelmed by debt you can contact a financial counsellor for help.

Financial counsellors are qualified professionals who provide free, independent and confidential information or advice. They can help you to:

  • understand your rights and provide access to legal help
  • access assistance related to paying bills or fines
  • prioritise debts, develop budgets and money plans.

There are a range of government and community services available to help you get back on track. See below for external support service providers.

Other external support resources

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Below you’ll find external support organisations and resources relating to:

 

Relationship, and Family and Domestic Violence support

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  • 1800 Respect – A family violence and sexual assault counselling line.
  • Relationships Australia - Provider of relationship support services for individuals, families and communities.
  • Services Australia - family and domestic violence - Provides information, resources and referrals to those affected by family and domestic violence.
  • Tech Safety - Provides resources and support on technology, privacy and safety in the context of intimate partner violence, sexual assault and violence against women.
  • Victim Services – Provides information on victim’s rights, how to access counselling and financial assistance including an Aboriginal Hotline. 
  • No to Violence - Provides anonymous and confidential telephone counselling, information and referrals to men to help them take action to stop using violent and controlling behaviour.

Mental health support

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  • Beyond Blue – Provides over the phone, web and email support to people experiencing anxiety and depression.
  • Black Dog - Provides information on mental health services, education and research.
  • Headspace - Provides free online support and counselling to young people aged 12-25 and their families and friends.
  • Lifeline - A national charity providing all Australians experiencing emotional distress with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
  • Kids Helpline - Provides online and over the phone counselling services for children and young adults.
  • MensLine - Provides online and over the phone counselling services for men with emotional health and relationship concerns.
  • 13 Yarn - A free and confidential 24/7 national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing distress or difficulty coping.
  • Carers Australia – Offers counselling, peer support and respite services for carers and their families.

Support for older people

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  • Capacity Australia - A charity that promotes the individual right to decision making and advocates for safeguards to prevent abuse, neglect and exploitation.
  • National Dementia Helpline - A free and confidential service providing information, support, and advice to people living with dementia, their families, and carers.
  • Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission - The national regulator of aged care services, protecting the health, safety, and wellbeing of older people.
  • Safe & Savvy - A guide for avoiding abuse, scams and fraud for older or clients experiencing vulnerability.
  • Seniors Rights Service - A community legal centre that provides advocacy, legal advice and education for older people.
  • 1800ELDERHelp (Compass) - A free national helpline that provides information, support and referrals for anyone experiencing or witnessing elder abuse.

Natural disaster support

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  • Ask Izzy - A website that connects people in need with housing, a meal, money help, family violence support, counselling and more.
  • Australian Red Cross - Provides comfort, care and connection to people coping with tough times in Australia and across the Asia Pacific.
  • Disaster Assist - Information on assistance for current and recent disasters from the Australian Government.
  • Salvation Army - Provides immediate assistance and meets people at their point of need following a disaster.

Support for people living with a disability

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  • Disability Gateway – Information and support services for people with disability and their families, carers and support workers.
  • Blue Knot - Provides short-term phone counselling support and referrals for people living with a disability or experienced trauma.
  • National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline - A free, independent and confidential service for reporting abuse and neglect of people with disability.
  • National Relay Service (NRS) - An Australia-wide phone service for people who are deaf, hard of hearing and/or have a speech communication difficulty.

Grief support

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  • Feel the Magic - An Australian charity providing early intervention grief education programs for kids aged 7 to 18, who are experiencing pain and isolation due to the death of a parent, guardian, or sibling.
  • Griefline - Provides free and confidential counselling, resources, and information to people experiencing grief and loss across Australia.

Support for homelessness

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  • Ask Izzy - A website that connects people in need with housing, a meal, money help, family violence support, counselling and more.
  • Homelessness Australia – A service who can put you in touch with housing services who can assist you in your state.
  • Australian Red Cross - Provides comfort, care and connection to people coping with tough times in Australia and across the Asia Pacific.
  • Disaster Assist - Information on assistance for current and recent disasters from the Australian Government.
  • Salvation Army - Provides immediate assistance and meets people at their point of need following a disaster.

Addiction support

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  • Counselling Online - A service that provides free drug and alcohol counselling online. It offers support and guidance to individuals dealing with substance use issues.
  • Gambling Help Online - A national service providing free, professional, and confidential support for anyone affected by gambling.

Legal support

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  • Community Legal Centres Australia - The national peak body for community legal centres, which provide free and accessible legal services to people experiencing financial hardship, discrimination, or domestic violence.
  • Legal Aid - Provides free legal advice and assistance to disadvantaged people on a range of legal issues, including criminal, family, and civil law matters.
  • Women’s Legal Service Australia - Provides face-to-face legal advice through outreach services and runs a partnership to provide family law advice through Family Relationship Centres.

Small business support

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  • Small Business Debt Helpline - A free service for small business owners in financial difficulty, offering advice on finance, debts, negotiating, and counselling.

LGBTQIA+ support

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  • Qlife - Provides anonymous and free LGBTIQ+ peer support and referral for people in Australia wanting to talk about sexuality, identity, gender, bodies, feelings or relationships.

Financial hardship support

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  • MoneySmart - Provides tools, support and educational resources to improve financial capabilities and health.
  • National Debt Helpline - Helps people who are experiencing financial difficulty. It’s available nationally and it’s a free, independent and confidential service.
  • Centrelink – Services Australia - Provides payments, social work counselling and third-party referrals and crisis payments.
  • Salvation Army – Moneycare – Provides assistance with financial coaching, financial counselling and no-interest loans.
  • Services Australia – Crisis Payment - Provides access to a one-off payment if you have experienced an extreme circumstance and are in severe financial hardship.
  • Ask Izzy - Provides a directory of services for financial, legal and wellbeing support specific to your location.
  • Department of Social Services - Grants Service Directory - Provides access to support for immediate financial crisis situations.
  • Australian Banking Association Financial Assistance Hub - A guide designed to help you understand the options that may be available if you’re struggling financially.
  • CreditSmart - Makes it easy for you to understand how your credit choices impact what info credit providers will report, what info they can access, and how you can be in control of your credit information.

Support for scams

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  • IDCARE - Australia and New Zealand's national identity and cyber support service. They provide support to individuals and organisations to reduce the harm from the compromise and misuse of identity information.
  • Equifax - A credit reporting agency that provides information and analysis on credit history. It offers services to help protect against identity theft and fraud.
  • Scamwatch - Run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Scamwatch provides information to consumers and small businesses about how to recognise, avoid and report scams.

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