Financial counselling — free, independent professional advice for people in financial hardship — is one of the most impactful community services in Australia. Financial counsellors help people navigate debt, negotiate with creditors, access hardship provisions, lodge complaints with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), and find pathways through financial crisis. Demand consistently outstrips supply. Grant funding — alongside government funding — supports the financial counselling workforce, community organisations providing counselling services, and the workforce development that trains new counsellors.
What financial counsellors do
Who needs financial counselling
Why financial counselling matters
Department of Social Services (DSS)
State governments
ASIC
Some financial counselling infrastructure support.
Commonwealth Bank Foundation
Financial wellbeing and capability programs.
NAB Foundation
Financial hardship support.
ANZ Foundation
Financial counselling and financial wellbeing.
Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand
Financial counselling alongside No Interest Loans (NILS).
Salvation Army
Financial counselling as part of crisis services.
Direct financial counselling
Gambling financial counselling
Financial abuse and domestic violence
Small business financial counselling
Indigenous financial counselling
Specialist financial counselling
Workforce development
Research and advocacy
The National Debt Helpline — 1800 007 007 — provides free financial counselling by phone and online to any Australian. Operated by Financial Counselling Australia (FCA):
- Phone counselling with a qualified financial counsellor
- Online chat financial counselling
- Self-help resources and guides
- Referral to local face-to-face services
The Helpline is the primary access point for Australians who don't know where else to turn. Applications for financial counselling services should connect with or complement the Helpline rather than duplicating it.
Workforce supply
Australia faces a significant shortage of qualified financial counsellors. Applications that address workforce development — training, scholarships, supervision — address a structural constraint on the sector.
Hardship provisions leverage
Financial counsellors regularly secure significant debt relief through hardship provisions, AFCA complaints, and negotiation. Applications that track dollar outcomes — debts reduced, payments deferred, complaints won — are compelling.
Geographic gaps
Financial counselling is concentrated in metropolitan areas. Applications for remote, rural, or regional financial counselling address demonstrated geographic unmet need.
Integration
Financial counselling is most effective when integrated with other services — emergency relief, legal aid, mental health, domestic violence services. Applications that demonstrate genuine integration deliver more holistic support.
Tahua's grants management platform supports financial counselling funders and hardship support organisations — with client tracking, debt outcome measurement, hardship provision data, and the reporting tools that help financial counselling funders demonstrate their investment in financial recovery for Australians in crisis.