Financial exclusion traps millions of Australians in cycles of disadvantage. Without access to fair credit, people turn to predatory payday lenders. Without financial literacy, people can't navigate products designed to benefit the provider. Without financial counselling, debt spirals. Grant funding supports the No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS), financial counselling, financial capability programmes, and the advocacy that challenges predatory financial practices targeting vulnerable Australians.
Scale
Who is financially excluded
Predatory lending
High-cost short-term lending (payday loans, consumer leasing) targets financially excluded people:
- APR equivalents of 400-1000%+ effective interest
- Aggressive marketing to welfare recipients
- "Rent to buy" consumer leasing (paying multiple times the retail value)
- Debt spirals
Australian regulation has tightened (SACC — small amount credit contract regulation) but predatory products persist.
ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission)
Regulation of financial products and services — consumer protection.
National Consumer Credit Protection Act
Responsible lending obligations — some protection but gaps remain.
MoneySmart (ASIC)
Free financial guidance and resources.
Department of Social Services
National Debt Helpline
Free financial counselling — government-funded.
Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand
The largest financial inclusion organisation in Australia:
- NILS (No Interest Loan Scheme) — safe credit for essential purchases
- StepUP — low interest loans for larger purchases
- AddsUp — matched savings programme
- Financial counselling
- Microenterprise development loans (MEBL)
NAB Foundation
Financial inclusion is a core NAB Foundation focus:
- NILS support
- Financial counselling
- Financial capability
ANZ Foundation
Financial wellbeing programmes.
Salvation Army
Financial counselling and emergency relief.
St Vincent de Paul Society
Emergency financial relief.
Brotherhood of St Laurence
Financial inclusion research and programme advocacy.
Australian Government (via DSS)
Major funder of financial inclusion NGO sector.
No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS)
NILS is Australia's best-known financial inclusion product:
- Loans of $300-$2,000 for essential household items (fridge, washing machine, medical equipment)
- No interest, no fees
- Small repayments over 12-18 months
- Administered by community organisations
- Over 130,000 loans per year — significant scale
StepUP Loans
Low-interest loans for people who need more than NILS can provide:
- $800-$3,000
- Low interest (currently approximately 5.99%)
- No fees
- Builds credit history
Financial counselling
Professional, free, non-judgmental advice on debt, budgeting, and financial rights:
- National Debt Helpline (telephone)
- Face-to-face financial counsellors in community organisations
- Specialist counselling (gambling debt, domestic violence financial abuse)
- Financial counsellor training
Financial capability building
Building financial knowledge and skills:
- Money management workshops
- Budgeting education
- Banking and financial system literacy
- Superannuation education
- Insurance literacy
Matched savings
Microenterprise development
Emergency relief
Material financial assistance:
- Utility bills
- Food vouchers
- Rental arrears
- Medical expenses
- Crisis support linked to counselling
Banking and insurance access
Financial abuse (DV-linked)
Financial abuse is a form of domestic violence:
- Financial abuse awareness for domestic violence services
- Rebuilding financial independence after financial abuse
- Specialist DV financial counselling
Indigenous financial inclusion
Despite regulation, payday lending remains a significant problem:
- Consumer leasing (Thorn Group's Radio Rentals and similar)
- Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) — growing and somewhat unregulated
- High-cost short-term credit
- Debt management schemes
Advocacy for stronger regulation, and alternatives (NILS, StepUP) are both important.
NILS as the model
NILS is one of the most successfully scaled financial inclusion programmes globally. Applications building on the NILS model — expanding reach, improving access for underserved groups — have established evidence.
Financial counselling access
Demand for financial counsellors significantly exceeds supply — particularly in rural and regional areas and for specialist counselling (gambling, DV). Applications increasing financial counselling capacity are high-priority.
Emergency relief-counselling integration
Emergency financial relief is more impactful when integrated with counselling — addressing the immediate crisis and building longer-term capacity. Applications that combine both are more comprehensive.
CALD communities
Culturally and linguistically diverse Australians face specific financial inclusion challenges (cultural understanding of credit, trust in financial institutions, language). Applications with culturally appropriate delivery are underserved.
Tahua's grants management platform supports financial inclusion funders and community finance organisations — with loan programme tracking, counselling outcome measurement, community reach data, and the reporting tools that help financial inclusion funders demonstrate their investment in fair, affordable financial services for all Australians.