Financial Rights Legal Centre

You’re invited to the online launch of our report Money Yarns, Stronger Futures Wednesday 24 July 2024 12:30pm – 1:30pm REGISTER https://lnkd.in/gWPu8vGA Consumer Action Law Centre and the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) would like to warmly invite you to the online launch of their groundbreaking report Money Yarns, Stronger Futures, which draws on the consumer experiences and voices of First Nations people in Victoria and our casework data. Book now to secure you place, details of speakers to come. Money Yarns, Stronger Futures The consumer, credit and debt issues of First Nations people in Victoria. Integrated Practice Project report 2021 – 2023. Wednesday 24 July 2024 12:30pm – 1:30pm Online Webinar What you will learn First Nations people are excellent money managers. In the face of deeply entrenched systemic disadvantage, where the laws, policies and systems of colonisation have caused their financial disadvantage to be far higher than non-First Nation’s Australians, First Nations people have remained adept at juggling the money they have to cover the increasing costs of living for themselves, their family and their community. Nevertheless, despite their resilience, First Nations consumers continue to experience harm due to financial systems and regulatory approaches that do not meet their needs. You will hear about the work of VALS and Consumer Action and how they are providing crucial civil legal and financial counselling support to First Nations consumers across Victoria. The voices of those First Nations consumers will be amplified by continuing to weave their stories and experiences into case work data in order to identify areas where there is urgent need for improvement. The report presents bold recommendations that aim to break persistent cycles of unmet need and achieve outcomes that will contribute to closing the gap over time. RSVP: There is limited capacity for this online event, so please ensure you register now to avoid missing out. Register here. https://lnkd.in/gWPu8vGA Tania Clarke Stephanie Tonkin Samantha Watson Samantha Rudolph Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service Gerard Brody

Nearly half of Australians who have debt say they’ve struggled to make repayments in the last 12 months, but 3 in 10 say they wouldn’t seek hardship assistance from their lender. New research for ASIC’s Moneysmart found Australians would rather sell their belongings or get a second job before applying for #hardship assistance. It follows the release of our recent report into how lenders respond to customers experiencing financial hardship. In response, ASIC’s Moneysmart is launching a new awareness campaign encouraging Australians to contact their lender if they experiencing difficulty making repayments. ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland said, ‘Customers in hardship are entitled under the law to request assistance. These findings should be top of mind for lenders when supporting Australians in financial hardship.’ Read more https://lnkd.in/gKvBiWEV #consumers #banking 

Today is a huge day for financial counselling in Australia. After more than a decade of effort, today we have seen the Government announce the establishment of an independent body to accept contributions from industry to fund financial counselling services – effectively the start of an industry funding model. CEO Fiona Guthrie has called the announcement "momentous" for the sector which comes after years of advocacy and hard work. "It is an important recognition that the businesses that benefit when their customers receive advice and support from a financial counsellor should also contribute to these costs." Thank you to the industries who have acknowledged that and contributed: the banking, insurance, energy retail and online wagering industries, as well as individual companies: Telstra, Tabcorp, Credit Corp and Afterpay. While we are delighted at the response of these companies, we would have loved to see contributions from more of those industries who financial counsellors engage with daily. But we say to those companies "it’s not too late to get involved and become part of the solution", namely, the telecommunications industry (apart from Telstra); the Buy Now Pay Later industry (apart from Afterpay); finance companies, and the debt collection industry (apart from Credit Corp). Come on board! #auspol #financialcounseling #costofliving Amanda Rishworth Anna Bligh Australian Banking Association (ABA) Telstra Afterpay https://lnkd.in/g-Bm2KvN