The first quarter of 2025 has been marked by both an extraordinary volume of work and a remarkable level of impact across all areas of FCVic’s operations. I am immensely proud of the team for their extraordinary work already this year. Between our major projects, complex training calendar, policy submissions, campaigns, stakeholder engagements, and the success of our Housing Summit, the team has demonstrated unwavering focus and passion. A sizeable part of the team is preparing to attend the FCA Conference in Adelaide next month — an important opportunity for us to learn, recharge, and connect with our interstate colleagues. We hope to see many of you there!
In March, we hosted the FCVic Housing Summit, bringing together more than 220 people from across the sector — financial counsellors, regulators, government, community organisations, and industry — for a day of robust discussion and connection. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’re thrilled to have delivered an event that so many found valuable. Events like these remind us of the vital role we play as the peak body — to convene, collaborate and spark real change.
We also used the Summit to announce this year’s FCVic Conference — we’ll gather in Mantra Lorne from 8–10 October under the theme ‘Sparking Change’. Planning begins in earnest next month and we’re excited to shape another powerful program.
Behind the scenes, we’ve been deep in the delivery of our major projects, including the Workforce Development Project and Rank the Energy Retailer 2025. These are large, complex undertakings, with ambitious scopes and multiple stakeholders, and I’m proud to say both are progressing well and generating strong interest. We’ve also begun early work on our 2025–2028 Strategic Plan, with consultant Matt Gaffney leading a comprehensive engagement process involving members, stakeholders, staff, and Board.
Alongside project work, our policy and advocacy efforts continue at pace. Since the last update, we’ve made a number of key submissions and briefings, and while engagement in the federal election campaign has been limited, we’ve used the experience to sharpen our approach to future advocacy, particularly ahead of the 2026 state election.
Our engagement across government, regulators and industry continues to grow, with new invitations for consultation and increasing recognition of FCVic as a leading voice in the sector. We’re also seeing our disaster recovery work grow and evolve, as we respond to recent events and strengthen preparedness across the sector, including leading a new national funding bid under the Disaster Ready Fund.
And finally, on a personal note, I was delighted to welcome my daughter Anthea into the world on 4 March. I am grateful for the kind messages I’ve received and for the support of the team while I’ve been managing the joyful chaos of new parenthood. I particularly want to thank James for stepping into the acting CEO role during my parental leave — it’s no small thing to keep all the moving parts going, and he did so with his usual calm and confident leadership.
Thank you once again to our members for all that you contribute to our work — none of it would be possible without your engagement, feedback and participation. We truly couldn’t do it without you.