The FCVic 2024 Conference at The Pullman in Albert Park brought together financial counsellors, industry partners, and advocates for three days filled with insightful discussions, workshops, and networking events focused on resilience, collaboration, and advocacy. The theme for this year was ‘Fearless & Forthright,’ encapsulating the spirit of our members and the financial counselling profession. It reflects our commitment to boldly tackling challenges and advocating for fairness, integrity, and transparency within the hardship sector.
Day One: Wednesday, 9 October
The first day commenced with targeted professional development sessions, including a workshop on approaches for supporting migrant and refugee women experiencing family violence. Later, attendees gained practical insights during a car-related financial issues workshop, equipping financial counsellors to assist clients facing transportation costs and difficulties.
At the Annual General Meeting (AGM), members were updated on FCVic’s key achievements, and election results were announced. Newly elected and re-elected Board Members included Lina Miao, for three-year terms, and Leanne Garth for a two-year term. We extend our thanks to Louise Dillon and Trish Dennis, who retired from the Board at the conclusion of the AGM. Both have dedicated an enormous amount of time and commitment to this essential voluntary role, enabling FCVic to operate with a sound, accountable strategy for its membership. Additionally, Margaret Taig was honoured with the title of Honorary Life Member—click here to read more about this. Attendees were encouraged to review FCVic’s Annual Report for further details on the year’s progress.
Day One wrapped up with a lively networking event at La Di Da on King Street, with thanks to our networking event partner, NAB. Karaoke and caricatures brought members together in a relaxed setting, building connections and camaraderie. There were certainly a few sore vocal cords on Thursday morning—we heard everything from Mustang Sally to N*SYNC and Nutbush City Limits!









Day Two: Thursday, 10 October
Day Two kicked off with MC Elisha Rathod introducing The Hon. Gabrielle Williams, Minister for Government Services, Consumer Affairs & Public and Active Transport, who acknowledged the essential role of financial counsellors as “gateways to services and help that people never knew existed, or that they needed.” FCVic extended its thanks to the Minister, who recently raised over $27,000 for the Cancer Council by shaving her head—talk about fearless!
In the keynote “From Fear to Fearless,” Petris Lapis encouraged building courage step-by-step, supported by self-care; her message to look after yourself so you have the reserves to be courageous again tomorrow is relevant for all community sector workers. Following this was the “Breaking the Energy/Health Hardship Nexus: Reframing Energy as a Human Right” session, featuring Emma Halloran and Rory Anderson from the Victorian Council of Social Services (VCOSS), who discussed the essential link between energy access and health, advocating for energy to be recognised as a basic human right. They outlined actions for attendees to engage further:
- Learn more by registering for the “Watt Equity? Energy as a Basic Right” webinar on 3 December, featuring guest speaker Dr Bjorn Sturmberg.
- Get involved by sharing insights as a financial counsellor in the Energy Health Nexus project’s qualitative research with Emma Halloran: [email protected]
- Read more about the project on the VCOSS project page, which offers resources including a provocation paper and literature review.
Our Conference Premier Partner, AGL, gave us the first look at its new campaign on cultural approaches to energy savings; the bespoke campaign, created by SBS CulturalConnect and Identity Communications, sees AGL supporting multicultural and First Nations communities amid cost-of-living pressures. Dr Domenique Meyrick of Financial Counselling Australia then provided a sector update, highlighting the benefits of collaboration for improving client outcomes.
Elissa Freeman provided an update on the Financial Counselling Industry Fund, a significant initiative with a $36 million commitment over the next three years, aimed at addressing unmet demand for financial counselling services. Elissa highlighted that the fund’s development process will involve stakeholder engagement to establish the funding principles and distribution strategy, with the first round set to open in the first half of 2025. The fund could support a variety of initiatives, including expanding service delivery, driving service innovation, enhancing counsellor capability, and improving data systems—all critical to meeting growing sector demands.
Next Shazia Syed and Manasi Wagh presented “Financial Capability—Bookends to Financial Counselling,” underscoring the essential role of financial capability in sustaining financial wellbeing. They encouraged attendees to explore the Economic Equality website for further resources. As a call to action, Women’s Health in the North (WHIN) is inviting expressions of interest from organisations and individuals interested in participating in the “Let’s Talk Money” Train-the-Trainer intensive, a program designed to extend financial capability training through a broader network of trainers.
In the afternoon, attendees enjoyed a Family Feud-style game that pitted financial counsellors against industry representatives. This light-hearted session emphasised the importance of collaboration with key stakeholders to reach shared goals for client well-being.
After a brief message from one of our long-time Conference Partners, the Essential Services Commission, the FCVic Update took the stage, with Executive Officer Zyl Hovenga-Wauchope detailing the organisation’s recent advocacy efforts. FCVic has remained “fearless and forthright,” successfully pushing for increased financial counsellor funding while raising the profile of financial counsellors’ crucial work across the state. Zyl was joined by Advocacy Manager Amanda Chan, who gave an overview on FCVic’s advocacy approach, including:
- Continuous engagement with decision-makers to create meaningful changes.
- Targeted engagements on specific campaigns impacting client financial wellbeing.
- Highlighting financial counsellors’ expertise by raising awareness about systemic issues and financial counsellors’ impact.
- Supporting member advocacy by encouraging financial counsellors’ actions.
- Strengthening collective advocacy through Networks and Working Groups.
FCVic encouraged members to get involved through various actions:
- Join Networks and Working Groups to network, collaborate, and support sector objectives.
- Respond to surveys and requests for input to stay connected with advocacy opportunities.
- Share key messages via FCVic’s website and social media channels.
- Invite FCVic to events and engage MPs to raise sector awareness.
- Attend upcoming advocacy CPD training for skill-building and knowledge-sharing.
- Participate in FCVic events to stay informed and connected with sector developments.
With housing as a central theme in much of our recent advocacy, Zyl and Amanda announced that FCVic will be hosting a Housing Summit in March 2025. We look forward to sharing more details with readers soon.
The Gala Awards Dinner, held at the stunning Arts Centre Melbourne and generously sponsored by Credit Corp, was a festive evening filled with music, dancing, and celebration. The event honoured outstanding achievements within the financial counselling sector, with awards presented to:
- Michael Hartnett – Rising Star Award
- Claire Tacon – Virginia Noonan Award
- Cathy McKenzie – Jan Pentland Award
A special tribute was given by members of Jan Pentland’s family, who joined in presenting the Jan Pentland Award. The evening also included the announcement of Margaret Taig as FCVic’s newest Honorary Life Member, a recognition confirmed during the previous day’s AGM, celebrating her significant contributions to the field. Read more about the 2024 award winners here.
Day Three: Friday, 11 October
Day Three opened with insightful discussions on the impact of financial and digital systems on young people.
In the session on Gambling Advertisements on Social Media, Lina Miao and Vaishali Kedar explored the concerning rise of unregulated, low-cost gambling ads targeting young people on social media. They emphasised the lasting effects of such exposure, noting, “we can put Humpty Dumpty back together, but the cracks remain vulnerable.” Attendees were encouraged to support recommendations from the Federal Inquiry into gambling harm by signing petitions or contacting local MPs, and to join the Gambling Issues Network, with Lina Miao as its Convenor, to continue advocating for change.
Following this, Rachna Madaan Bowman presented on The Myth of Money and Young People, highlighting how modern financial systems often marginalise young people, migrant communities, and First Nations individuals by assuming universal access to mobile technology and digital literacy. Rachna underscored that financial literacy should be viewed as empowerment—a vital life tool and “a compass for life,” essential for navigating today’s complex financial landscape.
In “Embracing Innovation,” Peter Harris highlighted the importance of using technology wisely to support client outcomes, urging attendees to:
- Share time-saving IT tips that could benefit the sector.
- Advocate for better IT systems, as well-functioning systems enable financial counsellors to serve more clients.
In “Connect with Small Business: The Small Business Cafe,” FCVic members Rosemary Steinfort, Callum Mackenzie, Kellie Davis, and Julie Dal Pra discussed the close connections many attendees have with small business, emphasising that small business owners and workers are deeply embedded in our communities.
Later, the Victorian Ombudsman session led by Andrew Adason and Dan Nicholson provided valuable insights into emerging complaint areas, such as insurance and Fines Victoria. The Ombudsman’s office handles 18,000 complaints annually, resolving 90% within 30 days—a timely resource for financial counsellors to consider when guiding clients.
In “Walking a Fine Line: Lessons from My Lived Experience,” Tammy Casselson emphasised the importance of a trauma-informed approach. Her call to action included creating supportive, choice-driven spaces for clients and offering a variety of resources to meet diverse needs. Tammy underscored the link between trauma support and economic safety, a crucial foundation in the work of financial counsellors.
The final session, “Fearless and Forthright: Into the Future,” saw financial counsellors Michele Padbury, Claude Von Arx, Charu Thukral and Tony Heselev take the stage for the closing words.
A fantastic wrap to our conference, hearing from some of our members directly—we thank Michele for moderating and everyone for sticking around to the end! These forthright representatives outlined key priorities for the future:
- Securing adequate funding to address unmet demand.
- Supporting affordable housing initiatives as foundational to resolving financial issues.
- Expanding financial education for youth and disadvantaged groups, promoting a consistent approach across Victoria.
Attendees contributed to a live word cloud capturing key learnings from the Conference, with Connection, Courage, and Collaboration emerging as dominant themes, offering potential inspiration for next year’s Conference!

The 2024 FCVic Conference left attendees motivated, equipped, and ready to strengthen support for Victorians experiencing financial hardship through fearless advocacy and collective action.
We would like to extend our thanks to all our Conference partners, without whom this important event wouldn’t happen:
- AFCA
- AFSA
- AGL
- Alfred Health Carer Services
- Alinta Energy
- ANZ
- ARMA
- ASU
- ATO
- Bank of Queensland
- Bankwest
- Beyond Blue
- Consumer Action
- CBA
- Coliban Water
- Credit Corp
- Energy Australia
- Essential Services Commission
- EWOV
- Fitted for Work
- Greater Western Water
- Hollard
- ICAN Learn
- Knowmore legal
- Maurice Blackburn
- NAB
- Small Business Debt Helpline
- Optus
- Origin Energy
- Panthera
- Public Transport Ombudsman Victoria
- Red Energy
- South East Water
- SSRV
- Thriving Communities Australia
- Telstra and Belong
- TIO
- TransUrban
- Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
- Way Forward
- Westpac
- WHIN
- Yarra Valley Water