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- Author: Amanda Chan
- Published:
- Topics: Member news
After nearly five years of service, the Partners in Wellbeing Small Business Financial Counselling (PIW) program concludes on 30 June 2025, leaving a lasting legacy of support, innovation, and advocacy. Launched during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, PIW provided specialist, client-centred financial counselling to almost 2,500 small business owners across Victoria—many of whom faced complex challenges including disaster recovery, family violence, and unregulated debt. From its modest beginnings, the program became a national leader in small business support, influencing systemic change, shaping policy and training, and working alongside regulators and government to improve outcomes for small businesses. While the program is ending, its impact will be felt well into the future through the resources, reforms, and sector capacity it helped create.
FCVic’s first quarter of 2025 has been marked by high-impact work across all areas — from the successful Housing Summit and major project milestones, to key policy submissions and growing sector influence. As planning ramps up for the 2025 FCVic Conference and our next Strategic Plan, FCVic’s CEO, Zyl Hovenga-Wauchope, reflects on a powerful start to the year and the collective effort driving progress.
FCVic’s Project Coordinator, Georgina Molloy, keeps us up-to-date on recent project activity.
Our CEO, Zyl Hovenga-Wauchope, relfects on the success of our Housing Summit to upcoming advocacy efforts for the federal election, and how we’re driving important conversations on financial stress and support. We’re also excited to announce our Sparking Change conference, new Ministerial Guidelines for hardship policies, and a major update from our Rank the Energy Retailer project—plus a personal note on new beginnings
- Author: Susan Boag
- Published:
- Topics: Housing, Member news, Our Work
FCVic’s Housing Summit brought together financial counsellors, advocates, and policymakers to tackle Victoria’s housing crisis, driving discussions on rental security, housing affordability, and systemic reform. Key takeaways highlighted the urgent need for policy change, collaboration, and advocacy to ensure housing is treated as a fundamental right, not just a commodity.
FCVic’s Project Coordinator, Georgina Molloy, keeps us up-to-date on recent project activity.