FCVic’s Workforce Development Project is tracking well – thank you for your contributions!
Over February and March, FCVic and our consultants sought input from many of you for this project.
We engaged our members through caseload guidance questions in FCVic’s member survey and held discussions with financial counsellors, agency managers, and other stakeholders. Additionally, one of our consultant teams conducted a survey of agency managers and a longer-form study on de-identified client outcomes.
We are deeply grateful to our FCVic members, agency managers across Victoria, and other stakeholders who contributed their valuable time and insights to this important project. This was in addition to many Victorian members also responding to FCA’s national workforce survey—thank you.
As an update, each of our three consultant groups has now largely gathered the necessary information. They are currently analysing the data and testing their preliminary findings.
In the coming months, we look forward to reviewing these findings and validating the data analysis with our project Steering Committee, which includes financial counsellors and agency managers. The Workforce Strategy is scheduled to be drafted by June 2025, and in time, we will share key insights and priorities for the Victorian financial counselling profession over the next decade.
For more information, please contact Georgina Molloy at [email protected].
Rank the Energy Retailer Project
Financial counsellors across Australia are invited to participate in Rank the Energy Retailer, a national collaborative project funded by Energy Consumers Australia. Coordinated by FCVic in partnership with Financial Counselling Australia, the Consumer Policy Research Centre, and Energy Consumers Australia—alongside support from peak associations across all states and territories—this project aims to assess and rank the practices of energy retailers nationwide.
FCVic is asking financial counsellor members to share their casework experiences with energy retailers. The survey is now open (please check your inbox for the link) and will close on Thursday, 10 April. Members’ insights will help shape the report findings and support ongoing advocacy for stronger consumer protections and fairer treatment by energy retailers.
Rank the Energy Retailer 2025 seeks to identify the barriers energy consumers face in accessing fair, reasonable, and appropriate hardship assistance. The survey responses from financial counsellors will be analysed by CPRC, alongside regulatory data analysis by Energy Consumers Australia. A national report ranking energy retailers—based on financial counsellors’ experiences with hardship policies and practices—will be published in June 2025.
For more information, please contact Georgina Molloy at [email protected].
FCVic’s Article in the Business Victoria Newsletter
As part of FCVic’s Small Business Wellbeing project work, FCVic was delighted to contribute the lead article to Business Victoria’s March online newsletter for small business owners.
Our article, “6 tips to help businesses avoid financial difficulties”, highlights the importance of seeking support early and the vital role of financial counselling in assisting small business owners.
Read the article here: 6 Tips to Help Businesses Avoid Financial Difficulties
Business Victoria has reported that FCVic’s article was clicked on over 2,000 times, demonstrating the strong interest within the small business community in financial stability and available support services.