This submission to the Fair Work Commission’s Gender-Based Undervaluation – Priority Awards Review outlines the financial counselling sector’s urgent concerns regarding proposed changes to the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (SCHADS Award). Representing financial counselling peak bodies across Australia, the submission argues that the Commission’s provisional classification framework, particularly the use of the Caring Skills Benchmark, fundamentally misrepresents the professional, technical, and regulatory nature of financial counselling work.

Drawing on data, sector analysis, and the voices of 344 financial counsellors, the submission warns that the proposed changes could result in drastic pay cuts for nearly all financial counsellors, threatening workforce sustainability and undermining access to free, independent support for over 200,000 vulnerable Australians each year. It calls for the Commission to reject the Caring Skills Benchmark, retain current SCHADS pay levels, and adopt a revised classification model that reflects the sector’s unique expertise, mandatory professional development, and critical role in addressing financial hardship and systemic disadvantage.

This joint submission is made on behalf of FCVic, Financial Counselling Australia (FCA), Financial Counselling Queensland (FCQ), Financial Counsellors’ Association of NSW (FCAN), Financial Counsellors’ Association of Western Australia (FCAWA), Financial Counsellors Australian Capital Territory (FC-ACT), and the South Australian Financial Counsellors Association (SAFCA, including the Northern Territory).