Financial Counselling Victoria (FCVic) has made a submission to the Fair Work Commission’s review of the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry (SCHADS) Award, raising serious concerns about the gender-based undervaluation of financial counselling work. FCVic argues that the proposed reclassification structure fails to recognise the specialist expertise, complexity, and professional obligations of financial counsellors, and could result in significant pay cuts—up to $27,000 per annum for some roles.

The submission warns that enforcing this structure would harm workforce sustainability and exacerbate gender inequality in a sector where over 70% of workers are women. FCVic calls for a delay to the proposed implementation, urging the Commission to co-design a more suitable classification model that maintains pay equity and supports workforce growth.