Reports and Submissions
Read the latest reports and submissions from FCVic on a range of topics significant to financial counsellors, consumer advocates and the wider community.
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Submission to the cultural review of the adult custodial corrections system
- Published: 13 December 2021
- Topics: Prisons and the Justice System
The Victorian Government has commissioned an independent review into the culture of Victoria’s prison system which aims to ensure the prison system promotes rehabilitation, reduces recidivism, and caters to the needs of all prisoners to ensure the system improves community safety.
FCVic, in preparing its submission to the review, consulted extensively with our Prisons Network, a community of practice for financial counsellors servicing correctional facilities across Victoria, and drew from their casework experience.
The submission focuses on specific areas of concern in relation to safety in custody for vulnerable cohorts, and makes two recommendations:
- That all Victorian correctional facilities, including remand centres, provide all prisoners with access to financial counselling as an integral service from the commencement of their incarceration.
- That financial literacy and life skills programs run by financial counsellors are implemented at all Victorian prisons with options for remote delivery to accommodate public health directions.
Submission to the Essential Services Commission’s review of the implementation of the energy payment difficulty framework
- Published: 29 November 2021
- Topics: Utilities
After two years of implementation, the Essential Services Commission is reviewing the framework designed to support energy consumers facing payment difficulty.
FCVic’s submission responds to a selection of the key review questions the Commission is seeking feedback on, based on the experiences and insights of financial counsellors.
FCVic Annual Report 2020-21
- Published: 13 October 2021
Read the FCVic Annual Report for 2020-21
Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the purpose, intent and adequacy of the Disability Support Pension
- Published: 23 July 2021
- Topics: Social Security and Centrelink
FCVic welcomed the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the purpose, intent and adequacy of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) in close consultation with our Centrelink Working Group.
Financial counsellors in Victoria work with and represent large numbers of clients who interact with the Federal systems of support, in particular the DSP and JobSeeker, and have considerable insight into the problems people encounter in accessing those systems and making them work fairly and supportively. This submission, drawing on client experiences and our members’ professional observations, raises a number of concerns about the DSP failing to provide support to many vulnerable community members and people living with a disability.
Submission to the Diploma of Financial Counselling (CHC51115) Case for Change: Public Consultation
- Published: 22 July 2021
The Case for Change document proposed a series of significant changes to the Diploma, and the Board engaged in a detailed discussion of these proposals, resolving to make a submission to the consultation process on them.
In its submission, the FCVic Board agreed with the recommendation for a review of the existing financial counselling units. However, the Board was not able to fully support the proposed addition of two newly developed units (including a proposed unit on Small Business) and the removal of two units from the core of the qualification without more detailed information.
Submission to the Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence
- Published: 6 June 2021
- Topics: Gambling related harm
Developed in consultation with the Gambling Issues Working Group, FCVic’s submission to the Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence outlines Crown Casino’s failures to take meaningful steps to reduce and minimise gambling harm have continued to cause significant harms to the Victorian community.
As the peak body for financial counsellors in Victoria, FCVic has had considerable and long-term feedback from our members raising concerns about clients experiencing harm from Crown Casino – either directly as a gambler, or as a family member or other person affected by gambling.
The major failings financial counsellors identify in Crown’s obligations to (and care for) its customers at risk of gambling harm include:
- Failure to effectively support patrons to establish and maintain self-exclusion arrangements
- Crown providing benefits, services or products to solicit increased customer gambling
- Crown ignoring evidence of customers experiencing gambling harm and inducing further losses