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 Review of Victoria’s Responsible Gambling Codes of Conduct for wagering and bookmakers, Keno, bingo centres, raffles and lotteries
- Published: 17 September 2023
- Topics: Gambling related harm
FCVic has made a submission to the Review of Victoria’s Responsible Gambling Codes of Conduct for wagering and bookmakers, Keno, bingo centres, raffles and lotteries.
Financial counsellors work with people experiencing gambling harm. They regularly hear stories of predatory behaviour by gambling providers, including inducements to gamble, incentives to continue to gamble, no interventions for people displaying signs of gambling harm, and little concern when a person is experiencing gambling harm.
The Responsible Gambling Codes of Conduct must do more to acknowledge gambling harm and the clear evidence that gambling causes harm. Comprehensive and ongoing staff training is critical to ensure that the potential harm is well understood and able to be prevented or minimised. There is a need for more thorough investigations into reported Code breaches, and stronger penalties for gambling providers who breach of the Code. Publishing the relevant penalties within the Codes is one measure to deter non-compliance.
We must also focus our attention on the next generation of people experiencing gambling harm. We need action, intervention and strong guidance to ensure minors are not enticed into gambling.
The banning of gambling advertising, inducements and incentives will reduce the risks of gambling harm on our community. The evidence around gambling advertising is clear – it is damaging.
Response to Ministerial Guidelines Relating to Payment of Rates and Charges
- Published: 15 September 2023
- Topics: Local Councils
FCVic has made a response to the draft Ministerial Guidelines Relating to Payment of Rates and Charges.
Based on our review of the documentation provided in relation to the consultation, FCVic recommends that the draft Ministerial Guidelines be re-examined to better take account of the advice provided by the ESC.
We further recommend that redrafting of the Ministerial Guidelines be done in consultation with key stakeholders, including FCVic and Victorian financial counsellors.
Submission to the Victorian Household Concessions Program Assessment
- Published: 23 June 2023
FCVic has made a response to the Victorian Household Concessions Program assessment.
Financial counsellors in Victoria work closely with concession card holders and have considerable insight into the impacts and effectiveness of the concessions program. Our response to the assessment draws on the professional observations and experiences of
Victorian financial counsellors.
The response highlights areas of the program which could be improved to remove barriers to access for some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged community groups, including older people, CALD community members, and family violence victim-survivors.
Submission to inquiry into the extent and nature of poverty in Australia
- Published: 2 February 2023
- Topics: Social Security and Centrelink
FCVic has made a submission to the inquiry into the extent and nature of poverty in Australia.
This submission, drawing on client experiences and our members’ professional observations, will focus on the following issue areas:
- Financialisation, credit and debt
- Social Security system
- Family Violence
- Mental Health
- Housing
- Digital access gap
- Energy hardship
- Migrants and refugees
- Financial literacy and capability
FCVic makes the following recommendations to the Inquiry as steps that will significantly and quickly reduce the individual and community burdens from widespread, preventable poverty.
Submission to the General Insurance Code Governance Committee Monitoring and Compliance Priorities consultation
- Published: 31 January 2023
- Topics: Disaster Recovery, Insurance
FCVic has made a submission to the General Insurance Code Governance Committee’s consultation on its 2023-24 Monitoring and Compliance Priorities.
The submission drew on the experiences and insights of disaster recovery financial counsellors, and focused on Parts 9 & 10 of the General Insurance Code, which deal with customers experiencing vulnerability and financial hardship.
Through their work, disaster recovery financial counsellors have identified widespread poor behaviour by insurers that breach the provisions of the Code around vulnerability and hardship. The failure of insurers to recognise and appropriately support customers experiencing vulnerability or hardship has been shown to exacerbate customers’ distress and – in a post-disaster context – impede their recovery.
Our submission makes a number of recommendations to the Code Governance Committee to prioritise these parts of the Code, and to work with the financial sector to improve insurer practices.
FCVic Strategic Plan 2022-25
- Published: 23 October 2022
The FCVic Board has adopted its 3-year Strategic Plan for 2022-2025.
Developed through a consultative process with FCVic members, the Strategic Plan articulates the priority areas of focus for our organisation, and our sector, as we move towards our vision:
A fairer and more equitable society with improved community wellbeing and better lives for vulnerable people.
Following the direction of our expiring Strategic Plan of the past three years, the new plan continues the aim of building our sector capacity to respond to new and increased community needs, while protecting our workforce from burnout and work-related stress.
FCVic’s current and recent projects have enabled us to connect more closely with other sectors and organisations to demonstrate the benefits of financial counselling for the communities they support. The Strategic Plan reflects our commitment to strengthening those relationships through collaborative initiatives that allow us to achieve our social justice objectives.
As always, FCVic remains driven and led by its members – professionals with strong ethics and high-quality practice standards. As our profession reaches a new stage in its maturation, the Strategic Plan strives for financial counsellors to be recognised and respected, with opportunities for growth and leadership.
The past three years have been heavy with challenges, which the financial counselling sector has been adaptive to respond to. Our new Strategic Plan maintains a positive outlook for the future and what we can achieve.
We invite you to read the FCVic Strategic Plan 2022-2025.