The federal government has announced it will be removing high risk services, including consumer leases, from its Centrepay debit system as part of sweeping reforms designed to reduce the risk of financial abuse of vulnerable Australians. Thanks to all of the SAFCA Members, especially those who have worked or are working in the NT, and the consumer advocates involved who have advocated for these changes for many years. Thank you to The Hon Minister Shorten MP and Services Australia for l...

Affordable SA is your go-to online directory, bringing together support services across South Australia – from emergency relief, to mental health assistance, to housing and homelessness support and much more. For financial counsellors and capability workers, it’s a powerful tool that can help your clients access the additional support they may need. With just a few clicks or a quick phone call, you can connect them to essential resources, making finding the right assistance easy....

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is asking financial counsellors to encourage clients to check for lost and unclaimed super, with new data showing almost $17.8 billion is waiting to be claimed. Since 2021 the ATO has reunited or paid out almost $6.4 billion and has created a short guide to help more people find and claim their super. If clients have ever changed their name, their job or their super fund, they could have lost super — even if they have already retired. The ATO is ho...

With ongoing cost of living pressures impacting household budgets, we’re sharing some tips to help you be a savvy consumer and save some money along the way. Use unit pricing when grocery shopping. Unit pricing shows the value of grocery items as a cost per standard unit of measurement. This is usually displayed on shelf labels. Use unit pricing to compare between brands, specials, pack sizes, between packaged and unpackaged, or fresh and frozen. Check fuel prices. While a lot of fa...