Introduction
The National Financial Counselling Australia Conference brought together a wide cross-section of the sector, with almost 1000 attendees including, financial counsellors, community organisations, regulators and the broader industry. The overall discussion pointed to the lived realities that consumers face daily, and the responsibility that organisations have in either easing or compounding pressures.
This year’s theme was “momentum”, in which the sessions focused on what lies ahead, being driven by purpose, and being ready to tackle challenges while leading through advocacy, service delivery and innovation. Momentum is increasingly relevant for the sector as it continues to evolve, as we collectively strive to improve the accessibility and support available to consumers experiencing hardship and vulnerabilities.
While the sessions varied, there was strong alignment in what people are seeing across their work. Our Francom team collectively found “pressure points” of where discussions identified the need for momentum.
Georgina Antoun’s Spot Talk – Debt Collection with a Conscience
Francom’s CEO, Georgina Antoun, presented a Spot Talk to the almost 1000 attendees, exploring ethical standards within the collections industry and the role leadership plays in driving change.
As the only female CEO in the Australian collections industry, Georgina reflected on her experience leading in a sector that has traditionally been male dominated. She explored the role of femininity in leadership, the expectations often placed on women in executive positions, and the importance of bringing different perspectives into conversations that have historically been shaped by a narrow range of voices. She advocated for the value in leading authentically and the strength that comes from approaches often underestimated in business environments, empathy, curiosity, active listening and a willingness to understand different perspectives before making decisions.
Georgina discussed the outdated notion of an authoritative led collections model, speaking candidly about challenging long-held assumptions around debt recovery and advocating for a consumer-informed approach. Drawing on lived experiences shared by consumers, she discussed the importance of understanding the circumstances behind the debt.
The talk touched on the resistance that often accompanies change, particularly where approaches challenge established industry practices. It also highlighted how consumer expectations, regulatory focus and community standards continue to evolve, requiring organisations to think critically about engaging with consumers experiencing hardship, vulnerability and financial stress.
Rebalancing Toward Prevention
Prevention cut across the conference, following each presenter into their session. It came through discussions on scam activity, where financial harm is reaching people rapidly in increasingly targeted ways. It was present in conversations around financial capability, particularly where people are expected to navigate unfamiliar digital systems without prior exposure or support. It also sat behind broader questions on where responsibility falls, whether support begins only once a consumer has asked for help, or earlier, where risks first start to build.
This is shifting attention toward education, access to services, and ensuring consumers understand who they are engaging with and what their options, and rights, are. For Francom, the focus turns to how we balance response with earlier engagement. The work around our financial toolkit and video infographics already sit within this space, though the broader question is how far we extend that in reach and relevance.
Access Under Pressure
Concerns around access, specifically the lack of, were frequently raised, most noticeably in reference to First Nations people and communities where system requirements do not always reflect lived circumstances.
For those recently released from incarceration, often the only form of identification they have is a certificate of release. An immediate barrier is presented. While it meets the criteria for government-issued identification, acceptance is not consistent between organisations or their representatives. Additionally, accessing services requires a phone number, which means dipping into their limited release funds that otherwise could have been used for living essentials.
These considerations are not only an immediate, short-term concern. They affect how quickly someone can secure housing, reconnect with services or open a bank account.
Similar discussions were raised on access to banking and other digital systems for First Nations communities. Limited access to devices, gaps in digital literacy, and rigid identification requirements all contribute to exclusion. Such conditions increase exposure to scam activity, particularly where people are navigating unfamiliar systems.
The issue exposed is the overwhelming impact where the barriers combine. Systems designed around assumptions can quickly become restrictive when those assumptions do not hold.
Cultural Capability and Communication
The session on working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities focused on the gap between language and understanding.
Factors impacting financial decisions are not always visible on the surface, including, family obligations, remittances, mitigation pressures and community expectations. These can influence how consumers prioritise payments, their responses to financial stress and what they choose to disclose.
Communication needs to account for this context. Informal interpreting, while common, introduces risk where there is no clear guidance or assessment of an interpreter’s language capability. Additional concerns involve parents using their young children, who are fluent in English, as interpreters for financial discussions.
Understanding cannot be assumed. Consumers may agree without fully understanding, particularly where there is a desire to maintain trust or avoid embarrassment. This places greater importance on how conversations are structured and how a consumer’s understanding is checked.
From an organisational perspective, this raises concerns around interpreter processes, quality assurance and embedding cultural capability meaningfully.
Emerging Risks: Scams and “Scambling”
Scam activity was raised across multiple sessions, with Financial Counselling Australia noting how quickly it is spreading in parts of NT, WA, NSW and QLD.
One area of concern is “scambling”, fraudulent online gambling platforms where people are encouraged to deposit funds, sometimes without realising they are engaging with a scam. In some cases, individuals become part of broader money movement schemes without full awareness.
Targeting through social media and messaging platforms, as well as geo-targeting, has made these scams more visible within certain communities known to be more vulnerable to scams, including First Nations groups. This reflects a broader shift by malicious parties towards more tailored and harder-to-detect approaches.
The evolution of scams is part of an ongoing challenge for organisations across the sector, particularly given how quickly these tactics are changing.
The Francom Effect
Attending and supporting the FCA conference is important to Francom as it is an opportunity to engage directly with financial counsellors and others working across the sector. These conversations offered valuable perspectives on how services are experienced in practice, and where expectations continue to evolve.
Feedback shared during the conference recognised our processing times for hardship, our approach to financial counsellor requests, and our ongoing engagement with the sector. This extended to how our affordability pathways are applied, particularly for consumers experiencing vulnerability or financial difficulty, where flexibility and responsiveness are critical to achieving workable outcomes.
Industry insights gained during the sessions reinforced the importance of access, communication and early engagement, particularly for individuals navigating financial vulnerability or hardship. These discussions reflect broader shifts in how support is being approached and assessed.