Rural financial counsellors

What can rural financial counsellors do?

Rural financial counsellors can:

• help clients identify financial and business options
• help clients negotiate with their lenders
• help clients adjust to climate change through the Climate Change Adjustment Program, including identifing any advice and training needed and developing an action plan
• help clients meet their mutual obligations under the Transitional Income Support program
• give clients information about government and other assistance schemes
• refer clients to accountants, agricultural advisers and educational services
• refer clients to Centrelink and to professionals for succession planning, family mediation and personal, emotional and social counselling.

Rural financial counsellors do not provide family, emotional or social counselling or financial advice - but they can provide referrals and information.

The client makes the decisions: it is up to the client to choose which option is right for them. The rural financial counsellor will help clients develop some options and will provide support with their decision-making using an action planning approach.

To support the client’s decision-making process, an Enterprise Action Plan is used to assist clients to gain an improved understanding of their circumstances by reviewing their current financial situation and working through their available options.

Further information on the Enterprise Action Plan is available in the Enterprise Action Plan factsheet.

• Enterprise Action Plan factsheet

New clients of the RFCS Program will be required to complete a Client Service Agreement and Declaration  PDF [64kb].

The Client Service Agreement and Declaration form is the property of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and only rural financial counsellors funded under the RFCS Program are authorised to use it. The form is provided on this website for the information of current and potential future clients of the RFCS Program.

Contact a rural financial counsellor

To get the details of your nearest rural financial counsellor, select your state below or phone 1800 686 175.

• National map of rural financial counselling services  PDF [1.2mb] 
  
   
• NSW rural financial counsellor contact list
• NSW rural financial counselling service map PDF [325kb]
  
  
• Queensland rural financial counsellor contact list
• Queensland rural financial counselling service map PDF [325kb]
  
  
• SA rural financial counsellor contact list
• SA rural financial counselling service map PDF [325kb]
  
  
• Tasmanian rural financial counsellor contact list
• Tasmanian rural financial counselling service map PDF [325kb]
  
  
• Victorian rural financial counsellor contact list
• Victorian rural financial counselling service map PDF [325kb]
  
  
• WA rural financial counsellor contact list
• WA rural financial counselling service map PDF [325kb]