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Contacting a financial counsellor
Call a financial counsellor for free on 1800 007 007
For more helpful information visit the website for Financial Counselling Australia’s National Debt Helpline.
How talking to a financial counsellor can help you
If you're having difficulty paying your bills, you can call a financial counsellor. Their services are free and confidential.
They can help you figure out:
- how to organise your money
- how to pay your bills
- how to get the support you need.
Even if you feel you are coping, a fresh set of eyes may help you sort things out more quickly, or identify other forms of assistance you weren't aware of.
A financial counsellor can talk to your service provider for you
Often, phone, mobile and internet providers do not give out financial hardship contact details directly to customers.
However, many financial counsellors know the systems well and who to talk to. If a financial counsellor calls your provider on your behalf you are more likely to get the help you need.
Financial counsellors may also know other services you can use as well as other forms of assistance you could be eligible for.
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Experiencing Financial Hardship
Welcome to ACCAN’s financial hardship portal. Here you can find useful information about what you can do if you are struggling to pay your bills.
Financial hardship happens when you are unable to meet repayment obligations for services that you’re using.
If you find yourself unable to pay a bill you will need to tell your service provider that you are experiencing financial hardship so that they can help you.
You can also talk to a financial counsellor for free and anonymous help.
Visit ‘How Can I Get Help’ to see the contact details for your service provider, and for more information about financial counsellors.
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The summary below outlines ACCAN's activities from 1 December 2016 to 28 February 2017.
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The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) appeared before the Joint Standing Committee on the National Broadband Network in Melbourne today to highlight the need for service standards and to present solutions to problems faced by consumers in the NBN rollout.
“It is fair to say that for a number of consumers the rollout has not been seamless,” said ACCAN CEO, Teresa Corbin. “The NBN is a large project that affects most Australians. The problems faced by consumers have been wide ranging from confusion and misconceptions about what NBN is, to overcoming difficulties in getting and using services.
“To ensure services meet consumer needs, both in the medium and long term, access to a network needs to be guaranteed in legislation. The service and underlying network also need to meet customer service standards. The responsibilities for the network provider and the retailers need to be clear. This would help to stop the finger pointing about who is to blame when services are not working and get resolutions more quickly for consumers.”
Read more: ACCAN highlights need for service standards to Joint Standing Committee on NBN
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Advertised broadband speeds can be confusing. Claims such as ‘up to’ or ‘ultrafast’ do not explain what the typical speed will be for consumers. It also makes it difficult to compare providers and pick a plan that matches need. The ACCC, through new guidelines, is promoting clearer information on speed claims and ensuring that claims are not misleading consumers.
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The Regional, Rural and Remote Communications Coalition (RRRCC) has welcomed a new broadband performance monitoring program to be administered by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Announced last Friday, the program will see Australian consumers receive independent information about broadband speeds based on feedback from remote testing at more than 4000 households.
“This is a welcome measure and we congratulate the Australian Government on the initiative," Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) CEO, Teresa Corbin said.
“The top complaint about internet services to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) is in relation to faulty services and slow speeds, indicating there is a gap between consumer expectations of how their services will perform, and actual performance.
Read more: Broadband speed report card welcomed by bush communications coalition
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ACCAN’s submission to the Federal Joint Parliamentary Committee on the NBN highlights a number of solutions to the problems facing consumers.
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Last year Queensland Remote Aboriginal Media (QRAM), in conjunction with ACCAN, released what is believed to be the first consumer resources produced in Indigenous languages.
Working with design agency, Gilimbaa, QRAM created a series of audio tracks with information on what you should think about before buying a mobile phone, how to keep internet and phone costs low, what people can do if they get a large or unexpected bill and more. The project also produced a series of colourful posters that cover the same issues.
Read more: Indigenous consumer education
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The cotton industry is an integral part of the Australian economy, worth more than $1.5 billion in export earnings for the 2015-16 season and employing on average 10,000 people.
Cotton Australia, the peak industry body for Australia’s cotton industry, is one of ACCAN’s newest members. The organisation is also a member of the Regional, Rural and Remote Communications Coalition.
As a member of both ACCAN and the Coalition, Cotton Australia has highlighted telecommunications issues many cotton growers experience, including poor to no mobile service, unreliable internet services with speeds and data caps that often mean growers struggle to send an email, let alone capitalise on all the benefits of ‘smart’ agriculture.
Read more: Reliable telecommunications a necessity for Aussie cotton farmers
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Download: 
ACCAN Magazine Issue 23 Autumn 20173.76 MB(Note: reading order not accessible)
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ACCAN Magazine Issue 23 Autumn 2017 - accessible version38.93 KB
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“We hear you and we want to help” was the majority message from politicians in Canberra this week when they met with the Regional, Rural & Remote Communications Coalition.
The Coalition met with more than 50 members of parliament over two days with the aim of highlighting the plight of telecommunications in the bush.
National Farmers' Federation President, Fiona Simson, said it was heartening that politicians understood the perils of an inability to access affordable and reliable telecommunications however action was what was needed now.
"Actions speak louder than words. Consensus by all politicians that this is a vital issue is yet another validation that now is the time for action towards solving the great #datadrought," Ms Simson said.
Read more: Bush telecoms group tells Canberra it’s time for action
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March 15 is World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD). WCRD is an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers, demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and a chance to protest against the market abuses and social injustices which undermine those rights.
The theme for WCRD 2017 is ‘Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust.’ To tie into this theme, this blog looks at where consumers can turn to when they need to make a complaint, get advice or report scams and cyberbullying.
Read more: Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust
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