Resources
Financial wellbeing
Cost-of-living pressures impact many people in Queensland, particularly those on low incomes.
The cost of essential services, such as electricity, water, telecommunications and public transport, has a significant impact on low-income households, who typically spend a higher proportion of their income on essentials.
On these pages you will find information, factsheets, links and news items to assist you in helping your clients maintain access to affordable essential services, and keep you up-to-date on changes that may affect you or your clients.
QCOSS also tracks the cost of living over time for a number of example households through its annual Living Affordability reports.
Financial and budgeting tips
There is a range of general financial and budgeting resources that can be helpful to assist people manage their bills and cope with the cost of living.
This section will guide you to resources and tools on money advice and budgeting.
Visit the MoneySmart website for more budgeting tools, tips and advice on managing on a low income.
Comparing unit prices can help you budget and save. Unit pricing at grocery stores shows you, not just the cost of a product, but what the value of that product is as a cost per standard unit of measurement on shelf labels for groceries. Unit pricing makes it easy to check, compare and save when buying groceries. Find out more and read tips on how to get better value for money.
Financial abuse
Financial abuse occurs when a partner, friend or family member manipulates your decision-making, or controls access to your money or other property without your consent. It can happen to anyone, no matter how old you are or how much money you have. The ASIC MoneySmart website has tips and helpful links.
Get smarter with your data
Watch this video from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) about protecting your data from scammers.
National legislative changes to payday lending and predatory leases
Consumer leases and payday loans are often targeted at the most vulnerable members of society. Community legal centres and consumer groups frequently assist victims of this predatory behaviour, that ignores or hinders the borrower’s ability to repay the debt. There has been some progress in terms of identifying policy and legislative changes, however their passage through the Federal Parliament has stalled. In March 2017, consumer advocates from around the country met at Parliament House to lobby for #FairFinance.
Need help saving and managing your money?
There are a number of resources to help you manage your money and tips on ways to save.
MoneySmart, by the Australian Government, provides free and impartial financial guidance and tools to help you manage your money.
Saver Plus is a matched savings product, offered by ANZ, which assists people on low incomes to develop long term savings habits and reach their savings goals. This product is delivered through community organisations across Australia.
Factsheets on managing money
Logan Financial Literacy Action Group and Legal Aid Queensland have produced a series of factsheets to help people to manage their money. The factsheets answer common questions on managing money:
I want my first credit card (PDF)
Need a loan?
If you need to borrow money to purchase an essential item, such as whitegoods, furniture or electrical goods, pay a bill, or for medical expenses there are several options.
- No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) – Good Shepherd Microfinance provides No Interest Loans of up to $2,000 to help people on low incomes cover the cost of essential goods and services, such as appliances or furniture, to help you get your car back on the road, pay for education fees and equipment or help you cover the cost of goods and services to support your wellbeing. Up to $3000 is available for housing related expenses such as bond or rent in advance, or for recovery from a natural disaster.
- Centrepay – If you receive a Centrelink income, you can use Centrepay to arrange small, regular deductions from your payment to pay for your bills, for example child care, electricity and rent. You can start or stop using it whenever you like.
- StepUp loan – Good Shepherd Microfinance also offers a no fee, low-interest loan up to $3,000 for people who may have trouble accessing credit from a bank.
- Foresters Community Finance – Foresters Community Finance provide a personal loan up to $4,000 with no interest or setup fee for any worthwhile purpose.
Advice on insurance products
Finding affordable insurance that meets your needs can be hard to find. Here are some sites to help navigate insurance products:
- MoneySmart explains what to look for in insurance products so you can find the right policy for your needs.
- Essentials by AAI is a simple product that offers low-cost car and contents insurance.
- Insurance 4 That is a single-item insurance solution. It provides an alternative to traditional contents insurance by enabling people to insure individual items and nominate the insured value of these items.
How to find a financial counsellor
Financial counsellors provide a free, independent and confidential service. To receive support from a qualified financial counsellor, call the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007. Opening hours are 9:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday.
Financial Counselling Australia has a handy tool to find a financial counsellor in your local area.
You can also refer clients to service providers funded under the Queensland Government Financial Literacy and Resilience Program for assistance with budgeting and financial matters. The Queensland Government website has a list of financial literacy and resilience services and information on financial planning and budgets.
The Salvation Army’s Moneycare service provides free and confidential financial counselling.
Commonwealth Financial Counselling provide services delivered by community and local government organisations to help people in personal financial difficulty to address their financial problems, manage the debt and make informed choices about their money in the future.
State Penalty Enforcement Registry (SPER) hardship partner program
Community organisations and health practitioners can partner with SPER to offer a practical way for people to deal with their debt through a work and development order.
A work and development order enables people in hardship to resolve eligible debts by doing relevant courses, attending counselling and treatment programs, or completing unpaid work with an with an approved hardship partner.
They are available to people who can’t pay their debt due to financial hardship, mental illness, domestic and family violence, homelessness, intellectual and cognitive disability, and substance use disorder. Rates start at $30 per hour, and clients can reduce their debt by up to $1000 per month.
Why get involved as a partner organisation
As a hardship partner, you can help your clients in hardship to deal with their SPER debt by supporting them to do activities through your services. Your clients may already be doing activities with you that could contribute to resolving their SPER debt.
As a hardship partner, you will:
- Assess your client’s eligibility for a work and development order.
- Develop an activity or treatment plan with your client.
- Set up your client on the SPER hardship portal.
- Provide and/or supervise activities and treatment your client undertakes.
- Keep records and supporting documentation of your client’s application and their participation in the program.
- Report on your client’s progress and completed hours on the SPER hardship portal every month.
How to get involved
It’s easy to get involved. Go to qld.gov.au/sperpartner to read the guide, and if eligible, complete and return the hardship partner application form.
