Financial counsellors to lose jobs in State cuts

Rockingham's most vulnerable will be left with fewer options to seek financial help after the State Government announced funding for financial counsellors would end.

Rockingham financial counsellors were among the 50 who stood with Opposition Leader Mark McGowan at Parliament house last Thursday pleading with the State Government to reverse the "cruel, mean, and heartless" cuts, which would save the Government $1.5 million.

Rockingham and Kwinana will lose four financial counsellors from Anglicare WA, and one from Communicare, on top of losing the Rockingham Salvation Army financial counsellor to Federal Government cuts.

Financial Counsellors' Association of WA executive officer Charles Brown said once the changes took effect on October 1, there would be one Federally funded financial counsellor left to do the work of 12 across more than 80 southern suburbs.

"Needless to say this is impossible and an insult to anyone experiencing financial hardship," he said.

Anglicare WA Rockingham financial counsellor Jacky Hamilton, who has worked in the sector for six years, said the Government was "pulling the plug" on the vulnerable. "Often people come to us at the end of the road, some suicidal," she said.

"We give them a strategy, a simple budget, a plan of action - we help them figure out where to go, what to do and how to keep going.

"Where are they are going to go now."

Rockingham Communicare fnancial counsellor Afeif Abdelrazig said he helped more than 1000 clients a year, and the number was growing. "The small amount of funding for financial counselling services changes lives and prevents those disadvantaged people from situations such as family breakdown, homelessness and poor mental health," he said.

Salvation Army financial counsellor Kelly Bassett feared the cuts would lead to an increase in crime, domestic violence and suicide, increasing the pressure on hospitals, mental health services and other community service providers.

"This service is critical to people finding a way out of entrenched poverty," she said.

Department of Child Protection and Family Support Minister Helen Morton labelled the current service model inefficient and administratively top-heavy. She said she had agreed to work with the sector to improve the service through a single metropolitan-wide model.

Funding will be provided for a Financial Counselling Helpline.

Regional financial counsellors will be funded for one more year, until October next year.