Financial Counselling Services

37 Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (30 July 2015). How much funding is being provided specifically for 2015-16 for financial counselling and through which organisations is this being delivered?

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers): I have been advised:

$927,000 has been specifically allocated to financial counselling services in 2015-16 as part of the Financial Counselling Services Program. The organisations that are providing these services are ac.care, Anglicare SA, Lifeline South East, Lutheran Community Care, The Salvation Army, UnitingCare Wesley Bowden, Uniting Communities and UnitingCare Wesley Country SA.

Some of these agencies, as well as others in the community, are in receipt of other sources of funding such as the Low Income Support Program that can be used for financial counselling services, but these funding sources are not provided exclusively for financial counselling.

For example, a total of $1,280,000 has been allocated via the Low Income Support Program in 2015-16 to reduce and alleviate the effects of poverty through the provision of advocacy and financial counselling, together with other strategies such as targeted information and community education programs.