Reaching the Helpline
National Debt Helpline
1800 007 007
Phone: Monday to Friday, 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Live chat: weekdays, 9.00 am to 8.00 pm, through the chat icon on the Helpline’s website.
Its contact page explains how to call through the Translating and Interpreting Service, or through the National Relay Service for people who are d/Deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech or communication difficulty.
Moneysmart says that when you call, you are transferred to the service in your state. The Helpline describes the counsellors as qualified professionals who do not judge, working in community organisations around Australia, and says that if a matter is more complex they can refer you to the nearest face-to-face financial counselling service. Its website also has a search for a financial counsellor near you.
A call does not need everything in order first. The Helpline’s About page lists the papers that are useful to have nearby, and says not to worry about anything missing, because the counsellor works through it on the call.
What a counsellor can, and cannot, do
The National Debt Helpline sets this out in two lists. Shortened here:
Can
- Do a full assessment of your financial situation.
- Work out which debts are priorities.
- Develop a workable budget and money plan with you.
- Explain your rights, and the pros and cons of each option.
- Negotiate directly with creditors on your behalf.
- Lodge complaints with external dispute resolution schemes for you.
- Refer you to legal, health, and crisis food and accommodation services.
Don’t
- Charge set-up fees or ongoing fees.
- Take payments or commissions from third parties.
- Lend money.
- Complete tax returns.
- Provide debt consolidation.
- Give investment advice.
Moneysmart adds that financial counsellors have expert knowledge of consumer law, social security law and bankruptcy law, of industry hardship obligations and codes, and of working with industry ombudsmen. They do not give legal advice: for that, Moneysmart points to community legal centres and Legal Aid offices, which give free legal advice, and says anyone facing legal action should get it straight away.
How to tell it from a paid service
Moneysmart’s line is the clearest test on this subject: financial counselling is free, you never need to pay, and businesses that charge fees for it are debt consolidation and refinancing companies, not financial counsellors. The Helpline says access is not means-tested. On its About page it describes itself as a not-for-profit service that is not a lender and does not make money from the people it helps.
The same page says the Helpline is supported and funded on an ongoing basis by the federal Department of Social Services and by the Victorian and New South Wales governments.
When people call
The Helpline lists life events that can lead to financial hardship, among them a relationship breakdown, losing a job, illness, a death in the family, caring for someone, natural disasters and domestic violence. Moneysmart’s advice is to contact a financial counsellor as soon as you can if debt feels overwhelming, because the earlier you get help, the more options you have.
For debt consolidation in particular, the Helpline suggests talking to a financial counsellor before agreeing to a consolidation loan if it would cost more overall, if the loans being paid out would not be cancelled, or if it would turn unsecured debt into secured debt.
Other free lines Moneysmart lists
Moneysmart’s financial counselling page also lists, with their numbers and hours:
- Mob Strong Debt Help. Free legal advice on money matters for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, wherever they are in Australia.
- The Small Business Debt Helpline. Free financial counselling for people struggling with business finances, by phone or live chat.
- Rural financial counselling. For eligible farmers, fishers, foresters and small related businesses in, or at risk of, financial hardship, through a service in each state.
The other guides cover what a counsellor is likely to talk through: hardship arrangements with lenders, paid debt management firms and your credit report.