Rural Financial Counselling Service

The Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) offers free and independent financial information, options, decision-making support and referral services to primary producers and small, related rural businesses experiencing, or at risk of, financial hardship. The RFCS is co-funded by Commonwealth and state governments and has been operating since 1986.

The Rural Financial Counselling Service Program aims to:

transition clients out of financial crisis
improve clients’ business profitability or facilitate a dignified exit
improve clients’ financial well-being and resilience.

The outcome of the program is that clients who engage with the service become financially self-reliant and their businesses are better prepared to deal with risk.

Services

Rural financial counsellors can help you to understand your financial position and the viability of your enterprise. They can help you develop and implement plans to improve your financial situation.

As part of their service, rural financial counsellors can also help you to:

identify your financial and business options
develop cash flow budgets and forecasts
negotiate with your lenders
access other professional services
access industry and government assistance and grants.

In relation to mediation for farm debt matters, a rural financial counsellor can help you prepare for mediation, assist and support you on the day and help you with any actions that need to be undertaken after mediation.

RFCS wellbeing counsellors

The Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) currently offers free, confidential wellbeing support alongside its usual financial and business counselling support.

Wellbeing counsellors are now available and located in Gippsland, the north-east and north-west, as well as south-west Victoria, as part of the Victorian Government’s Drought Support Package.

Wellbeing counsellors can visit you at your property or talk over the phone to assist with mental health and wellbeing issues for you or your family.

To access the support of a wellbeing counsellor, call the Rural Financial Counselling Service on 1300 771 741.

Find your local RFCS

RFCS offices are located across Victoria and counsellors can visit a business or residence to provide advice and support.

Call the national toll-free number 1300 771 741 or go to ‘Find your local RFCS’ on the Federal Government's Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) web page.