Debt waived, homes kept, farms back on track: what our 2025–26 year delivered
A farmer making decisions with confidence again. A sole parent whose debt has been waived. A family who kept their home when bankruptcy looked like the only way out.
These are the outcomes behind RFCS NSW's 2025–26 year, and across 1,074 clients and 6,980 counselling sessions, there were a lot of them.
For farming families: clarity, options and a plan
Across central and southern NSW, 834 farmers and rural business owners worked with an RFCS counsellor this year. Of those, 276 gained a clearer understanding of their financial position, 209 came away with a better grasp of their options, and 166 accessed financial support they might otherwise have missed.
Just as importantly, 161 were ready to consider changes to their business, 104 built their financial and business skills, and 59 developed strategies to reach longer-term goals and manage risk. That's the difference between getting through the season and having a plan for what comes next. Read one of those stories in The call that changed everything.
For households on the coast: debt relief and breathing room
In the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, our Financial Counselling Service (FCS) supported 220 people, 64 more than last year, and helped deliver 620 client outcomes.
Most outcomes came from negotiating with creditors to find a workable way forward - 30pc of clients got more time to repay their debt, 29pc secured more favourable repayment arrangements, and 21pc had debt waived on compassionate grounds. Others had interest reduced or removed, money refunded or debt released through dispute settlement.
Debt waivers are a welcome outcome when they happen, but they're the exception rather than the rule, and never a given. Creditors grant them only in genuine hardship, and our counsellors are upfront about that from the first conversation. The real, lasting work is building practical money skills that help people manage on a limited income, long after the counselling ends.
The flow-on effect goes well beyond the bank balance. 60pc of clients reported improved personal welfare, including their mental health. 12pc resolved bankruptcy issues, kept their home or an asset, or were connected to a community service that turned things around. And 28pc strengthened their financial literacy, including how to manage a household budget. To learn more on the FCS's life changing impact, read Room to grieve, room to heal.
Where money and mental health meet
Financial stress and poor mental health often go hand in hand. In March, we began a trial with Grand Pacific Health offering personal financial counselling to Medicare Mental Health Care clients in Wagga Wagga and Young. Across 20 clients and 50 sessions, the results came quickly - debts released, bankruptcy avoided, stronger financial literacy and improved wellbeing. The program has now been extended to 30 June 2027.
We also teamed up with the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) and Regional Business Support Ltd to create the Real Cost of Financial Stress flyer, providing primary producers with additional mental health support.
How we got there: more time with every client
Here's the interesting part. We supported slightly fewer clients this year than last (1,074, down from 1,206), yet counselling sessions rose to 6,980. The problems coming through the door are more intense and complex - none of that gets sorted in a single phone call.
96pc of RFCS clients were case managed this year, meaning detailed financial and business analysis, an action plan, and support to put it in place. That work showed up in 642 completed outputs, including 220 business reviews, 212 business plans, 64 loan applications, 55 Farm Household Allowance applications and 23 debt negotiations.
Showing up where it counts
Our counsellors don't wait for the phone to ring – they get out into their communities. RFCs attended 463 outreach activities this year such as field days, industry events, conferences and community workshops.
Outreach works both ways. It puts a friendly face to the service for people who might never have picked up the phone. And it keeps our counsellors across the latest programs, market conditions and industry thinking, so the advice they pass on is current and practical.
The team also ran hands-on workshops across the regions. Strengthening Community Resilience workshops with RAMHP and DPIRD ran in Tibooburra and Wilcannia. Drought workshops rolled out in the Far West and Orana and business management seminars ran across the Central West. The Farm Business Resilience Program workshops also entered their third consecutive year – the Farm Smart series the most recent, delivered with NSW Farmers and NSW DPIRD across Finley, Trangie, Molong, Orange, Griffith, Merimbula and Narooma.
On the coast, the FCS team attended or delivered 36 community events and took financial literacy into a Nowra school camp as part of an outreach plan involving schools. With around 45pc of Australian adults considered financially illiterate (UNSW, 2024), getting these skills into young hands early is one of the smartest investments a community can make.
The people behind the outcomes
None of this happens without a dedicated team, often working quietly and consistently in the background. This year brought a nation-first accreditation process for our rural financial counsellors and our lowest staff turnover in many years, which means more clients seeing the same trusted face from first conversation to final plan. To read more, download the annual report here.
If you or someone you know could use a hand working through the numbers, RFCS NSW is free, confidential and independent. Find your nearest counsellor at rfcsnsw.org.au.