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| (03) 9269 0120Melbourne | 1800 677 402Rural areas |  Locate us |
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Debt
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Getting help with financial problems
Financial counsellors and financial information
Financial counsellors help people who are in financial difficulty. There are free financial counsellors in most suburbs and regional areas. They provide advice about your financial situation, the options you have, and the consequences of those options.
A financial counsellor can also check your documents, help you sort out your debts and negotiate with creditors and lenders on your behalf.
It can sometimes take a while to get an appointment with a counsellor, so it’s important to contact them as soon as possible – don’t leave it till the last minute.
MoneyHelp
MoneyHelp is a not-for-profit service supported by the Victorian Government. It offers free, confidential and independent financial information to Victorians experiencing difficulty paying their rent or mortgage or facing job loss.
Call the free financial counselling phone service on 1800 149 689 or send an enquiry email via their Contact form. For more information see MoneyHelp.
Money Smart
Call Money Smart's free financial counselling hotline on 1800 007 007. It is open from 9.30 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday.
You can also search their online map by town, suburb or postcode to find your nearest financial counsellor. See Money Smart – Financial counselling.
Legal advice
Consumer Action Law Centre
Consumer Action Law Centre (CALC) gives free legal advice and representation to vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers across Victoria. CALC can give you advice about whether you have grounds to dispute a debt. Call their Legal Advice Line on (03) 9629 6300 or 1300 881 020 (country callers).
The Consumer Action Law Centre website has factsheets about credit and debt. You can also email CALC your legal advice question via the website.
Community legal centres
Your local community legal centre may be able to give you free legal advice. For location and contact details see Community Law.
Watch out for dubious offers of help
Be careful of uninvited offers of help. Some organisations may offer to negotiate with your creditors and to restructure your debts for a fee. They usually write to you after you have been sued.
Some of these organisations may be okay but others are not. Do not sign contracts with such agencies without checking their background. Get legal advice on the contract. Also check with Consumer Affairs Victoria to see if there have been reports about the agency.
Complaints
Also see ‘Complaints about money’ (link below) for information about organisations that can help you if you have a complaint about a credit or debt matter that you cannot resolve with the credit provider.
More information
Related publications
Debt problems: the law, your options
How we can help
Call Victoria Legal Aid’s (VLA) Legal Information Service for free information over the phone about the law and how we can help you with your legal problem. You can speak to a legal information officer in English or ask for an interpreter. Phone (03) 9269 0120 or 1800 677 402 (country callers), Monday to Friday from 8.45 am to 5.15 pm.
VLA’s other free legal services include:
- advice at VLA offices and other locations across Victoria
- lawyers who are on ‘duty’ to help at many courts and tribunals.
For some matters we can provide you with a lawyer to help you run your case.
To find out more about any of our legal services see What we do.