The Rural Financial Counselling Service NSW Northern Region (RFCSNSW- NR) provides free and impartial rural financial counselling to primary producers, fishers and small rural businesses* who are suffering financial hardship and who have no alternative sources of impartial support.

What is rural financial counselling?

Rural financial counselling is:

• free
• impartial
• independent of financial institutions, welfare agencies and government.

The client makes the decisions: It’s up to the client to choose which option is right for them. The rural financial counsellor will help clients develop some options and will provide support with their decision making.

What rural financial counsellors can do

Rural financial counsellors can:

• help clients identify financial and business options
• help clients negotiate with their lenders
• give clients information about government and other assistance schemes
• refer clients to accountants, agricultural advisers and educational services
• refer clients to Centrelink and to professionals for succession planning, family mediation and personal counselling, and emotional and social counselling.
• help prepare Enterprise Action Plans

Rural financial counsellors do not provide family, emotional or social counselling, financial advice or succession planning services - but they can provide referrals and information.

Contact a rural financial counsellor

• see the lists of rural financial counsellors for each location

*'Small rural business' means a rural business that employs no more than ten full-time-equivalent (38 hrs per week) employees and provides the majority of its services to primary producers and is directly involved in primary production (eg fencing, harvesting, spraying or stock management contractor).