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What we do

Rural Financial Counselling Services are:

  • Free, independent and confidential
  • Staffed by qualified and experienced Rural Financial Counsellors (RFCs) who understand farming and business – our RFCs are required to have a Diploma of Financial Counselling as minimum qualification, and have years of experience in assisting farming businesses
  • For primary producers of livestock, milk, honey, fruit, crops, wool, meat, vegetables, eggs, fish, plants, trees and logs
  • For small businesses who mainly support primary production such as: fencing, shearing sheep, controlling weeds or agricultural pests, managing stock, planting crops etc.
  • Able to assist farm or small agribusinesses experiencing or at risk of financial hardship
  • Able to come to your place of business or you can come and see us.

Assistance when

Rural Financial Counselling Services can assist businesses affected by:

  • Drought/water issues
  • Low commodity prices
  • Natural disasters
  • Structural adjustment
  • Industry downturns
  • Low equity/tight cash flow
  • Difficulties with lenders or access to finance
  • Unpaid creditors/debtors
  • Market disruptions
  • Changes in personal circumstances
  • Farm accidents or illness
  • Share farming/succession agreements/ contracts.

How can we help you

Rural Financial Counselling Services can help you:

  • Understand your financial position and the viability of your enterprise
  • Identify options to improve your financial position
  • Develop a plan to implement your chosen options, and implement that plan
  • Provide information, referrals, and support to access, government or industry grants and programs
  • Assist you to deal (whether through meetings or otherwise) with lending institutions in relation to:
    • Applications and contracts with those institutions; and
    • Processes relating to farm debt mediation
  • Assist you to identify the need for advice from professional service providers, and provide support with preparation for meetings with professional service providers.

News

NE Regional Soil Health Conference

NECMA conference

North East Regional Soil Health Conference - 14 May 2021 at Beechworth is for ALL land managers, agriculture industry groups and soil health service providers in North East Victoria.
Read more ...

Farm Finance getting prepared 2021 Webinar

Farm Finance

The team at the Young Farmer Business Network have put together a series of sessions designed to build skills in financial planning and business resilience for your farm business.
Read more ...

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Media Release on 25th January 2017 from The Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resource.

Ensuring dairy farmers’ voices are heard in ACCC inquiry

  • ACCC conducting a series of forums in dairy regions across Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
  • The forums are a vital component of its inquiry into national dairy industry.
  • Dairy farmers can raise directly with the ACCC Commissioners the competition and fair trading issues that they face.

 The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is holding a series of forums in dairy regions across the country, as part of its inquiry into the national dairy industry, initiated by the Coalition Government.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, today welcomed the forums and encouraged dairy farmers to take this opportunity and attend and provide direct input.

“This is a chance for dairy farmers to raise their competition and fair trading issues directly with an ACCC Commissioner,” Minister Joyce said.

“We need farmers’ participation to get to the heart of the inquiry and to help uncover inefficiencies and inequities that our farmers face to identify a way forward.

“The inquiry began in November and is in-depth and independent, involving broad consultation across all levels of the industry and across the supply chain.

“It is examining competition between processors, contracting practices, market transparency and the retail pricing of dairy products.

“Our dairy farmers deserve fair returns at the farmgate, as well as transparency in milk price arrangements and supply contracts.

“The Coalition remains committed to ensuring the long-term viability of the dairy industry and supporting our dairy farmers in tough times.

“We stood by farmers affected by the decisions of Murray Goulburn and Fonterra to retrospectively reduce farm gate milk prices, with all commitments under the Dairy Support Package either underway or delivered.

“All farmers are strongly encouraged to have their say and attend the forums.”

The forums will be held at:

  • Toowoomba, Queensland, on Monday 6 February 2017
  • Taree, New South Wales, on Tuesday 7 February 2017
  • Traralgon, Victoria, on Tuesday 14 February 2017
  • Warrnambool, Victoria, on Monday 27 February 2017
  • Shepparton, Victoria, on Tuesday 28 February 2017
  • Bunbury, Western Australia, on Thursday 16 March 2017
  • Hahndorf, South Australia, on Monday 20 March 2017
  • Burnie, Tasmania, on Wednesday 22 March 2017

Further details on the venues and times for the regional forums will be published on the ACCC’s website: www.accc.gov.au

Fast facts;

  • Dairy is one of Australia’s most important rural industries, producing about 9.6 billion litres of milk annually and directly employing approximately 39,000 people.
  • The ACCC is undertaking the dairy inquiry under Part VIIA of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 providing the Commission with powers to obtain information from companies.
  • The ACCC’s Agriculture Unit—established through an $11.4 million commitment by the government in the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper—is leading the dairy inquiry.
  • The ACCC will deliver a final report to government in the second half of 2017.

 

Service Area Map

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Local Government Areas

The RFCS VIC-NE Region includes the following Local Government Areas;

  • Alpine
  • Benalla
  • Campaspe
  • Greater Shepparton
  • Indigo
  • Mansfield
  • Mitchell
  • Moira
  • Murrindindi
  • Strathbogie
  • Towong
  • Wangaratta
  • Whittlesea
  • Wodonga

Call 1300 834 775 to find out what assistance we may be able to provide you, or make an appointment with one of our experienced Rural Financial Counsellors.

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Contact Us

Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria - North East.

102 Hume Street

Wodonga VIC 3689

PHONE: 1300 834 775

EMAIL: info@rfcsvicne.org.au

FAX: (02) 6100 6123