Services

The Rural Financial Counselling Service Southern Queensland (RFCS-SQ) supports eligible farmers, fishers, forest growers, harvesters and *small related rural businesses who are experiencing financial hardship and to assist them to understand their financial position and adopt strategies to allow them to become financially self-sufficient.

These services are delivered through the Rural Financial Counselling Service Programme.

What is rural financial counselling?

Rural financial counselling is:

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

Who makes the decisions: Your rural financial counsellor will support and work with you to develop options – and you make the decisions.

What rural financial counsellors CAN do -

Rural financial counsellors can:

analyse business performance & understand your financial position
develop cash flow budgets and projection
explore & identify options (business & risk management planning) to improve financial self-sufficiency
prepare for succession planning
prepare for and facilitate meetings with lenders
access Government Assistance and information
prepare for and manage events such as droughts, floods and fire
provide referrals to professionals and agencies

Rural financial counsellors CANNOT provide financial advice, succession planning advice, act as a mediator, provide social or family counselling, but they CAN provide referrals to appropriate professionals and information on how to prepare for discussions with experts.

Contact a rural financial counsellor

see the lists of rural financial counsellors for each location below.

*Small Related Business is an enterprise that:
(a) is solely or primarily involved in supporting the production of Industry Products;

(b) employs no more than 10 full time equivalent employees; and

(c) is involved in supporting the production of Industry Products up to and including the time those products are harvested.

Note: For example, small related enterprises may erect fencing on farms, or provide persons to harvest crops, shear sheep, control weeds or other pests, or manage stock.

Our rural financial counsellors are located in sixteen locations throughout the Southern Region of Queensland. Each office provides a full range of rural financial counselling services. Select from the individual locations for information about each service.

The Rural Financial Counselling Service – Southern Queensland is administered from its Head Office based in Roma.

Outreach offices are located in: Biggenden, Biloela, Blackall, Bundaberg, Charleville, Emerald, Gatton, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Kingaroy, Miles/Chinchilla, Rockhampton, Roma, St George, Toowoomba, Warwick.

Contact one of our rural financial counsellors at a location near you.