Who are we?
Bush Money Mob staff have lived and worked in the Kimberley for more than 20 years, involved in social welfare agencies as volunteers for much of that time.
EGFA director, Alan Gray, is a registered financial counsellor (NRN 10025) who has worked with remote Aboriginal people in the Kimberley region for several years.
In this time it has become obvious that people in remote communities ‘miss out’ on seeing financial counsellors if they live far from ‘the ribbon of bitumen’ where all Kimberley financial counselling agencies are based.
Alan and fellow EGFA director, Judith Gray, have both worked with people from remote communities and have seen the need for more targeted FC services.
They have both also travelled extensively throughout the most remote parts of the Kimberley and East Pilbara for decades and are familiar and comfortable travelling in this country.
What is financial counselling?
Financial counsellors help people with intractable financial problems. We work with families and individuals facing financial crisis. We work with clients to advocate on their behalf to banks, debt collectors, Telstra, Super Funds, car finance companies, utilities, fine enforcement agencies, the ATO and more.
We try to help people get back on their feet financially by negotiating debt solutions that are equitable and realistic. Financial counsellors also help people to manage their money with budgeting, accessing interest-free loans, setting up automatic payments for household essentials, and savings plans.
Financial counsellors approach their work from a commitment to social justice and a strengths-based approach to working with their clients.
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Pauline Rex with Judith Gray holding one of her baby sons
Why Bush Money Mob is needed?
Bush Money Mob is a specialist financial counselling agency that targets the most remote people on the continent for services other Australians can access easily.
Indigenous community members are often invisible from government services because of their remote locations.
But they’re not invisible to the sharks and the rip-off merchants who target their Centrelink payments.
Remote community members have made it plain to BMM staff that they want services delivered by Kimberley-based agencies - not agencies from Perth, Sydney, or Melbourne. BMM staff have been part of the Kimberley community - with extensive contacts and networks - for more than 20 years.
Remote community members are tired of city-based staff visiting the Kimberley on two year contracts, and then leaving programs with no long-term commitment. A long-term commitment requires cultural aptitude, and a willingness to learn the best way to engage with remote Aboriginal people.
BMM’s approach to engaging with remote communities is also different because it aims to be 100% self-sufficient for resources.
Agencies often fly into remote communities and then rely on these tiny, underfunded communities to provide them with transport, office space and resources, accommodation, and food supplies.
This reliance inevitably leads to agencies flying in and out as quickly as possible - or not at all. The mad rush to leave gives no opportunity to build long-term relationships with locals.
BMM is NOT reliant on community resources, and does not enter a community with the intention to leave as quickly as possible.
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The Board of EGFA expanded EGFA’s programs in 2020 to include domestic financial counselling to complement the 14 years of Aid Development work EGFA has conducted in Nepal.
Special General Meeting
On 30 March 2020 EGFA conducted a Special General Meeting at its Broome office where EGFA members unanimously supported a change to the written Constitution and Rules of EGFA. This change consisted of the following:
• Expanding the aims to include public benevolent activities targeted at financial counselling in remote Indigenous communities.
• Directing the Chairperson of EGFA (Alan Gray) to develop a domestic program of financial counselling.
• Including a ‘revocation clause’ in the amended Constitution so that, if EGFA ever wound up, any assets would be distributed to a likeminded organisation that holds DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status.
Charities Commission Assessment
EGFA next applied to the ACNC (the Australian Charities and Non for profit Commission) to expand EGFA’s charity registration to include the Public Benevolent Institution (PBI) sub-type.
This assessment was complicated and detailed and the ACNC looked at all aspects of EGFA’s current operations including policies, procedures, audited books of account, safeguarding of children in Nepal and more.
Eventually the ACNC granted the PBI status to EGFA on 5 August.
The ACNC then referred the EGFA application to the ATO, who undertook further assessment of EGFA’s operations.
Then on 12 August 2020 the ATO granted DGR status Type 1 to EGFA.
This means that any future gifts to EGFA for Bush Money Mob activities will be fully tax-deductible.
Financial counselling registration
In the meantime, EGFA had applied to the WA branch of the Financial Counselling Association (FCAWA) for registration as an FC agency. This application was assessed and accepted, subject to the usual guidelines and annual registration requirements for financial counsellors.
Financial counsellors must complete set hours of Supervision, and Continuing Professional Development work, and abide by a formal Code of Ethics to maintain their annual registration.
Problems BMM helps to solve . . .
TPD Insurance
A ranger from a remote community sought help for 12 months to consolidate her Super. She was refused help each time she visited the ‘closest’ agency, which does not visit her remote community. So she drove for six hours to visit a different agency in August 2019.
That agency found she is probably eligible for more than $60,000 in TPD insurance. She had no idea.
Refused assistance
A ranger drove seven hours with his daughter to a ‘Big Super Day Out’ in mid-2019. While the local financial counsellor was away at lunch, a relieving staff member from the same local agency turned the man away, saying: “We’re not funded to help people from your area.”
Hidden Telstra debts
At a ranger workshop in a remote community in September 2019 two of the three rangers had Telstra plan debts over $4,500 each, with no idea how to get help, and no time in work hours. One of them was also stressed about a long-term car debt.
Saddled with the debt
A well-meaning Ranger Co-ordinator in a remote WA community talked recently about helping a ranger who was very stressed about an old debt to a collection agency.
Unfortunately, the Ranger Co-ordinator helped the ranger onto a long term repayment plan, whereas a financial counsellor would have examined the original contract for faults and advocated for a debt waiver, or negotiated a large reduction.
Telstra phone plan debts
Aboriginal customers from poor remote communities have been targeted by Telstra for ‘upselling’ to unaffordable contracts.
Remote community members are highly mobile. So it’s highly likely people in other remote communities will have large Telstra debts.
Car loan debts
A common problem in remote communities is when a couple buy a secondhand 4WD for say, $20,000. The car yard organises finance through Toyota Finance. The car is written off; the couple later split up; the wife is forever pestered by debt collectors.
Same day loans and other online debts
‘Digital debt’ companies like Cigno are rampant in their online sales to remote people, lodging $250 to $350 loans in people’s bank accounts. We regularly see a $250 loan balloon to $1100 with added fees within two months. Internet gambling is also a problem.
Consumer leases
Consumer leases (2400% pa interest for household goods) open the door for NILS (No Interest) loans to be explored via community stores.
Consumer ripoffs
Some companies exploit remote Aboriginal people for consumer ripoffs because of the guaranteed Government repayment called Centrepay. Cheap, poorly-made household items are sold at inflated prices via a two year, open-ended Centrepay registration with Centrelink.
Centrelink (under-payment or wrong payment)
Many people in remote communities somehow survive longterm on Jobseeker when they should be on Disability pensions. The difference in weekly income ($273 vs $440) is the difference between extreme poverty and modest comfort. Financial counsellors can get the ball rolling for a DSP application and also help refer people for assistance to other agencies that never visit.
Superannuation
Rangers, school teaching assistants, gardeners, clinic staff, and other remote community workers often have Super without knowing it. The 2019 Big Super Day Out in Broome (Super speed dating where Super Fund staff are matched up with Indigenous workers with lost Super) uncovered $2.64 million in one day for 68 people.
But these were all Indigenous people from Broome or other towns along ‘the ribbon of bitumen’. None of the people came from the remote communities.
Tax Help
Many remote community members would benefit from free assistance to do their tax returns. Some financial counsellors do an annual training course with the Tax Office to be registered ATO Tax Help volunteers. They have helped many remote people complete their tax returns and obtain refunds, or stop the ATO letters which threaten people with huge fines.
TPD insurance
Hardly any people from remote communities understand TPD insurance — or that they may be eligible for payouts that dwarf their Super balance. For instance, BMM has helped someone with only $450 in Super to get a $177,000 TPD payout.
Death insurance & Wills
As with TPD, many people are unaware of potential death insurance benefits their family has paid for through monthly premiums. Taking $30 will kits into remote communities to assist people to complete basic wills can have a huge impact later on when claiming death insurance.
Birth Certificates
These cost $50 each and it is a long, torturous process to obtain one if you live far from towns like Broome. BMM would like to establish a budget to pay this cost for people in financial hardship.