Program Aim

The RFCS Program aims to help primary producers, fishers and small rural businesses* experiencing financial difficulty, identify ways to become more self-reliant and better equipped to manage change and adjustment.

Objectives

• To provide free rural counselling services to assist primary producers, small rural businesses and fishing enterprises in rural areas, who are experiencing financial hardship.
• To identify enterprise and industry issues where change and adjustment are required
• To contribute to the goal of a more competitive, sustainable and profitable rural Australia
• Ensure primary producers, fishermen and small rural businesses have access to financial information, options, decision support and referral services
• Allow primary producers, fishermen and small rural businesses to consider information and options to implement decisions to effectively manage change and adjustment
• Encourage early contact and use of rural financial information services to promote awareness of the benefits of early intervention in accessing information and available services, and
• Provide a needs-based financial information and referral service that is free, effective, responsive and flexible

*'Small rural business' for the purposes of the Rural Financial Counselling Service Program is defined as a rural business that employs no more than ten full-time-equivalent (38 hours per week) employees and provides the majority of its services to primary producers and is directly involved in primary production (e.g. fencing, harvesting, spraying or stock management contractor).