Tackling credit, debt and insurance matters for our peoples. Contact the Mob Strong Debt Help line on free call 1800 808 488 (Mon. to Fri. 9.30am - 4.30pm). Open through Christmas and New Year (except public holidays).
Financial Rights acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional owners of the land on which our office is located. Mob Strong Debt Help is a free legal advice service about money matters for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from anywhere in a Australia. We specialise in the law about consumer loans (like credit cards, pay day loans, car loans and home loans), banking, debt recovery and insurance (like car, home, travel, life, funeral, pet insurance). Financial Rights Legal Centre is a specialist community legal centre. We are a non-government, non-profit organisation. We provide information, advice and assistance to individuals and also argue for a fairer financial services market for consumers, particularly low income and disadvantaged consumers. To read more about our centre go to About us.
We provide free telephone legal advice about credit, debt, banking and insurance. In some cases we may assist you further by:
We may also refer you to other organisations which may be able to help you, particularly if you have a matter in the court of a State or Territory outside NSW (where our office is)
The Financial Rights Legal Centre is a confidential service. We will ask for your personal details and details about your problem (such as the name of the debt collector, and the amount of the loan) so that we can give you the right advice. We will keep this information so that we can see what we have talked about before if you ring us back. We will also use it to call you back if we realise there is something else we can tell you to help you. We will not share this information with anybody outside this service. We will not provide this information to the government and other funding bodies except as anonymous records of how many people have called us, their general characteristics (male, female, postcode, language etc.), and the sorts of problems they have called about. You can read our Privacy & Confidentiality Policy here.
Legal advice is available by talking to one of our solicitors over the phone by calling 1800 808 488. Sometimes our Mob Strong Debt Help service coordinator may answer the phone. She will talk to you about your problem and get one of our solicitors to call you back. We also have an Aboriginal solicitor that is available to speak with you. If you are having difficulty getting through to us, please be patient and persistent – we are a small service with limited resources and we are often very busy! You can leave a message and we will call you back.
Although we are currently developing some targeted legal resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that you will be able to print from our website, they are not yet ready. There are general resources under Factsheets on this website. We also recommend that you visit ASIC’s website with money tips for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/life-events-and-you/indigenous
Interpreters are available by calling 131 450, and for the hearing or speech impaired, we recommend the National Relay Service which is a service provided by the Australian Communication Exchange (TTY) 133 677 (SRS) 1300 555 727. If you are having difficulty contacting our advice service because of a disability or problems using an interpreter service, please let us know on our administration line (02) 9212 4216.
If possible, get any paperwork about your problem ready so that you can tall us what it says. For example:
Please have a PEN and PAPER handy, as we will often give you phone numbers to call or websites to visit.
We can’t help if you are ringing about:
If you are ringing for someone else, we will only be able to give you very general information. If possible you should encourage the person who has the problem to call us themselves, or to be there with you and able to talk to us too.
Ngakkan Nyaagy (NGNY) is a 100% Aboriginal owned and operated Digital Agency. NGNY digitally designed all the artwork on this webpage based on Pauline’s painting at the top. Find out more about this amazing company at ngny.com.au
The use of Meeting Circles, natural Earth Ochre colours and message sticks/clap sticks are an important theme for the message of the Financial Rights Legal Centre. The FRLC connects with the Aboriginal Community, with a visual presentation that tells the story. The inner circle is the logo Financial Rights $ Legal Centre designed in yellow ochre and red ochre dot art. A clear simple design that is easy to read. A design of six meeting circle’s orbits the inner logo. Each circle represents the diversity in the people/clients accessing the FRLC service. From single mum and child, to a same sex couple, an average family, a single person, a small family and people with a disability. Each meeting circle is connected to the inner circle. This represents communication and connection to FRLC. The flow of the circles goes in and flow out. The message sticks surrounding the meeting circles also represent communication. The design of the waves represents sound waves, communication waves. The message and information of the FRLC reaching out to the Aboriginal Community. Another 6 meeting circles continue out, going clockwise the 1st image is
Financial Rights’ vision for reconciliation is for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to understand their financial rights and be able to enforce them. We aim to be a trusted adviser and advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in financial stress, within our areas of expertise.
With this in mind, Financial Rights proudly launched our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which is valid until October, 2019. We are currently working on our follow-up RAP.
The purpose of a RAP is to provide an organisation with a structured approach to advancing reconciliation. RAPs recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face significant structural disadvantage and discrimination in Australian society, and set out blueprints for organisations to commit to advancing reconciliation. Our RAP is our commitment we will take practical actions to develop respectful relationships and create meaningful opportunities with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
You can read our 2018 wrap here.