Recovery Matters webinars get to the heart of key issues that are important in disaster recovery. Join the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience as we invite expert speakers to share what they know and help us move forward with effective recovery.
Navigating the financial impact of disasters
Disasters come at a great cost to people and communities. Dealing with loss of income, insurance, grants, unexpected costs, bills and debt can be a highly stressful element of recovery.
Join experts from Financial Counselling Australia to find out more about the role financial counsellors play in helping to navigate the financial burden of disasters and key findings that have emerged.
Guest speakers:
Julie Barrow from Financial Counselling Australia provides an overview of financial counselling and the work of financial counsellors in disaster response and recovery, sharing the stories and outcomes.
Dip Community Services (Financial Counselling), Dip Business Management.
Julie is a passionate Consumer Advocate and experienced Financial Counsellor specializing in Family Violence with a lens on economic abuse. Julie was successful in advocating to the State Government for implementation of instalment payments for vehicle registrations in Victoria.
Julie was the former Chair of the Financial Counselling Victoria Board (2016-2019) joining the Board as Treasurer in September 2015 during which time she served as Victorian State Representative on the Financial Counselling Australia Representative Council.
Peter Gartlan from Financial Counselling Australia highlights what financial counsellors have learned in responding to disasters, policy gaps and the importance of financial counselling in disaster response.
Peter joined FCA in February 2020 in a national coordination role for bushfire recovery financial counselling. Prior to this, Peter worked as a consultant for three years.
He was involved with Knowmore Legal Service on the National Redress Scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. Peter also undertook project roles with the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network, YFS Logan City and Anglicare East Arnhem.
Peter is a director of the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV) and is Independent Chair of the Consumer Advisory Panel at Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). Formerly, Peter was Executive Officer of Financial Counselling Victoria, the peak body for financial counsellors in Victoria, from 2010-2017.