Rural Financial Counselling Service - Northern Region

What Rural Financial Counselling Service - Northern Region does

Rural Financial Counselling Service - Northern Region (RFCSNR) is a government-funded non-profit providing free, impartial, and confidential financial counselling to primary producers (farmers, fishers, forest growers, and harvesters) and small related rural businesses across Northern New South Wales. The service is operated by Regional Business Support Ltd (RBS Ltd) and funded jointly by the Australian Government and the New South Wales Government, with ABN 72 138 705 768. RFCSNR delivers services through a network of 16 regional centres spanning Armidale, Glen Innes, Grafton, Gunnedah, Hawksbury, Inverell, Lismore, Macksville, Moree, Narrabri, Richmond, Scone, Singleton, Tamworth, Taree, and Tenterfield, supported by a toll-free line (1800 344 090) and virtual/Zoom sessions. The organisation is led by Executive Officer Shirley McNaughton and a team of 13+ qualified rural financial counsellors including Supervisor Terry Pearce.

The service catalogue comprises six core modules: understanding finances, risk identification, cash flow forecasting, creditor and bank negotiation, business plan development, and government assistance access. These are supplemented by educational services such as the Claim Ready webinar (with NSW Rural Assistance Authority), the Farm Succession and Wealth Transfer Briefing (with RSM Australia), and the Future Foundations Succession Solutions Workshop (with Lifesolver Financial). A specialized Forestry Industry Support Program has been launched in partnership with NSW DPIRD to assist forestry businesses impacted by the Great Koala National Park.

RFCSNR has no proprietary technology, no commercial revenue model, and no publicly disclosed financial figures. The operating model is fully grant-funded, with go-to-market executed through community-led engagement, event-driven outreach (Primex, Farm SMART workshops, community screenings), and referrals from partner organisations including NSW DPIRD, NSW Local Land Services, NSW RAA, NEMA, NSW Farmers, and RAMHP. The strategic posture is institutional stability within a defined statutory role rather than commercial expansion.

Name

Rural Financial Counselling Service - Northern Region

Legal name

Rural Financial Counselling Service NSW

Website

https://rfcsnr.org.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rural Financial Counselling Service - Northern Region is a government-funded non-profit providing free, impartial financial counselling to farmers, fishers, foresters, and small rural businesses across 16 regional centres in Northern New South Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Financial Counselling Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry (115), Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Hardship & Forbearance Assistance (FSAEAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regulatory Compliance, Permitting & Audit Readiness (Food Safety, Environmental, Labor) (AFACAJAE)

Keywords

• Rural financial counselling
• Agricultural financial advice
• Farm debt mediation
• Drought recovery support
• Government-funded counselling

Headquarters

HQ city

Lismore

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: RFCSNR is entirely funded by the Australian Government and New South Wales Government. The service provides free financial counselling to eligible primary producers and rural businesses. No commercial revenue is generated.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RFCSNR provides free, confidential, impartial financial counselling to primary producers (farmers, fishers, forest growers and harvesters) and small related rural businesses in Northern New South Wales experiencing or at risk of financial hardship. The service covers financial analysis, risk identification, cash flow forecasting, creditor/bank negotiation, business plan development, and access to government assistance, supplemented by educational webinars and workshops on disaster relief claims and farm succession.

Product overview

Rural Financial Counselling Service Northern Region is a government-funded free counselling service operating as a single integrated offering rather than a platform architecture. The core service provides rural financial counselling to farmers, fishers, foresters, and small rural businesses. This is supplemented with specialized modules covering financial analysis, risk management, business planning, and government assistance access. Educational services include webinars (Claim Ready), workshops (Future Foundations), and briefings (Farm Succession & Wealth Transfer). Specialized support is also provided for forestry businesses impacted by the Great Koala National Park in partnership with NSW DPIRD. All services are free, confidential, and funded by Australian Government and NSW Government.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rural Financial Counselling Service
• Claim Ready Webinar
• Farm Succession & Wealth Transfer Briefing
• Future Foundations - Succession Solutions Workshop
• Forestry Industry Support Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients become financially self-reliant and better prepared to deal with risks
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• NSW DPIRD (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating to deliver targeted, practical assistance to forestry businesses impacted by the Great Koala National Park. RFCSNR serves as a key support agency, combining on-the-ground industry knowledge with access to government support programs.
• NSW Rural Assistance Authority (NSW RAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver the Claim Ready webinar, helping farmers understand claim processes for Natural Disaster Relief Grants. NSW RAA provides the official claims portal and program administration while RFCSNR provides client support.
• NSW Local Land ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on drought support sessions and farming forums. Local Land Services hosts drop-in drought support sessions and farming forums while RFCSNR provides financial counselling expertise.
• National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisaster recovery collaboration. NEMA Recovery Support Officers work alongside RFCSNR to support flood-affected communities and coordinate recovery efforts.
• RSM AustraliasupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExpert presenters at Farm Succession & Wealth Transfer Briefing. Partners from RSM Australia provide technical expertise on estate planning, taxation, and succession planning for farming families.
• Lifesolver FinancialsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExpert presenter Matt Meehan at Future Foundations Succession workshop. Certified financial planner and chartered accountant with 30+ years experience working with farming families on succession and transition.
• RAMHP (Rural Adversity Mental Health Program)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-exhibiting at Primex 2026 and ongoing collaboration. RAMHP focuses on mental wellbeing while RFCSNR provides practical business support - recognizing that financial and mental health are interconnected for rural communities.
• Blue Clay CreativessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity screening event host for 'Just A Farmer' film screening. Hosted the mental health-focused film screening event for rural communities.
• Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSharing information about Future Drought Fund grant programs open through FRRR to support community-led drought resilience projects.
• NSW FarmerssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosting Farm SMART workshops designed to help farmers with business planning, risk management, and bank readiness.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR): Philanthropic partner that channels grant funding into drought-affected rural communities and is an active collaborator with RFCSNR. Not a direct competitor, but a key enabler in the rural financial resilience ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Drought Angels: Australian charity providing direct financial and material assistance to farming families affected by drought. Operates in a related rural hardship niche with comparable client base, but is donor-funded rather than government-funded.

Broad incumbents

• Rural Aid: Large national charity supporting Australian farmers with financial, mental health and material assistance. Comparable target audience and rural hardship focus, but operates as a broader charitable incumbent rather than a government-funded counselling service.
• Financial Counselling Australia: National peak body for the financial counselling sector in Australia, representing and accrediting counsellors including those working with rural clients. Adjacent mission and overlap in workforce standards, but broader than RFCSNR's rural/agricultural focus.
• NSW Rural Assistance Authority: NSW Government statutory authority administering drought, natural disaster and farm innovation grants. Serves the same primary producers as RFCSNR but administers financial assistance programs rather than delivering one-on-one counselling.

Direct peers

• Rural Financial Counselling Service Western Australia: WA's regional equivalent providing free financial counselling to farmers, fishers, foresters and small rural businesses. Identical program architecture under the national RFCS framework and one of the closest peers by service design and target segment.
• Rural Financial Counselling Service Tasmania: Tasmania's counterpart in the national RFCS network, delivering free, impartial financial counselling to primary producers in financial hardship under the same federally and state-funded model.
• Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria: Runs an equivalent government-funded free financial counselling service for Victorian primary producers and small rural businesses. Same funding model, same free-to-client delivery, and same focus on hardship and adjustment — the cross-state counterpart of RFCSNR.
• Rural Financial Counselling Service NSW - Southern Region: Operates the same Rural Financial Counselling Service model in the southern portion of NSW, sharing federal/state funding structure, service modules and target audience of primary producers. Most directly comparable peer due to identical mandate within adjacent geography.
• Rural Financial Counselling Service Queensland: Queensland's RFCS provider offering the same free rural financial counselling service to primary producers in that state. Directly comparable in mandate, funding model and service modules.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RFCSNR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rural-financial-counselling-service-northern-region
• Instagraminstagram.com/rfcsnorthernregion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rural Financial Counselling Service - Northern Region