Are you constantly being contacted by debt collectors? Have your debts become unmanageable? If so, the worst thing you can do is put your head in the sand.
There are a number of resources available to assist people who are having trouble with unmanageable debt. In Victoria, organisations that can assist include:
Money Help on 1800 007 007 and/or www.moneyhelp.org.au; and
Financial and Consumer Rights Council Inc at www.fcrc.org.au.
Your first port of call if you are having debt trouble ought to be the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) at www.afsa.gov.au. AFSA has a large amount of information available on its website to assist. The AFSA website has information about the best way to approach and negotiate with creditors, bankruptcy information and also alternatives to bankruptcy, which include debt agreements and personal insolvency agreements.
Once having read the publicly available information, we recommend that you meet with your lawyer to work out the best way forward. If you seek to stop creditors’ proceedings against you in Court and continuing debt collection procedures, your chances of success are much increased with a proactive approach.
