CreditCare – The First Two Years

Following on from our recent posting of the CreditCare film of its first years of operation we are making available the nuts and bolts in print. We have digitised and made available on our website the reports CreditCare the First Year 1995-1996 and CreditCare Our Second Year 1996-1997.

If you remember CreditCare was a partnership between Cuscal and the Commonwealth and NSW Governments to preserve financial services in the bush. This came on the back of the closure of 600 branches in rural areas from 1993-1996.

Here are the highlights from CreditCare’s first year “at a glance”.

1995

• Project launched July.
• Recruitment of team completed.
• Research undertaken on 600 ‘no bank’ towns to set priorities for visits to communities.
• Team reached in-principle decision to target local government to assist Field Officers in the efforts to help communities.
• Field visits begin in September.

1996

• In March, first CreditCare sponsored credit union facility opened in the Etheridge Shire (Qld) by Electricity Credit Union, servicing Georgetown, Forsayth, Einasleigh and Mt Surprise.
• Peel Valley Credit Union opened in Werris Creek (NSW) in April.
• By year end some 70 communities had been contacted.
• In July, the NSW Government pledged $205,000 to assist the efforts of that project in that state.
• CreditCare is now taking calls weekly from communities seeking assistance.

By September of the second year of operations credit union facilities had been extended to 33 communities through CreditCare. The second year’s report notes that plans for the creation of First Nations Advantage Credit Union were underway. This would utilise the so-called ‘incubator model’ with Advantage Credit Union. First Nations Advantage Credit Union did begin operations in 1999 but it was unable to sustain itself after a few years.

Read CreditCare the First Year 1995-1996 here and CreditCare Our Second Year 1996-1997 here.