National Financial Wellbeing
Summit 2025
Building an integrated approach to financial wellbeing
Join leaders from government, business, community, education and academia at the National Financial Wellbeing Summit – a one day event dedicated to shaping a shared approach to financial wellbeing in Australia.
With Australians facing economic challenges including cost of living, digital disruption, inequality, and global uncertainty, now is the time to work together across sectors to prioritise financial wellbeing.
Together we will explore:
- Strategies and approaches to help support people at every life stage
- Policy and systems level actions to reduce exclusion and increase economic security
- How financial wellbeing intersects with broader wellbeing domains including mental, physical, digital, community and environmental health
- How to improve access to financial education, tools and trusted support
- Insights from programs and innovative approaches delivering outcomes in communities, schools and other learning environments
With keynote speakers and expert panels, the Summit will highlight practical solutions and pathways to build a better financial future for all Australians.
| 8.30 – 9.00am | Registration | Tea and coffee available |
| 9.00 – 9.15am | Acknowledgement of Country and opening address Caroline Stewart, CEO Ecstra Foundation |
| 9.15 – 9.30am | Minister’s address The Hon. Dr Daniel Mulino MP, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services (pre-recorded address) |
| 9.30 – 10.25am | Financial wellbeing can’t wait Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, however many people continue to experience financial stress and exclusion, income inequality and barriers to accessing fair financial services. In this session, leading experts unpack the systems that shape financial outcomes, and explore how better policy, partnerships and pathways could improve financial wellbeing for people at every life stage. Panel of speakers: Leah Bennett, Managing Director First Nations Foundation Dr Cassandra Goldie AO, CEO ACOSS and Adjunct Professor with UNSW Sydney Xavier O’Halloran, CEO Super Consumers Australia Moderator: Effie Zahos, 9News Money Editor |
| 10.25 – 10.45am | Regulator address ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland |
| 10.45 – 11.15am | Morning tea |
| 11.15 – 11.25am | The Student voiceWe asked students across Australia three big questions about money. Discover their thoughtful, creative, and sometimes surprising responses. |
| 11.25am – 12.15pm | Future ready financial educationHow do we equip young Australians with the financial skills they need now, and in the future? This session will examine how to deliver inclusive, equitable, and future focused financial education in a rapidly changing, digital-first world. Panel of speakers: Phil Gardner, CEO Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN) Roset Khair, VP Economics and Business Educators NSW Michelle Wright, Deputy Head of Communications and Education, RBA Moderator: Dr Tracey West, Financial Education Manager Ecstra Foundation |
| 12.15 – 12.30pm | Table discussion |
| 12.30 – 1.15pm | Keynote | Financial wellbeing in a changing world: What is working and what is missing? Hon. Professor Roslyn Russell, Wellbeing Research RMIT University |
| 1.15 – 2.00pm | Lunch |
| 2.00 – 2.15pm | OECD address | International developments in financial capability Miles Larbey, Head of the Financial Consumer Protection, Education and Inclusion Unit OECD (pre-recorded address) |
| 2.15 – 3.15pm | Collaborating for impact Financial wellbeing is shaped by complex and interconnected systems and no single sector can solve these challenges alone. This session brings together leaders from government, community, health and finance to share how they are designing and delivering cross sector initiatives to improve the financial, physical, mental and social health of more people. They will discuss the balance needed between regulation, education and systems level collaboration to achieve a more integrated financial wellbeing ecosystem in Australia. Panel of speakers:Gerard Brody, Commissioner and Chairperson Essential Services Commission Victoria Georgie Harman AO, CEO Beyond Blue Janet Liu, Group Head of Social Impact and Community Partnerships ANZ Moderator: James Kirby, Associate Editor-Wealth The Australian and Director Ecstra Foundation |
| 3.15 – 3.30pm | Closing remarks |
Speakers
Effie Zahos
Non Executive Director
Effie Zahos
Non Executive Director
Effie is one of Australia’s leading personal finance commentators with more than two decades of experience helping Australians make the most of their money. She is a regular money expert on Channel 9s Today show and on radio stations across Australia.
Effie is the 9News Money Editor at the 9Network where she works across 9News, A Current Affair, Today, and Today Extra; and an independent director of InvestSMART.
Effie was previously InvestSMART’s Chief Content Officer and was Editor-at-Large of Canstar for four years. She was also the editor of Money magazine until 2019, having helped establish it in 1999.
Effie is the author of A Real Girl’s Guide to Money, Ditch the Debt and Get Rich, and children’s financial literacy book, The Great $20 Adventure.
She has a degree in Economics from the University of Queensland.
Caroline Stewart
Chief Executive Officer
Caroline Stewart
Chief Executive Officer
Caroline is a philanthropic leader with over 25 years of corporate, legal, financial services, governance and not-for-profit experience.
Caroline is the inaugural CEO of Ecstra. Prior to joining she led the UBS Australia Foundation, a corporate private ancillary foundation. She has worked with multiple stakeholders across the community, financial services, corporate, government and charity sectors and was a banking and finance lawyer. Caroline brings to Ecstra her professional skills, experience, networks and a strong belief that genuine collaboration is required to address the widening financial literacy gap and many structural barriers to financial wellbeing in Australia.
Caroline is a board member of WAGEC (Women and Girls Emergency Centre, Redfern) and The Achieve Foundation. Previously she was a board member of Philanthropy Australia, and chair of the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee, and Deputy Chair of Lenity Australia, a PAF focused on vulnerable women and children in Australia and the Asia Pacific. She is a member of the ACNC Sector Forum and works on a pro bono basis with community organisations. Caroline holds a BA (Syd Uni), is admitted as a Solicitor in NSW and ACT and is a graduate of the AICD.
Dr Tracey West
Financial Education Manager
Dr Tracey West
Financial Education Manager
Dr Tracey West is a financial literacy and financial education expert with over 11 years’ experience investigating consumer knowledge and behaviours. Tracey joins Ecstra from Griffith University, where she was a lecturer in behavioural finance in the Griffith Business School. In this role she managed many funded projects, established the behavioural science major, developed finance curriculum and was involved in student competitions and committees.
Tracey’s PhD was on household financial decision-making and she has published widely on household wealth, financial literacy, financial socialisation and financial planning issues. Through her research, Tracey highlights the challenges many people experience when making financial decisions. Her work focuses on inclusion issues of vulnerable groups such as older people, young people and women.
Tracey is a strong advocate of accessible financial education and for informed policymaking. As an established expert, she is regularly invited to comment on financial literacy matters on panels, podcasts, radio and print media, including The Conversation.
Tracey holds a PhD (Finance), a GradDip Secondary Education and BCommerce (Griffith University).
James Kirby
Non Executive Director
James Kirby
Non Executive Director
With a career spanning decades of expertise in business, economics, and investment journalism, James is currently the Associate Editor – Wealth at The Australian and host of the popular twice-weekly ‘Money Puzzle’ podcast. He is a former managing editor and co-founder of Business Spectator and Eureka Report and has previously worked at the Australian Financial Review and the South China Morning Post.
In addition to his career in journalism, James has previously been actively involved in governance and advocacy, serving on the boards of the Walkley Awards, the SVA Leadership Council (Vic), and First Nations Foundation. He is also the author of several business biographies.