Creditline was established in July 1980 in response to the increasing number of calls on the Lifeline phones that were financially based problems.  The telephone counsellors realised that there was little they could do to assist these callers. Keith Suter from Wesley Mission managed to obtain funding from the NSW Department of Community Services and Creditline was set up. From Betty Weule, a part time secretary, part time financial counsellor and volunteer financial counsellors, Creditline rapidly grew, until today; it is one of the recognised leaders in the financial counselling field.  Its main services provide the following:

• Face-to-face, in-depth financial counselling.
  
• A community legal service.
  
• A consumer education.
  
• A casework resourcing service for federally funded financial counsellors in Australia.
  
• Publication of “Sharkwatch” a national financial counselling journal.
  

Creditline’s Mission Statement is to provide a professional and comprehensive, adequately funded, specialist financial counselling service for individuals and their families. This service targets individuals and families who are suffering financial difficulties with the consequential emotional trauma and distress. The service aims to enhance financial independence and empower clients to deal with their own financial situations. This is achieved through face-to-face financial counselling, consumer education, resourcing of financial counsellors throughout Australia, and access to comprehensive community legal service.

Creditline’s achievements include:

• Historically we developed specialty expertise in the field of consumer bankruptcy and provided consultancy to the Federal Attorney General’s Department. Creditline also published ‘The Bankruptcy Handbook’, funded by the Law Foundation. This is a key reference book for financial counsellors and other community workers.
  
• In 1992 we first identified the Home Fund Problem. We set up and operated the Home Fund Financial Counselling and Advice Service throughout NSW. This service was available on a face-to-face basis for every Home Fund borrower in NSW. Over 6000 consumers took advantage of the service over two years. Travelling teams of financial counsellors, after specialised training, visited every area in the State.
  
• Provided articles for each edition of the ‘Consumer Rights Journal’ and ‘New Directions’, the leading insolvency journal published by the Federal Attorney Generals Department.
  
• Creditline obtained funding and sponsorship for an isolated workers conference in Wollongong in November 2000. This brought together for the first time isolated financial counsellors from throughout Australia to discuss common problems and ways to cope with the isolation and difficulties.
  
• Established an excellent working liaison with the finance industry groups, which has resulted in the successful monitoring of industry practices (both financial counselling and financial industry). This has meant the development of solutions, which meet the needs of consumers and the needs of industry.
  
• The establishment of community based gambling counselling in Australia. In 1981, as an adjunct to financial counselling, Creditline developed the model for gambling counselling based on the use of financial counselling as a tool for the early identification of gambling problems and as a vital strategy in the treatment of gamblers. This model was adopted by most states in Australia. 
  
• In 1997 Creditline submitted a successful application to the Casino Benefit Trust for funding to establish the world’s first comprehensive gambling counselling service – providing personal gambling counselling, family therapy, financial counselling, training for gambling counsellors and a legal service for gamblers and their families.
  
• By 1998 this had grown to the extent that we broke off the gambling service to operate as a centre with its own identity – Wesley Gambling Counselling Service.