When time is short, money should not be the reason it feels shorter.
Life Without Debt is a new Australian charity built to remove the financial pressure of dying — through professional debt-hardship negotiation, direct financial relief for essential bills, and, where nothing else works, bounded direct payoff of debts. All of it in the hands of qualified professionals. All of it for Australians in the last months of life and the families beside them.
What LWD actually does
Hardship negotiation
Qualified financial counsellors and ASIC-authorised credit assistance providers negotiate with creditors on the beneficiary's behalf under ss.72–75 of the National Credit Code and the Banking Code of Practice.Direct financial relief
Household bills, medical co-payments, groceries, transport, funeral costs. Capped, dual-signatory-approved, documented on file for every beneficiary.Direct debt payoff
Where paying off a debt is the most effective form of relief, LWD pays the creditor directly. Bounded caps per beneficiary. Board approval above threshold.Advocacy
Written advocacy to superannuation funds, insurers, banks, and government agencies to secure the beneficiary's rightful entitlements — e.g. early release of super on terminal-medical-condition grounds.Why LWD, and why now
Every large Australian creditor already has a hardship team, and the law technically obliges them to consider a terminal-illness request in good faith. In practice, a dying person — or their exhausted carer — is expected to navigate the process alone, from a hospital bed, across multiple creditors, at the worst moment of their life. LWD steps into that gap with three assets a beneficiary does not have: (i) qualified professionals who do this every day; (ii) money to close the gap where negotiation is not enough; and (iii) the standing to advocate.
How your gift is used
| Line item | Share of $ | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Direct beneficiary relief | ~75% | Payments to essential-services providers and to creditors on behalf of beneficiaries. Capped, dual-signatory-controlled, evidenced. |
| Beneficiary services staff | ~15% | Beneficiary Liaison Officer and case-management costs. Related-party controls apply. |
| Governance & compliance | ~5% | Audit, insurance, ACNC reporting, legal reviews. |
| Fundraising | ≤5% | No fundraising commissions. All fundraising costs disclosed in the AIS. |
Year-1 targets. Ratios will move with scale; the Board's target is to move the direct-relief share above 80% by Year 3.
The founding-donor ask
LWD is seeking founding donors to underwrite the first 24 months of operation. All gifts to the Gift Fund are tax-deductible upon DGR endorsement (item 4.1.1 of s.30-45 ITAA 1997), currently in application with the ATO.
Underwrites approximately 15–20 beneficiary case cycles in Year 1. Named in the Annual Report unless anonymity requested.
Underwrites approximately a quarter of Year-1 direct-relief expenditure. Optional briefing with the Chair and CEO Director.
Underwrites the entire Year-1 direct-relief target. Two-year Board-observer seat available on request.
Governance you can rely on
- ☑ Registered with ASIC as a public company limited by guarantee (upon lodgement of Form 201).
- ☑ Registered with the ACNC as a charity with the subtype of Public Benevolent Institution (upon lodgement, following ASIC).
- ☑ Endorsed as a deductible gift recipient (item 4.1.1) with a dedicated Gift Fund under s.30-130 ITAA 1997 (upon lodgement, following ACNC).
- ☑ Board of five: majority independent, independent Chair, dual-signatory bank controls, related-party controls.
- ☑ Reviewed by a charity-law specialist solicitor before any application is lodged.
- ☑ Direct-relief expenditure controlled by a formal Direct Relief Policy: per-event caps, per-year caps, aggregate cap.
- ☑ Annual audit; ACNC Annual Information Statement; full compliance with ACNC Governance Standards 1–5.
Contact
Lisa Hugo — Co-founder & Head of Philanthropy, Life Without Debt Ltd (in formation)
lisa@lifewithoutdebt.org.au · [Phone] · cosailifewithoutdebt.org
Financial questions and audited reporting: Carla Oliver, CFO Advisor (CoSai CFO Services) — carla@cosaicfo.com
This one-pager is not an offer of a financial product. Donations become tax-deductible only from the date of DGR endorsement. Nothing here is legal, tax, or financial advice.