Evaluation of the My Moola Indigenous money management program as a gambling harm minimalisation tool

Aims and background: This project was funded by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) through its Local Prevention Grants Program 2016, and was conducted over two years, from mid-2016 to mid-2018. The project aimed to 1) provide financial literacy training to staff in Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations across Victoria, and 2) to help reduce counterproductive gambling in Aboriginal communities. A previous population study conducted by the Foundation found elevated rates of problem and harmful gambling amongst Aboriginal adults in Victoria (Hare, 2015). The My Moola money management program, developed and delivered by the First Nations Foundation (FNF), was therefore proposed as a culturally appropriate and potentially viable initiative to minimise gambling harm amongst this cohort. This one day training course was developed several years ago specifically for members of the Australian Aboriginal community. It uses a non-judgmental cultural framework to train participants in key aspects of financial literacy. The program helps to: reframe the relationship Indigenous people have with money from a historical context; identify counterproductive behaviours that prevent participants from achieving their financial goals; and build skills and confidence in navigating and managing their finances.