Australia’s largest financial literacy program now reaches more than half a million students, marking a key milestone in the push to educate young people about the importance of money smarts.
And it comes at a critical time.
In a recent nationwide survey of 17,000 young people, 64% said the cost of living is the top issues they believe Australia must address. This followed figures from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) showing that inflation jumped to 3.8% in October, up from 3.6% in September, beyond analysts’ expectations.
As the cost-of-living crisis drags on into its fourth year, one initiative has been going from strength to strength, helping young Australians build confidence and practical money skills.
Talk Money, founded by Ecstra Foundation in 2022, is a free, curriculum-aligned financial literacy program for Years 5–10. Delivered face-to-face in schools, it covers spending, saving, scams, tax, super and workplace rights.
As of November 2025, the program now reached 500,000 young Australians across 12,600 workshops in 1,600 schools nationwide, a major milestone in building financial literacy and confidence.
The milestone follows Ecstra’s National Financial Wellbeing Summit 2025, where leaders from government, business, education and community sectors discussed practical approaches to build a better financial future for all Australians.
“Reaching half a million school students nationwide and tripling the number of schools and workshops delivered in under four years shows there’s increasing demand for practical, engaging financial education,” Ecstra Foundation CEO Caroline Stewart said.
“We know that starting money lessons early builds lifelong knowledge and capability, and programs like Talk Money are helping normalise these conversations in classrooms and at home,” added Ms Stewart.”
Roset Khair, Vice President of Economics and Business Educators NSW and a leading advocate for financial literacy education, said there is growing support for schools to embed financial capability in the classroom.
“Financial literacy is an essential life skill and a foundation for overall wellbeing. Teachers see first-hand the positive impact when their students can connect financial concepts to real world decisions,” Khair said.
“Programs like Talk Money are vital because they provide schools with curriculum aligned resources and tools to teach these skills effectively, while helping to build a culture where learning about money is normal and empowering.”
Stewart said that there are opportunities to connect classrooms with broader systems change.
“Talk Money is one part of a bigger picture, to ensure every young person has access to financial education, and that the systems around them support financial inclusion and wellbeing,” she said.
“This milestone is a great reminder of what is possible when education, policy and community come together with shared purpose.”