About us

Established in 2001, Families Australia is an independent, peak, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the needs and interests of families. Families Australia is not aligned to any political party or religious group.

Families Australia's purpose is to promote the interests of families in Australia by:

  • informing families, family and community sector organisations and government about issues relevant to families
  • representing the views of members and families to the Parliament, government and government agencies
  • celebrating the vital role of families, including through National Families Week.

Further information on Families Australia's achievements is available here.

Read the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics report about families in Australia here external link.

Mission and Values

Our mission is to promote the wellbeing of all Australian families by working from a network of services, organisations, carers, consumers and communities, and developing policy and research which is informed by the rich diversity of families and communities.

Families Australia is an organisation which:

  • is an independent national voice on family matters
  • seeks to foster a good national public policy environment in which family-related issues and the family and community sector can prosper
  • focuses on informing and influencing national policy at the highest government levels
  • strongly advocates for the cultural diversity and the value of families
  • reflects Australia's diversity
  • is pro-active in support of justice and equity for Australian Aboriginal and Islander peoples
  • takes a broad and inclusive approach in all its work
  • is practical in orientation, yet has an eye to longer term policy development
  • is constructive and collaborative across all stakeholder groups, including government
  • is highly strategic and targeted in what it does and is politically astute
  • is well managed and governed.

Campaigning for those in our community who are vulnerable or facing difficulty

Families Australia is a strong advocate for greater public and political understanding of and support for those in our community who are vulnerable, least advantaged or facing difficulty. In the past few years, for example, we have been active in several areas, either taking a leading advocacy role ourselves or supporting the work of others, as follows:

Child safety and wellbeing

  • Families Australia was a major party to the development of the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children in 2008-09. Since our inception, we and other organisations have advocated for a national approach to child protection. Families Australia is the secretariat for the around 100 member NGO Coalition of Organisations Committed to the Safety and Wellbeing of Australia’s Children, which is working with governments to implement the Framework. more

Adult survivors of childhood abuse: Forgotten Australians

  • Families Australia has been working in close collaboration with the Alliance for Forgotten Australians in its campaign for political and community recognition of, and support for, the 500,000 Australians who, as children, were in institutional or other out-of-home care in the last Century. We provide the secretariat for the Alliance and assist, through advocacy and project work, to progress their objectives of recognition, redress, services and support. more

Grandparents and kinship carers

  • We have extensive links with grandparents and other kinship carers and have advocated at the national level for greater support for those who are raising children and young people. more

Children with severe disability

  • Families Australia played a significant role in the Australian Government review of support for carers of children with profound or severe disability. Under the new Carer Payment (child) benefit, support is being provided to around 19,000 newly-eligible carers. more

Violence against women and children

  • Families Australia has been actively engaged in efforts to tackle the problem of violence against women and children, particularly through our leadership role in the White Ribbon Day campaign. more

Substance abuse and families

  • We have highlighted to the Australian Parliament and Federal policy-makers the importance of providing greater assistance to families in which there is a substance abuse issue. more

National Families Week

  • In May each year, Families Australia runs National Families Week, the national celebration of the vital importance of families. Over the past six years, over 500,000 Australians have participated in National Families Week community events. more

Families Australia Oration

  • Families Australia helps to raise public awareness through an annual Oration. The Governor-General, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, delivered the inaugural Oration in 2008. The 2nd Oration was delivered by Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction Chief, Ms Christine Nixon APM. more

Families Australia is funded in part by Families Australia Members and by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Families Australia in the News

Current media articles featuring Families Australia.