CEO Commentary

The most cherished part of my life: family

May 2018

My family is at the centre of all I am and is the most cherished part of my life.
I strongly believe that, whatever form they take, however we define them, and despite the many challenges that inevitably face them from time to time, families are our most time-honoured settings for giving and receiving love, understanding and nur…

Greater national effort required to safeguard children

Mar 2018

This week Families Australia will convene the 8th annual meeting of the National Coalition on Child Safety and Wellbeing in Canberra. Around 100 delegates from around Australia will participate.
It will be an important opportunity to track the progress of the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020, Au…

Making a special pledge for children

Mar 2018

This week saw the launch of eChildhood, an organisation dedicated to ending the harm done to children and young people by exposure to pornography.
Families Australia stands resolutely in support of this important work. It further builds momentum in the direction of making Australia a country where all children grow up safe and w…

Spotlight on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

Feb 2018

Last month, the Productivity Commission published its annual Report on Government Services (RoGS). It contains a huge amount of data about how the nation is faring in terms of protecting children, as well as many other areas such as aged care and youth justice.
I want to draw particular attention to the ongoing plight of Aborigi…

Loneliness: a growing national challenge

Jan 2018

Earlier this month the UK Government decided to appoint a Minister for Loneliness. The issue of loneliness had been strongly championed by Jo Cox, the courageous MP who was murdered in 2016. In announcing the move, British PM Theresa May said, ‘We should all do everything we can to see that, in Jo’s memory, we bring an e…

Bending history: the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

Dec 2017

I do not pretend to understand the moral universe, the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways….But from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.
So wrote Theodore Parker who campaigned against slavery in mid-19th century America[1]. His words have been echoed by many others, most notably by Martin Luther King…