The FRSA office is in the final throws of preparations for our National Conference being held in Sydney next week.  We are very excited to have just under 600 people registered for Conference at the Sheraton Grand Hyde Park who will be gathering to hear from a fantastic line up of Keynote speakers, panellists and concurrent session presenters.  I always love the networking and sharing that goes on inside and outside the sessions and of course, always enjoy catching up and putting faces to names. Special thanks to my team here at FRSA, our Conference support crew at Kaigi, the FRSA Board and the Conference Reference Committee. We have all been working hard and we are confident that we will again deliver a Conference that feed heads and hearts!

We hold the Conference in May to coincide with Families Week but we technically haven’t quite made it this year. When we were planning, we were ducking and weaving around published Federal Parliamentary sitting dates. But, our intention is totally committed to acknowledging the importance of celebrating Families Week and we congratulate our our colleagues at Families Australia for their work in championing and promoting the occasion. We know many organisations have been celebrating locally and wish you all a Happy Families Week! The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia is also recognised on 17 May and celebrates the strength, resilience and diversity within LGBTQIA+ communities. A big shout out to the activists, allies and organisations driving change in the FRSA network!

Earlier in the month the Federal Election was held with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese leading the ALP to a strong and resounding result delivering a commanding majority in the House of Representatives. With the increased number of Labor seats won we also witnessed some movement in the Ministry with two of those having a direct impact on the Family and Relationship Services Sector. We welcome the newly appointed Attorney-General, the Hon Michelle Rowland, MP; and the Minister for Social Services, the Hon Tanya Plibersek, MP and look forward to working with them into the future. We also take the opportunity to thank the former Attorney General, the Hon. Mark Dreyfus, KC MP and the former Minister for Social Services, the Hon Amanda Rishworth, MP for the significant contribution they each made to the lives of children, families and communities in their respective roles over the past three years.

If you will be joining us in Sydney for FRSA Conference 2025 next week, I look forward to seeing you soon. The FRSA Conference is a recognised professional development opportunity and we build and deliver the conference not just for those who can attend in real time but we also work with presenters to share as many sessions and slides as we can post-Conference.  During next week we will also be sharing regular communications and social postings throughout the week so we would love to see your reactions and comments from afar!

Kind regards,
Jackie Brady
FRSA Executive Director

We’re excited to announce our final Keynote Speakers and panellists for the FRSA National Conference 2025 in Sydney!

Day 1 – Tuesday 20 May 2025:

Panel Discussion: How listening to the voices of young adults can deliver positive impacts for children and young people accessing your services
Moderator: Victoria Flanagan, Uniting Counselling and Mediation
Panellists:

• Greg Kennedy, Uniting Counselling and Mediation

• Kimeaka Bermingham, CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes

• Lachlan Hobman, Youth Advocate

Day 2 – Wednesday 21 May 2025:
The Hon John Faulks will be sharing key insights from the Family Law Council Terms of Reference Reports.

Day 3 – Thursday 22 May 2025:
Kath Koschel,  2025 NSW Australian of the Year! Kath will share her powerful story of resilience, purpose, and the extraordinary impact of kindness.

For the full line up of Keynote Speakers click here.

Our Gala Dinner at Doltone House Hyde Park will be an evening to remember! We’re excited to welcome comedian and actor Steph Tisdell, who will bring her trademark warmth and humour to the night. Guests will also enjoy a special performance by Gawura Cultural Immersions.

Haven’t registered for the dinner yet? There’s still time! Click the link below.

We can’t wait to see you in Sydney!

Uniting – Enhancing the safety and wellbeing of children and families

Most people experience challenges in their personal relationships, especially during separation and divorce. Uniting’s specialist family law and family relationship services support people to foster healthy thinking and behaviour while improving the ways they communicate and connect with others.

Uniting counsellors are professionally trained trauma-informed family therapists, with the skills necessary to help people improve relationship habits, manage conflict and share positive communication.

Uniting mediators are accredited by the Attorney-General’s Department and are professionally trained to conduct parenting and property mediation.

Our counselling and mediation services encompass child-inclusive-practice to ensure children’s experiences and voices are heard and relayed by a trained child consultant. We can also provide child-inclusive-practice to support external (non-Uniting) Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners.

We offer in-person, online and telephone appointments to provide:

• Family law mediation, including parenting plans and property agreements.
• Family law counselling
• Individual, couple and family therapy
• Therapy and groups to support children after separation.
• Court-ordered counselling and mediation

No matter what personal relationship challenges you may find yourself dealing with, we’re ready and able to help. Uniting values diversity and we always welcome everyone, exactly as they are.

Following the return of the Labor Government to power in the 2025 election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced his new ministry on 12 May. There have been some significant changes in the ministerial line up, including changes in the Social Services and Attorney-General’s portfolios.

The Hon Tanya Plibersek has been appointed as Minister for Social Services, replacing the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP. The Hon Michelle Rowland has been appointed Attorney-General, replacing the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC, MP.

FRSA looks forward to working with Minister Plibersek and Attorney-General Rowland – and their departments – over the coming months.

The Ministry list is available on the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet website.

Reconciliation Australia has released the 2024 RAP Impact Report, which shows that the Reconciliation Action Plan program is growing, and the impact is deepening.

The annual RAP Impact Report, compiled from data reported by 2283 RAP organisations for the period July 2023 – June 2024, represents the cumulative impact of the Reconciliation Action Plan program’s benefits across the nation.

The report shows:

• a significant growth in procurement driven by an increase in contracts between RAP organisations and First Nations businesses
• substantial increases in partnerships between First Nations businesses and organisations and
• increased representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff at senior levels and on boards.

Findings include:

• $4,812,163,387 worth of goods and services were procured by RAP organisations from First Nations-owned businesses.
• 733 First Nations people sat on RAP organisation boards (20+% increase).
• 740 First Nations people in RAP organisations were in executive leadership roles (20+% increase).
• 25,237 contracts were entered into between RAP organisations and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander organisations (42% increase).

The RAP Impact Report 2024 is available here.

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) is 17 May 2025. The theme for 2025 is The power of communities and reflects the diversity and richness within LGBTQIA+ communities, from the grassroots to the global, celebrating varied and intersecting backgrounds, identities, and experiences.

IDAHOBIT commemorates the 1990 decision by the World Health Organization to remove homosexuality from its International Classification of Diseases. Since then, the day has served as a focal point for raising awareness of the violence and discrimination still faced by LGBTQIA+ people across the globe.

Anglicare Australia has released its annual Rental Affordability Snapshot for 2025.

The 2025 Rental Affordability Snapshot surveyed rental listings across Australia and found that affordability has crashed to record lows. The Snapshot surveyed 51,238 rental listings across Australia and found that:

• 352 rentals (0.7%) were affordable for a person earning a full-time minimum wage
• 165 rentals (0.3%) were affordable for a person on the Age Pension
• 28 rentals (0.1%) were affordable for a person on the Disability Support Pension
• 3 rentals (0%), all rooms in sharehouses, were affordable for a person on JobSeeker
• No rentals were affordable for a person on Youth Allowance.

You can download the National Report here and the Regional Reports here.

ANROWS has launched new resources for responding to men who use violence, with a focus on prioritising the safety of women and children. The resources are drawn from key learnings from ANROWS’s Evaluation of the Northern Territory’s men’s behaviour change programs.

These resources provide critical insights into what works in supporting safer communities, from Aboriginal-led delivery models to robust follow-up practices. They also highlight key challenges in the sector, including limited referral pathways and the ongoing issue of short-term funding.

ANROWS has developed:

• Quality practice elements for men’s behaviour change programs (MBCPs) in the Northern Territory – Practice Guide and Quick Reference Guide
• Rubric: Quality Practice elements for men’s behaviour change programs (MBCPs) in the Northern Territory – Rubric

Visit the ANROWS website for more information.

John Riley has been appointed as Branch Manager, Family and Adult Supports, in the Department of Social Services. John is an experienced Branch Manager and has spent the best part of the last five years working on the National Redress Scheme for Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, which he describes as an enormous privilege. Prior to that, John’s responsibilities have traversed disability, financial wellbeing and resilience, audit and fraud control. John resides in Canberra with his three now adult children, Georgia, Sophie and Lachlan and his wife, Louise. Academically, John has a BA and a Diploma in Criminology, both from the University of Sydney. When he is not working, John likes to spend time with family and friends, play golf and cheer on the Cronulla Sharks and ACT Brumbies.

Our thanks to Tracy Creech who held the Branch Manager’s position until recently.  We wish her all the very best in her new role at the Department of Health.

In new research from the director of the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Public Value, Professor David Gilchrist, paints a grim picture of many organisations’ ability to sustain their operations amid government cost-cutting and rising demand for their services.

Commissioned by Catholic Social Services Australia, the report, Real Costs, Real Impacts: A Path to Social Services Sustainability, examines the financial sustainability of not-for-profit organisations delivering social services to vulnerable Australians. The cost of service delivery has been increasing but funding has not kept pace, putting organisations under significant pressure.

The report highlights several concerning impacts of inadequate funding.

• The sector has an inability to compete with wages and conditions in other industries, risking the loss of experienced staff.
• Increasing burnout and stress among social services workers due to unsustainable workloads.
• Service contraction or discontinuation in areas of critical need.
• Flow-on negative fiscal effects for governments as prospective clients are unable to participate in economic activity.
• Increased demand on primary healthcare and acute care budgets as vulnerable Australians seek support through the health system.

The report recommends Australian governments develop:

• A comprehensive contracting process based on empirical evidence of cost and service requirements.
• An indexation process ensuring timely and full allocation of funding to cover increasing costs.
• A mature impact-based response to policy changes and economic and social shifts.
• A comprehensive data asset development process for transparency over service gaps.

For the last 23 years, Mission Australia’s Youth Survey has been the biggest survey of its kind in Australia, giving young people a voice on the issues that matter most. Answers help shape real change – Governments, youth organisations, and community groups use this data to improve programs, policies, and services for young people across Australia.

Share the survey link with the young people in your life.

This week is National Families Week – a time to celebrate with your family, connect with your extended family and friends, and share in the enjoyment of family activities within the wider community.

This year’s theme – Lending A Hand To Thrive: Supporting Each Other – highlights the importance of connection, care, and resilience within families.

National Families Week coincides with the United Nations International Day of Families on 15 May. This day is observed by the United Nations to mark the importance that the international community places on families as the most fundamental units of society, as well as to show concern about their situation in many parts of the world.

Find out more about National Families Week on the Families Australia website.

People with Disability Australia (PWDA) has launched a national survey to better understand the experiences, needs and priorities of LGBTQIA+ people with disability. The survey invites LGBTQIA+ people with disability to confidentially share their insights and experiences across identity, healthcare, safety, services, work, ageing and more. These insights will directly inform PWDA’s future policy and advocacy work.

Access the survey here.

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The National Reconciliation Week (NRW) 2025 theme, Bridging Now to Next, reflects the ongoing connection between past, present and future. Bridging Now to Next calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.

Find out more about the history of National Reconciliation Week and how to get involved here.

If you have any events you’d like listed on the FRSA Events and Training Calendar or job vacancies you’d like listed on the FRSA Jobs Board, email Communications Officer, Vanessa Lam at communications@frsa.org.au. Please note that posting onto the FRSA website is reserved for FRSA Members only.

If you have an news item or event that you would like to be featured in a future eBulletin please submit your announcement via the form below or email communications@frsa.org.au with the subject “FRSA eBulletin submission”.

Please note FRSA members receive priority for items posted in the eBulletin. And to keep information current, relevant and useful, submissions will not be repeated from week to week.