Recent Achievements

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

Families Australia seeks to promote a national policy environment in which the needs and interests of families, especially the most vulnerable and marginalised, can be heard and addressed. We envision a society that recognises the central role of families in our community and embraces its responsibilities for the development, nurturing and wellbeing of all families.

Child safety and wellbeing

  • Since its inception, Families Australia has, with other organisations, advocated for a national approach to child protection and was a leading party to the negotiation of the COAG National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020. Families Australia is the secretariat for the 107-member NGO Coalition of Organisations Committed to the Safety and Wellbeing of Australia’s Children which is working with governments to implement the Framework.

Adult survivors of childhood abuse: Forgotten Australians

  • Families Australia works in close collaboration with the Alliance for Forgotten Australians (AFA) to help this group gain political and community recognition of and support for up to half a million Australians who, as children, were in institutional care in the period between the 1930s and the 1970s.


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 nine years, over 800,000 Australians have participated in National Families Week community events.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family issues are a major policy area for Families Australia. Working closely with organisations such as the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care, Families Australia practically engages in national policy efforts to address disadvantage, including through the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009-2020.

Grandparents and kinship carers

  • Families Australia has extensive links with grandparents and other kinship carers and has advocated at the national level for greater support for those who are raising children and young people. We successfully advocated for additional Grandparent Support Officers in Centrelink offices.

Mental health and families

  • In 2011, Families Australia commenced a major campaign to highlight the needs of families affected by mental health issues.

Families Australia Oration

  • Families Australia helps to raise public awareness through its annual Oration. The 3rd Oration was delivered on 24 May 2011 by Professor Patrick McGorry AO, 2010 Australian of the Year, at Parliament House, Canberra, on the theme of mental health and families (see photo, right).

National Children’s Commissioner

  • Families Australia has long advocated for the establishment of a National Children’s Commissioner to highlight further the needs of children and young people. In 2011, Families Australia gave evidence to the Senate Inquiry into the Commonwealth Commissioner for Children and Young People Bill 2010.

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, an additional $300 million is being provided to support 19,000 newly eligible carers.

Violence against women and children

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

Substance abuse and families

  • Families Australia has 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.

Families Australia has membership base of over 300 family and community sector organisations across Australia. The Families Australia Board comprises representatives of many national family and community NGOs and advocacy groups. The Chair is Prue Warrilow. Brian Babington is the Chief Executive Officer.