About Anti-Poverty Week
Anti-Poverty Week is a week where all Australians are encouraged to organise or take part in an activity aiming to highlight or overcome issues of poverty and hardship here in Australia or overseas. It was established in Australia as an expansion of the UN's annual International Anti-Poverty Day on October 17. In 2018 Anti Poverty Week will be held from the 14th to the 20th of October.
Some activities are organised by welfare and health organisations, religious groups, community organisations, schools and youth groups. Many other types of organisation also arrange activities, including government departments, local councils, business organisations, universities and sporting and cultural groups. You can read a summary of Anti-Poverty Week 2017 here.
Facilitating Group
Anti-Poverty Week is overseen by Facilitating Groups at the national and state/territory level. They include representatives from major organisations and social welfare services which are actively involved in efforts to reduce poverty and hardship in Australia and overseas. The current Co-Chairs of the Facilitating Groups are shown below. The National Coordinator is Jill Lang and the National Liaison Officer is Yumi Bhattarai.
National and State Chairs
The national and state co-chairs are:
National |
Australian Capital Territory |
New South Wales |
Eileen Baldry (Co-Chair)
Deputy Vice Chancellor Inclusion and Diversity, UNSW
Ian Carter (Co-Chair)
CEO, Anglicare WA
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Matt Davies (Co-Chair) CEO, Red Cross ACT
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Jack de Groot (Co-Chair) CEO, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW
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Susan Helyar (Co-Chair) Director, ACT Council of Social Services
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Ben Carblis (Co-Chair) State Director, Mission Australia NSW
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Northern Territory |
Queensland |
South Australia |
Jill Smith (Co-Chair) CEO, Council for Aboriginal Alocohol Program Services
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Ian Roberts (Co-Chair) CEO, Anglicare North Queensland
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Peter Sandeman (Co-Chair) CEO, Anglicare South Australia
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Sarah Roberts (Co-Chair) Territory Manager, Salvation Army NT
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Matt Gardiner (Co-Chair) Executive Director, Benevolent Society
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David Wark (Co-Chair) CEO, St Vincent de Paul South Australia
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Victoria |
Tasmania |
Western Australia |
Jenny Davidson (Co-Chair) CEO, Council of Single Mothers and their Children, Victoria
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Stacey Milbourne (Co-Chair) State Manager, Salvation Army Tasmania
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Jo Sadler (Co-Chair) State Director, Mission Australia WA
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Vicki Sutton (Co-Chair) CEO, Melbourne City Mission
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Catherine Viney (Co-Chair) State Manager, Baptcare Tasmania
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David Cain (Co-Chair) Executive Director, Communicare
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Our Sponsors
The Principal National Sponsors for 2018 are:
Brotherhood of St Laurence |
Our mission is to research, develop and deliver innovative and high quality services, practices and policies to drive change that benefits all Australians. We work with others to create an Australia free of poverty for this and future generations: a fair and compassionate and just society where all can fully particpate in social and economic life, create and share prosperity and treat each other with dignity and respect. |
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The Scully Fund |
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St Vincent de Paul |
The St Vincent de Paul Society is a lay Catholic organisation that aspires to live the gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society. |
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University of New South Wales |
Anti-Poverty Week was founded by the Social Justice Project in the Law Faculty of the University of New South Wales and the National Office has been based there since 2004. The Law Faculty generously provides a work space and use of office equipment. |
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The following organisations also sponsor Anti-Poverty Week: