🌏 Reflecting on the Australian Social Cohesion Summit The Australian Social Cohesion Summit, led by Anthea Hancocks, CEO of the Scanlon Foundation, was one of the most uplifting and insightful conferences I have attended. In her opening address, Anthea shared that Australia’s neighborhoods cohesion is remarkably high at 82%. Interestingly, while people on lower incomes experience lower levels of happiness, when they move into neighborhoods with higher social cohesion, their level of happiness doubles. This reinforces a vital truth — neighborhoods cohesion is the fabric of our communities, creating belonging, safety, and shared wellbeing. Very encouragingly, Australians show the greatest trust in local Councils, police, and Not For Profit organisations, particularly those working directly within their communities. 💬 How might we advance communities so everyone can flourish? Anthea’s message was clear — we must all take responsibility to foster inclusion and belonging. She defined welcoming practices as: 1️⃣ Leadership matters – leaders must speak about cultural diversity and inclusion, and wear welcoming as a badge of pride. 2️⃣ Knowledge sharing – learning from one another builds trust. 3️⃣ Celebrate successes – recognise the good happening locally. 4️⃣ Develop partnerships – work collaboratively within the community. ✨ The key motto from this session: “Think systematically and act locally.” While there’s no single definition of social cohesion, it isn’t the absence of conflict or the responsibility of one group alone. Rather, it’s about a shared vision, collective responsibility, and a readiness to cooperate — a never-ending process that strengthens our society from the ground up. #Leadership #Community #Inclusion #SocialCohesion #Australia #Peace #NotForProfit #WFWPAustralia #CulturalDiversity #wfwpsdg (fb)

🚨 Clare’s Law: Lives Are Waiting. Excuses Won’t Save Them. 🚨 1 in 4 women. 1 in 14 men. We are growing tired of hearing this these statistics yes they are shocking, but we all know that. We know we are in a national crisis. But it would seem that those at the policy making table don’t see the sense of urgency. It’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and yet this Thursday, 16th October, my NSW petition for Clare’s Law goes to Parliament, backed by over 20,000 survivors and residents demanding action. So I thought I'd have a look at some of the positions taken by ministers, stakeholders, and academics: Minister Jodie Harrison: “Implementing Clare’s Law in NSW requires careful consideration to mitigate against unintended consequences, including increased risk to victim-survivors.” Sally Stevenson, Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre: “We welcome the opportunity to have a conversation on a disclosure scheme, but we need to ensure it is informed by research and the lessons from other jurisdictions.” Kate Fitz-Gibbon (Monash University): concerns about resource allocation, false security, victim-blaming narratives, and inadequate post-disclosure support. "Full Stop Australia and Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW): voiced support for the proposed Right To Ask Scheme in 2023, but both declined to comment for this article" - (9news article attached). And my question is, why do all of these critiques ignore South Australia’s system, widely praised as a standard? With proper resourcing, community partnerships, and integrated support, Clare’s Law can and does work, yet many organisations’ support remains cautious and surface-level, at a time when Australia faces a national crisis and survivors are demanding real action. Do these CEOs and academics cited by government have lived experience? Their voices are elevated over millions of Australians who have actually lived this reality. The risk isn’t Clare’s Law. The real risk is inaction, delay, and bureaucracy, leaving survivors reliant on chance, silence, and unsafe systems. Those of us with lived experience understand risk, we know Clare’s Law isn’t foolproof. But decades of government funding, endless research reports, accolades, and global junkets for heads of organisations and academics have produced a national crisis, a national failure, and nothing to be proud of. Meanwhile, survivors remain at risk every single day. And it shows, because over 80,000 Australians have already signed my National Petition, demanding action. The thousands of survivors I personally interact with want Clare’s Law. You have 9 days to sign the national petition. (link in comments) This is lived experience, and it cannot be ignored. #Leadership #Family #Environment #Women#Peace #Security #wfwpSDG #WFWPAustralia#ClaresLaw #TheGoodWarrior Petition link: Add your signature to the 80,000+ who have already signed the Federal Petition on Clare's Law. Once signed on the Federal site, make sure to go to your email to confirm your signature. https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN8178 (fb)