Reform - outside of the traditional bureaucracy

Yesterday I spent the day with the Allies for Children Australia and the First Nations NGO Alliance in our first collaborative meeting for 2025.

Our goal was to advance our thinking and deepen our activity as a partnership on our first policy priority - addressing the over-representation of First Nations children in care. Last year we shared some of the steps we are taking within Allies for Children Australia organisations to shift the dial towards strengthening the community controlled sector. This essentially includes how we can as non-Indigenous providers of out of home care and child and youth services, take decisive steps to to change what we are complicit in that doesn't work and what we know needs to change.

I have worked in this sector for three decades and nothing at all about it is simple. What is simple though is this - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have a right to be connected country, to be in culture, in community with strong identity. The people best placed to support First Nations children to have all of that, is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Since Life Without Barriers announced our Transformation commitments, I have heard every barrier to achieving this from every corner that you can imagine. Our partnership in the Allies for Children Australia is crucial because we have a group of likeminded, driven and incredibly passionate CEO's prepared to find ways to challenge those barriers towards child protection reform outside of the traditional bureaucracy. Our partnership means we can learn from each other as we strive for change, and the cultural authority, knowledge and counsel of First Nations gives critical guidance in this shared journey.

Yesterdays time together was incredibly important. Our day started recognising the anniversary of the National Apology, a watershed moment that elevated the proper sorrow and regret we must have in our nation for the government policies and actions which breached humanity and laid the path to the issues still faced today. We had further conversations about two way cultural governance and how we shift and move engrained paternalistic systems to rightfully share decision making and power. This is an ongoing journey.

Reconciliation Australia 's Kate Delaney and Marnie Round joined us to share insights on new research emerging soon on the state of racism and relationships in reconciliation. Beyond compelling and insightful and research we will watch and listen to closely.

Mandy Taylor Gretchen Young and Michael Currie from SNAICC - National Voice for our Children joined us to share reflections on our nations politics ahead of the Federal election and the policies that may shape and advance or others that will harm the lives of First Nations children and their communities. Gretchen and Michael guided us to think about our progress on our commitments, what is working and where we have gaps, how we can share learnings and strengthen our approach.

As a CEO and member of Allies for Children, I have heard every reason reform can't work, won't work - the government machine is too complex and so slow to change. I get all of that and more. But if we think that, we are looking in the wrong place for light.

Reform has and always sits with the people. It just takes more of us at the table to drive the change and prepared to be a part up of it. Sleeves rolled up if you will.

First Nations people and communities have been saying all of this for years. Allies for Children is about how we now not only listen but act and be a genuine partner not easily pushed back by the barriers, but prepared to find a way through, over, under and around them, together.

Our commitment in the Allies is not a superficial, uninformed one. Yesterday we talked about what we are actually striving for and what I heard from my colleagues in the room is is this - for Aboriginal children to be able to thrive in all aspects of their life, without compromise, to be loved and cherished by our nation, just as all children should be.