Government Updates

Posted on November 21, 2021

In November 2016, Community Services Ministers around the country committed to prioritising permanency for Australia’s children and young people.

Since 2017, Adopt Change has been keeping this topic on the national agenda, inviting all Ministers and government representatives to provide yearly updates on their plans and the progress made in their jurisdictions since their commitment. See below the updates for 2021.

Hon. Michelle Landry MP
Federal Assistant Minister for Children and Families Australian Government

Hon. Linda Burney MP
Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians, Member for Barton

Hon. Alister Henskens
Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services

Hon. Sarah Courtney
Minister for Children and Youth

Hon. Simone McGurk MLA
Minister for Child Protection; Women’s Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services

Hon. Rachel Sanderson
Minister for Child Protection

Hon. Rachel Stephen-Smith
Minister for Health; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs; Children, Youth and Families

Hon. Kate Worden
Minister for Territory Families and Urban Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Sport and Multicultural Affairs

Tim Crosier
Branch Manager of Children’s Policy
– Australian Government Department of Social Services

Julieanne Davis
Executive Director Clinical Practice and Professional Services Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities

Mark Burgess
Caretaker (Executive Director) Specialist Child Protection Unit at Department of Communities

Noel Fittock
Principal Practice Manager, Children Youth and Families, Communities Tasmania

Zoë Robinson
Advocate for Children and Young People

Colin Pettit
Commissioner for Children and Young People

Simone Walker
BranDeputy Secretary, Strategy, Policy and Commissioning at Department of Communities and Justice

Richard Weston
Deputy Children’s Guardian for Aboriginal Children and Young People

Shane D Wilson
Director, Children, Families, Communities and Disability – Department of Families, Fairness and Housing

Back

Founder

Deborra-lee Furness is an internationally acclaimed actress as well as a passionate supporter of children and defender of their human rights across the globe. Deborra-lee’s humanitarian work for children is a driving force in her life.

It is her passion that children all over the world be given every chance to live a fulfilled life and achieve their full potential. As founder of National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM) and Adopt Change in Australia, Deborra-lee has been a driving force for improving adoption programs, procedures and legislation, and raising awareness and understanding of the issues of vulnerable children.

She is Patron of the Lighthouse Foundation for displaced children in Melbourne Australia; World Vision Ambassador, Patron of the Bone Marrow Donor Institute for children with leukemia; Patron of International Adoptive Families of Queensland; she sits on the board of World Wide Orphans Australia and is newly appointed on the board of the UN Women for Peace Association in New York. Deborra-lee has been honoured extensively both in Australia and internationally for her work to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable children.

For her advocacy work she has been honoured by World Wide Orphans in New York, The Joint Council USA and in 2013 was given the prestigious award of Angel in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption in Washington DC. Harlem Village Academies honoured Deborra-lee and her husband Hugh for their philanthropy work in 2012. She was presented with 2014 International Humanitarian Award in Utah by Mentors International. She was named NSW Australian of the Year 2015. Also in 2015, Deborra-lee was honoured in Washington as Advocate of the Year by Kidsave.

Deborra-lee is the co-founder of the newly launched Hopeland organisation which is a US-based platform driving awareness around the issue of vulnerable children. The mission of Hopeland is to ensure children belong in loving families. Hopeland is about family strengthening and community empowerment and driving creative solutions for vulnerable and abandoned children globally.

Founder and CEO of Worldwide Orphans Foundation

Dr. Jane Aronson was born in Brooklyn in 1951 and grew up on Long Island. She attended Hunter College in New York City and taught school for ten years.

At thirty-one, she fulfilled her life’s dream to become a physician and entered medical school. She graduated from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1986 and did a pediatric residency and chief residency in New Jersey, followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Columbia Presbyterian /Babies Hospital in New York City. Between 1992 and 2000, she was the Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Director of the International Adoption Medical Consultation Services at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, New York.

Since July 2000, Dr. Aronson has been in private practice as Director of International Pediatric Health Services, in New York City. She is Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and has evaluated well over 4,000 children adopted from abroad as an adoption medicine specialist; she has traveled to orphanages in Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Latin America.

Since 1997, she has conducted research and provided education in orphanages abroad through her 501(3) (c) foundation, Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO). WWO documents the medical and developmental conditions of children living in orphanages abroad in order to identify their immediate healthcare needs and to advocate for their well-being through the Orphan Ranger Program. This program acts as a “peace corps” for orphanages by commissioning university students and healthcare professionals to live and work in orphanages. They are proficient in the native tongue and work in conjunction with staff to improve the nutritional and emotional health of abandoned children. Since 1997, Dr. Aronson has funded Orphan Rangers in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, India, Ecuador, Viet Nam, China, Serbia, Montenegro, and Ethiopia. WWO has been granted NGO status in Viet Nam and Ethiopia and has embarked on training programs for physicians in both countries to care for HIV-infected orphans.WWO currently treats orphans with HIV/AIDS in both countries.

She has been featured in many newspapers and magazines, such as The New Yorker on July 17, 2000, People on November 12, 2001, May 2, 2005, August 1, 2005, and most recently, November 7, 2005; other features were in The NewYork Times in Jane Brody’s Science Times/Personal Health column on July 22, 2003 and then Jill Brooke’s feature on adoption and home design on July 22, 2004. She is a recipient of the Congressional Angel of Adoption Award in September 2000. She is the adoptive mom of two sweet boys, Ben, from Viet Nam and Desalegn, from Ethiopia.

Journalist and TV Presenter

Celebrating over three decades at the network, Network 10’s Entertainment Editor Angela Bishop, has established herself as a prominent identity within the Australian and international entertainment media.

Angela’s reputation and credibility is such that she is often called upon by international broadcasters to report on events happening within Australia. Angela has reported on Michael Jackson’s Sydney wedding to Debbie Rowe, the wedding of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban and covered Princess Diana’s 1996 tour of Australia where she was invited to interview the Princess.

Her biggest interview to date was with Oprah Winfrey during her Ultimate Australian Adventure. She also scored a rare interview with Borat, the alter ego of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, that went viral.

In 2014, Angela wrote and presented a behind the scenes look at hit comedy show Modern Family who were filming down under for a special holiday episode and in 2018, she was invited to The Bold and The Beautiful Los Angeles studios to reprise her role as JJ, who she first played when the show filmed in Australia.

Angela’s renowned work ethic, integrity and professionalism sees her regularly invited to interview the stars and creators of music, film and television all over the world. Her extensive list of celebrity interviews includes Audrey Hepburn, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Drew Barrymore, Angelina Jolie, Susan Sarandon, Jack Nicholson, Daniel Craig, Cate Blanchett, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Robin Williams, Elton John, Rihanna, Britney Spears and Mick Jagger.

Angela can be seen covering the major red carpet events around the world including the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and Emmy Awards. She is also called upon by movie companies to host Australian premieres and media conferences.

Angela joined Network 10 as a general news reporter in 1989 and in 1994, she was appointed 10’s Entertainment Reporter. As well as filing stories for 10 News First, Angela regularly reported on Good Morning Australia with TV legend Bert Newton, and in 1998 became one of the founding cast members of The Panel.

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Deborra-lee Furness

Renée Carter

Alfre Woodard

Nicole Warne

Nia Vardalos

Jack Thompson

Lisa Sthalekar

Meg Ryan

Marie Osmond

Daniella Park

John O’Neill

Mark Nixon

Brad Murphy

Dr Shellie Morris

Catherine McDonnell

Mariska Hargitay

Hugh Jackman

Emily Hikaiti

Sandra Sully

Anne King

Ellia Green

Louise Ransome

Phoebe Garland

Zufi Emerson

Sallianne Deckert

Helen McCabe

Joel de Carteret

Joe Hildebrand

Tom Imbesi

Bianca Dye

Dr. Tom Bourdon

Latika Bourke

Jonah Bobongie

Eric Bailey

Melissa Doyle

Helen Baker

Victoria Buchan

Dr Jane Aronson

Angela Bishop