2019 Priorities

The Family Matters Campaign seeks to achieve the following high level goals in 2019:

1. Ensuring the effective operation of the Family Matters Campaign by:

1. Re-establishing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership group as a collective model
2. Securing $400,000 funding for 2019-2020, including $150,000 through sponsorships to ensure the Campaign is sustainable and well-resourced to achieve its core objectives
3. Proactively engaging all campaign members and ambassadors and ensuring they are aware of how they can best support the Campaign

2. Deepening accountability of all Campaign partners – “walking the talk”- by:

1. Developing an audit tool to measure Campaign members’ compliance with the Family Matters Statement of Commitment

3. Progressing political solutions – walking with governments- by:

1. Securing support of key federal, and state and territory Ministers for key political asks, particularly ahead of the federal election in the first half of 2019
2. Securing bipartisan support for and start co-designing a national, resourced strategy to redress over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care
3. Ensuring the Closing the Gap targets reflect Family Matter’s key asks, commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander oversight and federal government leadership
4. Advocating for the establishment of new independent and empowered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Commissioners and/or peak bodies in at least two states/territories or at the federal level
5. Producing a quality Family Matters Report 2019 that is sustained as the authoritative Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-led report on outcomes and supports for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
6. Progressing opportunities for individual advocacy to create systemic change

4. Increasing the public visibility of the Campaign by:

1. Executing a strong National Week of Action with at least 80 events across Australia that increase awareness of: the Family Matters Campaign, the drivers of over-representation, and the solutions

5. Supporting state and territory work- with a focus on community level engagement- by:

1. Supporting effective operation of existing Jurisdictional Working Groups to progress jurisdictional plans for legislative, policy and practice change to reduce over-representation
2. Establish a Working Group in Victoria and explore development in the ACT, NT and Tas.
3. Promoting a community level engagement plan in existing Jurisdictional Working Groups.