The Catholic Social Services Australia's (CSSA) 2025 Parliamentary Advocacy Summit was held on 28–29 October at Parliament House. We assembled more than fifty leaders from our network, alongside parliamentarians and faith leaders under the theme of Advancing the Common Good.
Issues of homelessness and mental ill-health, the funding gap facing social service providers, and Faith in the Public Square were explored. One of the summit’s most impactful elements was the unveiling of the Journeys of Belonging exhibition – a powerful collection of large photographic portraits created by Centacare Geraldton’s Housing First Support Service. These striking images, captured by photographer Trevor Pickett, tell the stories of people who have faced housing insecurity in Western Australia’s Midwest and provided a grounded reminder of who our services support.
A centrepiece of the summit was the formal presentation of the 2025 Australian Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Statement, Signs of Hope on the Edge: Serving People Living in Homelessness and Mental Ill-Health, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick.
The Hope on Edge and Real Costs, Real Impacts panels were expertly facilitated by Paul Bongiorno and delivered clear insights that our members are achieving positive outcomes as “builders of hope” but face a growing gap between funding allocations and the true cost of delivering quality services.
The Parliamentary Advocacy Summit represented a powerful moment of coming together as a Catholic social services community and provided an excellent platform to demonstrate the unique contribution that Catholic social services make to Australian society.
What stood out most was the strength of our collective voice. When we brought together the experiences from communities across Australia- from regional areas to urban centres- parliamentarians and departmental officials listened with genuine interest. They saw firsthand the deep understanding our Catholic social services community has of complex social challenges and the practical, person-centred solutions we offer.
Thanks to all our members who came to the CSSA Advocacy Summit and contributed your time, expertise and voices to CSSA collective advocacy efforts, and making the event such a success!
Policy and Advocacy Update – Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond
Advocating with a distinctive Catholic voice for our Member Agencies providing services to vulnerable, disadvantaged and impoverished Australians will continue to be CSSA’s top strategic priority into 2026 and beyond. With the finalisation and launch of CSSA’s Strategic Plan 2026-31, CSSA’s will focus on:
- Strengthening strategic engagement with governments in policy discussions as a trusted, evidence-informed and credible broker and solutions partner.
- Strengthening partnerships and collaborations with the broader faith and non-faith-based services sector and with researchers.
- Reaffirming our commitment to journeying with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and community organisations to support self-determination and build meaningful relationships.
- Demonstrating value to members in strengthening our collective voice and impact.
As we reach the end of 2025, CSSA will take stock of the policy and advocacy issues that reflect the priorities of our members and build on the calls to action highlighted at the CSSA Parliamentary Advocacy Summit including: housing and homelessness for those most at-risk and with complex needs, the cost-of-living crisis, family and domestic violence, children’s and family support and mental health. | 
