In the words of our Society’s founder Blessed Frederic Ozanam, our Society is called to feed the poor and hungry in our society with not just bread - but with hope.
‘Let us go to the poor. When we visit them, when we feel the cold that pierces them, we learn the true elements of the social question, and we carry with us not only bread, but hope,’ - Blessed Frederic Ozanam
In this spirit, we brought together Members, community leaders, advocates and those on the front lines of poverty and homelessness support for our recent 2025 Social Justice Forum – Voices for Change: Advocacy, Action and Impact.
Held at the Australian Catholic University campus in Brisbane, the forum brought together a diverse and passionate range of Society representatives to discuss important issues such as housing, homelessness and cost of living to help shape our responses.
“The voices of our Society regarding the issues facing our Companions are a critical part of shaping our advocacy response ” State President Patricia McMahon said.
“Together, we can be voices for positive change in our communities.”
The Forum was opened by Brisbane’s new Archbishop Shane Mackinlay, who shared his affirmation of the work of our Society and encouraged us to continue pursuing justice and compassion.
We also heard from Professor Cameron Parsell from the University of Queensland, giving valuable insights on the perspective of homelessness as a social injustice, as well as QCOSS Executive Director for Policy and Research Dr Eva Klambauer, who shared the organisation’s latest findings on affordability and financial stress impacting Queenslanders.
A panel on No Wrong Door, a Society-wide initiative encouraging collaboration and community connections in service of our Companions, provided a fantastic opportunity for teams across the state to discuss the program's impact on their Diocese.
A video on the No Wrong Door program was also shared at the Forum which is available on YouTube here.
Discussions shared insights into not only what has been effective in helping Companions, but also how we can continue to provide support through ongoing tangible and personal support in the face of hardships and uncertainty.
Some key internal and external opportunities to speak up for social injustice to create a fairer and more equitable Queensland were identified during these group discussions.
The information from the Social Justice Forum will help inform our future advocacy work, policy positions and actions to amplify the voices of our Companions and those on the margins of society and call for changes that will help end homelessness and poverty in Queensland.
This work will look to include the formation of a social justice network across the State, placed-based social justice groups and key resources to drive our advocacy work and empowering our Members and teams to become advocates in their own communities.
