Third Sector News

By the age of 5, many of the gaps that shape a child’s future are already visible.

That’s one of the strongest messages emerging from a major international study examining how young children develop before they even begin formal schooling. And importantly, it’s not just about literacy or numeracy anymore.

The research looks at emotional wellbeing, resilience, communication, self-regulation and social development, the foundations that influence how children learn, connect and thrive throughout life.

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The first 5 years: How data shapes childhood well-being The early years of childhood shape how people learn, communicate, build relationships and engage with the world throughout their lives.

The connection between domestic violence and housing insecurity is becoming impossible for the sector to ignore.

New research commissioned by St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria suggests many Australians experiencing violence may be unable to leave unsafe homes because the financial reality of securing housing feels out of reach.

For not-for-profit leaders, this reinforces a critical shift in how homelessness is understood. Increasingly, homelessness is not only a housing issue but also a consequence of economic pressure, inequality and insufficient support systems.

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Why leaving violence often means facing homelessness For many women and children escaping domestic and family violence, homelessness is hidden behind temporary arrangements.

Something has shifted in the national conversation about poverty.

According to new research, most Australians no longer see financial hardship as a personal failure, they see it as the result of policy choices. And frontline organisations already know exactly what that looks like in practice.

Families skipping meals. People choosing between medication and rent. Support services trying to hold communities together while demand keeps rising.

Fewer than one in four Australians believe they could survive themselves on the current baseline unemployment payment.

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Poverty seen as a policy failure, not a personal one The public consensus on poverty has reached a tipping point. Across the political spectrum, Australians increasingly recognise that extreme financial hardship is rarely a personal failing, but rather the direct result of systemic policy choices. Comprehensive research led by the Australian Council o...

The social sector has never lacked heart, but as funding bodies increasingly demand rigorous value for money and commercial accountability, heart alone isn't a strategy.

Paul Barbaro, CEO of Campbell Page, argues that the shift from a "welfare mentality" to a commercially disciplined business model is the key to scaling impact without losing your mission.

Full Q&A: https://tinyurl.com/yksb3cnr

According to new board-level research, leaders are operating in an environment where economic pressure, workforce change, cyber threats, regulatory complexity and AI-driven transformation are all colliding simultaneously.

For not-for-profit executives and boards, this creates a difficult balancing act of protecting organisational stability while still investing in innovation, workforce capability and long-term impact.

The organisations that adapt fastest may not be the ones taking the biggest risks, but the ones building governance, workforce and technology strategies capable of operating under continuous uncertainty.

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Australian directors face a new era of risk Australian company directors are confronted with rising costs, economic uncertainty and rapid technological change.

The Federal Budget brought some of the biggest structural reforms in years. And across the community sector, the response has been... complicated.

Yes to tax reform. Yes to housing measures. Yes to employment services investment. But also: more than 250,000 households still on social housing waiting lists. Homelessness services already at capacity. Income support for people below the poverty line left largely untouched.

For the organisations on the frontline managing these pressures every single day, the budget feels like a beginning, not a solution.

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