UnitingCare Australia is the national body for the Uniting Church’s community services network and an agency of the Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia.
In its Statement to the Nation in 1977 the Uniting Church pledged to seek the correction of injustices and work for the eradication of poverty.
UnitingCare Australia has a Mandate to advocate with the Church, to Government and the broader community on policies and practices which enhance the dignity of people, especially those who are most vulnerable. We work towards a community in which every person meets their full potential.
The work of UnitingCare Australia is grounded in the values and vision of the Uniting Church in Australia, the expertise in the Church’s network of service providers and the experience of those people who use those services.
UnitingCare Australia’s work focuses on relationships, positioning and influence. We maintain bipartisan working relationships across all political parties and with key politicians, public servants and thought leaders at the national level. Within this environment UnitingCare offers expertise, credibility, independence and integrity.
Click here for our key foundational documents
Our guiding principles
- All people in Australia are to be treated justly, accorded dignity and have their basic rights protected
- Australian society must be guided by a commitment to justice and full participation by its citizens across all domains of life, recognising those most disadvantaged and marginalised and the unique place of our First Peoples
- Decision-making on national policy must operate in a truly democratic way involving and empowering the greatest number of people through working cooperatively and ecumenically
- The Church, as part of society, must devote itself to worship, witness and service to give greater expression to God’s love for the world and the Church as a loving agency that cares and works together for justice
National Director: Claerwen Little
Director, Policy and Advocacy: Fay Mound
Senior Analyst: Dr Robyn Seth-Purdie
Senior Analyst: Kate Gainer
Senior Analyst: Corinne Dobson
Executive Officer, Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety: Kirsten Anker
Project Officer, Remote Accord: Mary Quinlan
Media and Communications Coordinator: Tom Finnigan
Office Manager: Christina Valdmanis
Administration Officer/Receptionist: Alannah Prout
To contact UnitingCare Australia, visit our contact page
Left to right:
Geoff Batkin - CEO, Wesley Mission Queensland
Colleen Geyer - General Secretary, Uniting Church in Australia National Assembly
Lawson Broad - CEO, Somerville Community Services
Brownyn Pike - CEO, Uniting Vic.Tas
Paul Linossier - Interim Chair, UnitingCare Australia
Claerwen Little - National Director, UnitingCare Australia
Tracey Burton - Executive Director, Uniting NSW.ACT
Amanda Hunt - CEO, UnitingCare West
Craig Barke - CEO, UnitingCare Queensland
Rev Tim Hodgson - Executive Officer, UnitingCare SA
UnitingCare Australia is the national body for the UnitingCare network, one of the largest providers of community services in Australia. With over 1,600 sites, the network employs 50,000 staff and is supported by the work of over 30,000 volunteers.
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on June 22, 1977, as a union of three churches: the Congregational Union of Australia, the Methodist Church of Australasia and the Presbyterian Church of Australia. It is the third largest Christian denomination in Australia and the first church to be created in and of Australia.
The Uniting Church is organised not by a hierarchy, but by a series of inter-related councils – congregations, presbyteries, synods, and the national Assembly. Decisions are usually made by consensus. Each council has its distinct tasks, and each council recognises the limit of its responsibilities in relation to other councils.
Visit the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly's website to learn more.
Other agencies of the Assembly: