Chair of Social Inclusion Board Retires

Patricia Faulkner AO has retired from the Australian Social Inclusion Board

The Federal Government has announced the retirement of Patricia Faulkner AO, as Chair of the Australian Social Inclusion Board.

Minister for Social Inclusion, Mark Butler, says that after four years as Chair of the Australian Social Inclusion Board, Patricia Faulkner has decided it is time for new leadership to take the Board’s significant policy agenda forward.

Faulkner was handpicked to lead the Board on its inception in 2008, when it was formed as an independent advisory body to Government on ways to achieve better outcomes for the most disadvantaged in our community.

“This date marks the end of four years as Chair of the Board and I am pleased with, and proud of, the achievements of the Board in that period,” Faulkner said.

The Minister thanked Faulkner for her strong leadership of the Board and advice to Government during her time as Chair.

"Under Ms Faulkner, the Board has provided frank and honest advice on a wide range of issues, and has been influential in steering policy development and debate at high levels within Government,” Butler said.

“The Board has helped keep the needs of the most disadvantaged Australians at the top of the Government's agenda.

“Patricia has achieved this through her extensive and ongoing engagement with communities from all different areas around the country, her strategic engagement with the Not for Profit sector, business representatives, key thinkers and academics, and other levels of government.”

Some of the Board’s key achievements during Faulkner’s period as Chair include:

• Establishing a benchmark for measuring levels of social inclusion in Australia, through the landmark report, How Australia is Faring. The second of these reports is due for release in June 2012.
   
• Early work on social inclusion principles and a policy toolkit.
   
• Leading the development of three influential reports on Addressing Barriers for Jobless Families, Breaking Cycles of Disadvantage, and Governance Models for Location-based Initiatives.
   
• The findings of these reports – in particular those relating to place-based measures – resulted in a large investment in the 2010-11 Budget in measures to assist those experiencing entrenched disadvantage, as part of the Building Australia’s Future Workforce package.

“Social Inclusion continues to be a policy priority for this Government and the Board plays an important role in progressing this agenda. Over the coming weeks I will consider who will be best placed to lead the Board into the future,” Butler said.