Driving Policy Change For Now And For What's Next

This weeks Pro Bono Australia Change Maker is Andrew Hudson, CEO of the Centre for Policy Development. Andrew will be speaking on the panel, 'From Ideas to Impact, What's Driving Policy Change and What's Next', at next week's Progress 2026 conference, led by Australian Progress, where Andrew is a also a board member!

Andrew Hudson is a dynamic senior leader in the social change movement. He has 25 years of experience in public policy, advocacy and senior leadership, working with NGOs, the UN, the private sector and government. He is an expert in building collaborations and changing systems to improve the lives of disadvantaged people.

^Andrew at the Skoll World Forum.

Describe your career trajectory and how you got to your current position.

From a young age at school, I’ve always believed in a just world and universal rights. I was Australia’s first Youth Representative to the UN, studied human rights law at Melbourne University. I went to work for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Ecuador and the UN Regional Commission in Thailand. As a qualified lawyer, I cut my teeth at the Brimbank Melton Community Legal Centre. I was lucky to receive an amazing John Monash Scholarship to study my masters in human rights law at NYU law school. I spent the best part of 20 years living the dream in New York City. At Human Rights First, I helped to prosecute Guatemalan army generals for genocide and free colombian political prisoners. As CEO of Crisis Action, I lead a global team of 50+ people in 11 countries. I built coalitions to protect civilians in wars such as Syria, Yemen and South Sudan. In 2021 we moved back to Australia and I was fortunate to land at CPD.

What drives you to do the work that you do?

I’ve always wanted to make the world a better place! CPD seeks practical policy solutions to complex problems in Australia and SE Asia. I've always been drawn to systems reform and the ability to improve the lives of thousands or millions of people. Having lived overseas for so long I was very keen to dive back into Australian issues but also wanted to keep working on international issues, which have been so core to my career. CPD is unique working on domestic issues as well as international issues in SE Asia, so it was a perfect fit. 

If you could go back in time, what piece of advice would you give yourself as you first embarked on your career?

Listen more deeply. Slow down. Be more patient. Be more curious. Be less sure. See more grey. Be less direct. 

And all of this probably still applies!

What does strong social sector leadership look like to you?

Strong social sector leadership must first and foremast be using evidence-based intervention to seek better outcomes. Strong not for profit leadership is all about seeking reform to improve equity and reduce inequality in society. It is about standing up to governments and the private sector to advocate for the best policies. Amplifying marginalised voices and building clever coalitions is a critical part of effective leadership in the sector. Above all else it’s about perseverance, setting achievable goals and celebrating the wins. Strong leadership in the sector also means avoiding burn-out and modelling mindfulness.

What are you currently watching / reading / listening to?

At CPD we’ve just wrapped up our inaugural Policy Exchange. It was based around Ben Perks’ book Trauma Proof. On one level for most parents it's an excruciating read, demonstrating how most of us are unwittingly traumatising our children. On another level it’s an incredibly hopeful book. Firstly, Ben’s own story of recovery from childhood trauma is inspiring. Secondly, his call for our society to ensure every child grows up loved and to eradicate childhood trauma is achievable. At CPD we are working with governments in Australia to achieve this exciting vision. It’s very satisfying to see so much progress in reforming all the policies to enable children and families to thrive. 

^Andrew delivering the John Monash Oration in 2021.