New Chair of Social Inclusion Board
2 August 2012 at 3:25 pm
The National Director of UnitingCare Australia and one of Australia's leading social justice advocates, Lin Hatfield Dodds has been appointed the new Chair of the Australian Social Inclusion Board.
Hatfield Dodds is a recognised expert on community services and social policy.
The Social Inclusion Board was set up under the Rudd Labor Government in 2008 to advise the Federal Government on ways to achieve better outcomes for disadvantaged people in the community.
The inaugural chair, Patricia Faulkner AO, announced her retirement in May.
The Minister for Social Inclusion, Mark Butler, in announcing the new Chair said he looked forward to working with Hatfield Dodds.
“Lin Hatfield Dodds has dedicated most of her life to supporting vulnerable people in our community and she has all the qualifications for this important job,” Butler said.
“I have no doubt the Board will continue to keep the needs of the most disadvantaged Australians at the top of the Government's agenda under Lin Hatfield Dodds’ leadership.”
Hatfield Dodds said the Board’s work helped to harness the knowledge in the community to inform good policy development.
“Real change happens when the knowledge and experience of government, business, the community sector and, most importantly, disadvantaged citizens is used by leaders to reduce vulnerability, overcome disadvantage and close gaps,” she said.
Hatfield Dodds chairs the Boards of The Australia Institute and UnitingCare Kippax. She serves on Board of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture. She is past President of the Australian Council of Social Service and chaired the ACT Community Inclusion Board for four years.
Lin was a leading participant to the Prime Minister's 2020 Summit (2007), and to the Australian Government Tax Forum (2011). Lin was a member of the national Community Response Task Force advising the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs during the global financial crisis, and of the National Youth Advisory and Consultative Forum which advised the Federal Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
Lin has given expert testimony to Federal Parliamentary inquiries into poverty and disadvantage, welfare reform, community service delivery, taxation and income support, refugee policy, mental health and other issues. Lin was the Greens Senate candidate for the ACT in the 2010 Federal Election.
Minister Butler also announced three new members of the Australian Social Inclusion Board – Dr Emma Cassar, Anne Hampshire and Zoya Patel.
