We are pleased to announce the 7th Annual Keeping Women Out of Prison Parliament House Breakfast hosted by Catherine Cusack MLC is now going ahead on Wednesday,16 March 2022, 7.15am for a 7.30am start. We hope you can join us on this new date.

What you need to know:

If you have already booked your tickets and are happy to roll your booking over to this new date, no further action is required on your part (other than noting the new date in your diary!)
If you have already booked your tickets, but can no-longer attend on this new date, you might consider gifting your ticket to a friend or colleague, or get in touch with us - and we will gladly provide it to a member of the community who would otherwise be unable to attend. Alternatively, a refund can be organised too – just get in touch and we’ll organise that as well.
If you haven’t already booked - please do so here. While our scheduled date has changed, the program and speakers remain the same. Consider sharing the invitation with your networks and promoting the event whenever possible. Your support and attendance are very much appreciated.
You must provide proof you are fully vaccinated to enter NSW Parliament House

We’ll keep you posted if anything changes. Stay safe, and we’ll be in touch with more information soon.

Our speakers include:

Robert Tickner, Chair of the Justice Reform Initiative, a recently formed national organisation committed to shifting the public conversation and public policy in Australia away from reliance on incarceration as the primary response of the criminal justice system. The Patrons in Chief of the Justice Reform Initiative are two former Governors General Sir William Deane and Dame Quentin Bryce.

Robert is a former Acting Under Secretary General of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Federation and the former Chief Executive of the Australian Red Cross.

Robert served as Federal Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs from 1990-1996 and is Australia's longest serving Minister of Indigenous Affairs. During this time Robert played a leading role in the passage of the Native Title Act, the initiation of the stolen generations inquiry, the creation of the national land fund and the national response to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. He was responsible for the initiation of the reconciliation process and the unanimous passage of the reconciliation legislation through the Australian parliament.

Robert holds Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Economics degrees and has written two books.

Tatea Riley is a proud Thungutti and Wanarrua women who grew up in the inner city suburb of Waterloo . Tatea has overcome tremendous adversity in her life including family relationship breakdowns, drug addiction, a death in custody, and a constant struggle to remain in stable housing and employment.

Tatea continues to work hard on her recovery, she has turned her life around by going to rehabilitation and attaining a diploma in community services. After receiving support from Deadly Connections a number of years ago, Tatea is now working with them as a Justice Specialist. She will share with us her experiences to illustrate the struggles, setbacks and successes Aboriginal women experience in the criminal justice system.

This year funds raised at the Breakfast will go to help the work of Deadly
Connections.

Philippa McDonald will be MC for the morning. She is a 30-year veteran of ABC News (until October 2020) and one of the most respected and trusted faces in Australian journalism. A hallmark of Philippa's career has been covering injustice, high rates of incarceration and the impact on families and communities. Philippa has reported from communities all over regional and remote New South Wales and Ceduna, South Australia. At the start of her career she covered the Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody Royal Commission and ever since the response of both state and Federal governments' to the recommendations. As well as those caught up in the criminal justice system and their families, Philippa has interviewed Police Ministers, Attorneys General, Police Commissioners, those running the prisons, criminologists and judges over decades along with those advocating for change and alternatives to incarceration.

About us

KWOOP is an independent, authoritative voice advocating evidence based support, and is a sub-fund of the Sydney Community Foundation. Our coalition includes: The Sydney Community Foundation through its KWOOP Fund, By My Side Fund and Sydney Women's Fund, SHINE for Kids, Community Restorative Centre (CRC) through The Miranda Project, Women’s Justice Network, Zonta Club of Sydney, Australian Centre for Public and Population Health Research UTS, Corrective Services NSW, Dress for Success Sydney, UNSW School of Social Sciences, Kathleen York House, Deadly Connections Inc, Soroptimists NSW, National Council of Women NSW, and the Country Women’s Association NSW.

Our purpose is to influence NSW systems, policy and practice in order to reduce the number of women in prison and to minimise the impacts on their families and children.

The Keeping Women Out of Prison Coalition is a sub-fund of the Sydney Community Foundation. If you can't attend the Breakfast, you can still make a donation to support us.

If you want to hear more about KWOOP, please email us at KWOOP@sydneycommunityfoundation.org.au