The Not-for-profit Agenda (Webinar)
Date: 20 Nov 2025
A new Labor voice for the social sector will take centre stage in the latest edition of the Not-for-profit Agenda.
The Institute of Community Directors Australia will air its free one-hour quarterly news webinar at 12.30pm (AEDT) on Thursday, November 20.
This episode’s special guest is Melbourne MP Sarah Witty, who was elected this year in a nail-biting contest that unseated former Greens leader Adam Bandt.
Witty will join the event live for a Q&A about how Labor’s agenda will affect the NFP sector.
And Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek has just been added to the mix of not-for-profit thinkers addressing the biggest issues facing the sector.
Plibersek recently announced federal plans for new longer-term contracts for community service organisations she says will slash red tape and cover the true cost of services.
Other video reports will update you on a blueprint guiding the sector's future, care economy reforms, First Nations rights, how community leaders can activate their considerable political clout, and details of the Community Directors “radical moderate” project.
The latest Community Directors news webinar aims to get not-for-profit and charity leaders up to speed in less time than it takes to eat lunch.
The Not-for-profit Agenda, airing at 12.30pm AEST on Thursday, April 23, is Community Directors’ free one-hour lunchtime show broadcast online via Zoom.
The next edition will feature special guest Dr Wesa Chau, who is chief of the progressive think tank Per Capita, a former federal Labor candidate, a not-for-profit director and a multicultural leader.
Chau is on the front lines of the push for policy and social reforms in housing, tax, poverty and more, and she understands better than most what it takes to turn ideas into action, having earned her PhD by looking at how pollies gain their political skills. Her views on the current political environment are sure to be of interest to sector leaders.
Alongside Witty’s live Q&A, the Community Directors webinar will also feature a series of video reports from sector leaders, including:
- Veteran journalist Ray Martin’s call for action at the annual Joan Kirner Social Justice Oration
- Redbridge pollster Kos Samaras on the rising political power of not-for-profits
- Professor Jo Barraket on the next steps for the NFP Sector Development Blueprint
- VACCHO CEO Jill Gallagher AO on the promise of Victoria’s First Nations treaty
- Productivity Commissioner Alison Roberts on the need for reform in the care economy
- Adele Stowe-Lindner on Community Directors’ “radical moderate” project
- VCOSS chief Juanita Pope on lessons from VCOSS’s recent summit of sector leaders
More about our special guest
Before entering Parliament, Witty led The Nappy Collective, which distributes two million nappies each year to families facing disadvantage. During her time as chief executive, she helped the organisation rebuild, expand its national volunteer network and achieve financial stability.
Not-for-profit and charity leaders will hear how Witty’s experience in the sector shapes her work in government, and how Labor plans to support not-for-profits to achieve their goals in the years ahead.
This free webcast is part of ICDA’s mission to educate, inform and inspire leaders, directors and staff within the community sector, with more great guests expected to be added before the Not-for-profit Agenda airs.
Alongside a live Q&A with Chau, the April episode will also feature video reports from:
- Ryan Ginard of the Minderoo Foundation on why deductible gift recipient (DGR) reform is crucial for the future of fundraising
- Plan International Australia’s chief executive Susanne Legena on Plan’s mission to help power girls to change the world
- Infoxchange chief executive David Spriggs on how not-for-profits can tame AI, and powering tech for social good
- Charities Minister Andrew Leigh on Labor’s second-term agenda for the sector
- Political commentator Sean Kelly on whether Albanese’s Labor government really is up for the “good fight”
- AI educator and innovator Kyle Behrend on making the most of the new tech
- Multi-billion-dollar fundraiser Michael Sheldrick on the power of positive persuasion
- The Benchmarking Project’s Dr Peter Coleman on the project’s findings on fundraising trends
This webinar will took place live on:
Thursday, 20 November 2025
This webinar will take place live on:
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart, Canberra, Brisbane: 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Adelaide, Darwin: 12pm to 1pm
Perth: 10:30am to 11:30am
Price:
FREE!
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