The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury
A Big Birthday for Bigheartedness
Philanthropy Australia 50th Anniversary Celebrations
Online Address
Wednesday, 26 November 2025
I’m Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Charities, and it’s a pleasure to be speaking to you from Ngunnawal land.
Congratulations to Philanthropy Australia on turning fifty. It’s a rare organisation that reaches its golden jubilee while still managing to feel genuinely future-focused. If only the rest of us could age with such confidence.
When Meriel Wilmot-Wright and Patricia Feilman gathered colleagues in 1975 to form what became Philanthropy Australia, they weren’t chasing applause. They were building the scaffolding for smarter, more ambitious giving. The name has changed over the years, the stationery has improved, but the purpose has remained steady: connecting people who want to make a difference, and helping their efforts land with real impact.
Look at what has been achieved. Securing private ancillary funds opened new pathways for structured giving. Creating a deductible gift recipient category for community foundations gave communities new tools to back themselves. Championing the national target to double giving by 2030 set a clear, measurable ambition. The Productivity Commission review, coauthored by Krystian Seibert, helped put generosity at the centre of public policy. Influencing practice shifts in philanthropy, including raising awareness of its role supporting charity advocacy, or highlighting the value of ‘Paying What It Takes’. None of these wins came about by accident. They came from persistence, persuasion and a belief that generosity should be part of Australia’s civic fabric.
One of the unspoken truths about giving is that it’s contagious. A thoughtful act inspires another, a well-run institution raises expectations across the field, and a strong peak body helps amplify it all. For fifty years, Philanthropy Australia has played that catalytic role. You may have started in Melbourne, but in 2025 you also have an active presence in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. By connecting, convening and inspiring around Australia, you’ve shown that generosity isn’t something soft on the edges of public life. It’s a practical force that shapes communities, strengthens institutions and expands opportunity.
As you head into the next fifty years, the opportunities are enormous: widening participation, supporting first-time givers, strengthening trust and transparency, and making sure giving feels accessible to every Australian. A society in which more people can help someone else is a society with deeper confidence in itself.
Everyone who has contributed to this remarkable journey, thank you. And to Philanthropy Australia chief executive Maree Sidey and those steering the next chapter, may your ambition remain as bold as your generosity.
ENDS