4th Financial Inclusion Conference - Roads to Resilience | Northern Rivers Community Gateway | 15 February 2022 | SMC Conference & Function Centre, 66 Goulburn St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

This conference aims to take a deep dive into financial resilience and explore the various roads to it. The conference is particularly relevant now, following the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Accordingly, we have expanded our program to examine the impacts of this pandemic on our communities. With more sessions, speakers and an additional fourth breakout stream, Roads to Resilience will explore the major challenges of disasters affecting Australia and the world today, including the Australian climate change events of 2020.

This conference will bring issues of financial exclusion and financial vulnerability to light, expanding conversation around financial resilience. By deepening conversation around our central themes, we hope to illuminate the developments of innovative programs and service delivery. We will showcase relevant research findings and celebrate the person-centred approach of NGOs, government initiatives and highlight perceived funding gaps in the sector. Roads to Resilience provides us with opportunities to draw on some real data and experiences facing our communities and sector at this time.

Who should attend?
The event will convene a diverse audience of stakeholders concerned with financial inclusion and financial resilience. This is a great opportunity to connect with a community of people invested in a positive financial future to strengthen our own connections, share stories, experiences and best practices.

This conference will provide a thought provoking opportunity for researchers, funding bodies, policy makers, regulators, advocates, executives, managers, front-line staff and students and volunteers working in the NGO sector, finance, energy and targeted industries.

2022 Speakers

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Professor Sharon Collard
Research Director, University of Bristol Personal Finance Research Centre

Professor Frederick Wherry
Townsend Martin, Class of 1917 Professor of Sociology, Princeton University

Dr Jeremiah Brown
Research Fellow, Centre for Social Impact

Reverend Tim Costello AO
Alliance for Gambling Reform Chief Advocate

SPEAKERS AND AUTHORS:

Dr Ann Kayis-Kumar
Senior Lecturer at UNSW

Anna Bacik
Director of Policy and Research, NCOSS

Claire Butler
Program Manager, Brotherhood of St Laurence

Dana Beiglari
Senior Solicitor, Legal Aid NSW

Ellen McNaught
National Coordinator Impact Projects, Red Cross

Gordon Mackenzie

Heather Thomson
Chief Operating Officer, Global Sisters

Jenni Beetson-Mortimer
CEO, Northern Rivers Community Gateway

Renee Bailey
NILS Administrator, Northern Rivers Community Gateway

Leela James
Community Relief and Resilience coordinator, WACOSS

May King
Helping Hands Support Worker, Northern Rivers Community Gateway

Fiona Batterham
Financial Inclusion Project Officer, Northern Rivers Community Gateway

Kristen Hartnett
Moneycare Regional Manager, Salvation Army

Louise Campbell
Principal, SVA Consulting

Jonathan Dorse
Financial Literacy Project Officer, Salvation Army

Sarah Judd-Lam
Manager, Policy and Research, Carers NSW

Josh Vernon
CEO, Earnd

Helen Ford
Deputy Ombudsman, Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW

Amanda Young
Atlantic Fellow

Caroline Stewart
CEO, Ecstra Foundation

Dr Archana Voola
Research Fellow, UNSW's Business School Centre for Social Impact.

Farhan Ashik

Monique Wiseman
Senior Aboriginal Project Officer, Homelessness NSW

Andrew Dadswell
Senior Manager, Australian Securities and Investments Commission

Ellis Blaikie
Manager Service Improvement and Innovation, Bridge Housing

Tom Dawkins
CEO, StartSomeGood.com

Dr Christina Pollard
Principal Policy Consultant, East Metropolitan Health Service

Joanna Quilty
CEO, NCOSS

Jodie Wainwright
CEO, Milk Crate Theatre

Teresa Woods
Policy Consultant, Australian Banking Association

Margot Politis
Artistic Director, Milk Crate Theatre

Gerard Brody
CEO, Consumer Action Law Centre

Kristin O'Connell
Co-founder, Antipoverty Centre

Effie Zahos
Editor, Large at Canstar

Elliot Parkinson
Director, Beacon Strategies

Jess Perrin
Head of Social Innovation and Digital Inclusion, Infoxchange

Karen Cox
CEO, Financial Rights Legal Centre

Fran Stead
CEO, Cowra Information & Neighbourhood Centre

Jess Davidson
Disability and Inclusion Regional Manager, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW

Poppy Brown
Director NSW and ACT, Australian Red Cross

Chris Hartley
Research Fellow, UNSW's Centre for Social Impact

Carmen Daniels
Research & Communications, Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network

Professor Michael Walpole

Dr Youngdeok Lim
Senior Lecturer, UNSW

Rebecca Glenn
CWES Founder and 2019 Churchill Fellow

Jane Calvert
Customer and Communities Advocacy, Transurban

Helen Hodgson
Curtin Law School

Heather Saunders
Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand

Megan McAlpine
Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand

John Fenech
Bushfire Recovery and Community Development State Manager, St Vincent de Paul NSW

Marta Kreiser
Brotherhood of St Laurence

Katherine Boyle
Executive Director, Welfare Rights Centre

Leanne Ho
Executive Officer, Economic Justice Australia

Rhiannon Cook
Policy and Advocacy Manager, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW

Dr Diana Warren
Senior Research Fellow

Phil Usher
CEO, First Nations Foundation

Sharon Edwards
Financial Counsellor, Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network

Kris Newton
Manager, Mountains Community Resource Network

Taleen Shamlian
Board Membe, NSW Government’s Council for Women’s Economic Opportunity

Kylie Flack
Policy Officer, NSW Department of Communities and Justice

Julia Weber
2021 Young Woman of the Year Award finalist

Jessica Casey
General Insurance Team Manager, Australian Financial Complaints Authority

Professor Jan Breckenridge
Head of School of Social Sciences, UNSW

Natalie Wright
Director, NSW Office of Responsible Gambling

Lisa Sweeney
Director of Social Impact, Service NSW

Dr Lukas Hofstätter
Research and Development Officer, Carers NSW

Ian Hamm
Board of Directors Chair, First Nations Foundation

Andrew Lewis
Executive Director Energy, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

Leanne Walding
Community Builder, Lithgow Information and Neighbourhood Centre

Larisha V Jerome
Indigenous Women’s Financial Wellness Project lead, First Nations Foundation

Gayatri Nair
Financial Abuse Service NSW Policy and Capacity Building Officer, Redfern Legal Centre

Laura Bianchi
Financial Abuse Service NSW Team Leader, Redfern Legal Centre

Dr Dina Bowman
Principal Research Fellow, Brotherhood of St Laurence

2022 Sponsors

SILVER SPONSOR:
• Department of Communities and Justice

DINNER SPONSOR:
• National Australia Bank
• Panthera Finance

RURAL AND STUDENT SPONSOR:
• Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand

INCLUSION SPONSOR:
• icare

SESSION SPONSORS:
• Ecstra Foundation
• Transurban
• Earnd

EXHIBITORS:
• Centre for Social Impact
• Transurban
• Financial Counsellors’ Association of NSW
• Northern Rivers Community Gateway
• Suncorp
• Australian Securities & Investments Commission
• Speckle
• Service NSW