In the first week of March 2026, the Centre for Policy Development hosted the inaugural CPD Policy Exchange—a week-long series of events designed to bring together advocates, policymakers, service providers and community leaders to explore an important question: what would it take to make Australia the best place in the world to be a child and raise a family?
As part of the program, CPD delivered six major events—including two innovative public forums in Melbourne and Sydney, a private roundtable hosted by the Governor-General in Canberra, and a meeting of our Early Childhood Development Council in Sydney. The week also included a series of targeted meetings with ministers, senior public servants, community organisations, and the media.
Building on CPD’s belief that real progress comes from shared understanding and a collective commitment to change, Policy Exchange events were designed as participatory conversations, where the audience helped shape the discussion alongside speakers. At our Melbourne and Sydney events alone over 50 people were able to share their insights, comments and questions directly with our featured participants.
Those conversations focused on three areas where reform could make the biggest difference:
CPD welcomed Benjamin Perks, author of Trauma Proof and a senior leader with the United Nations in New York, to Australia as a featured guest. Bringing Ben’s global expertise in child development and prevention into the conversation, alongside his own lived experience of childhood trauma, helped strengthen the case for reform. It also drove home that supporting children and families early is one of the most powerful investments in public health governments can make.
"We are the first generation to know how to prevent child trauma before it occurs, how to address it early before it becomes a life pattern, and how to start recovery at any age. We have the solutions to help every child grow up feeling safe and loved."
Across the week, Ben was joined by a diverse range of other notable experts, practitioners and changemakers—each bringing a unique and vital perspective to the discussions and helping build consensus around practical solutions that can meet the needs of communities across Australia.
With governments across the country exploring universal early learning and grappling with growing pressures on services and public budgets, the Policy Exchange took place at a critical moment for Australia, offering a rare opportunity to turn momentum into practical reform.
By bringing together evidence, lived experience and policy expertise, the 2026 Policy Exchange helped surface the ideas and partnerships needed to seize that opportunity, and to build systems that truly support children, families, communities and the economy to thrive.
On the evening of 3 March 2026, CPD hosted a live public event in Melbourne, and livestreamed for online audiences, as part of the Policy Exchange program.
Moderated by CPD CEO Andrew Hudson, the event featured Trauma Proof author Benjamin Perks, alongside Professor Sharon Goldfeld AM, paediatrician and public health expert specialising in prevention, and Rana Ebrahimi, a champion for the rights of refugees and migrant youth and an expert in social inclusion.
The event was designed as an open dialogue, with audience members contributing throughout the evening. There were over 100 attendees, 11 speakers contributed from the floor, and over 50 attendees shared comments and questions throughout—all helping shape the discussion in real time.
Together, participants and audience members explored real-world examples of prevention in action, such as the success of Australia’s immunisation programs, and pulled out the key lessons behind why these models work—specifically their clear goals and focus on equity—and how they can be applied to broader support for children and families.
The discussion highlighted the need for integrated, connected support rather than one-off or siloed programs. Government, providers and communities needed to work together towards a shared goal. A key theme was that “co-design” shouldn’t be a box-ticking exercise, but an ongoing partnership with the people who actually use the services. Ultimately, there needs to be a fundamental shift in thinking, to ensure governments aren’t just reacting to issues as they occur but prioritising prevention.
By the end of the evening, a clear message had emerged: supporting children and families early is one of the most powerful investments a society can make. While the challenges are significant, the discussion showed that practical solutions exist. With a focus on prevention, universal systems, and community-led services, Australia has a real opportunity to build a future where every child and family can thrive.
You can watch a full recording of the event below.
On the morning of 4 March 2026, CPD was privileged to hold a high-level government roundtable at Government House in Canberra, hosted by Her Excellency the Hon. Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia, as part of the Policy Exchange program.
The Governor-General was joined by CPD CEO Andrew Hudson and Chair Zoe Whitton, alongside Benjamin Perks, and senior government decision makers from 8 government departments and political offices, as well as key civil society leaders.
The discussion focused on how governments can work differently to help all children and families thrive. Participants explored opportunities to create a universal ‘front door’ for families to access services such as maternal and child health, education and care, and parenting support. They also discussed how to overcome barriers to investing in prevention and early intervention, and how to embed learning cultures in social services so they can continually adapt, improve, and deliver more effective, tailored support.
Opportunities to bring service providers, public servants, policymakers, political representatives and community leaders into the same room are not common—despite each playing a critical role in designing, funding and delivering services for children and families. Bringing these perspectives together allowed participants to move beyond high-level ideas and discuss the practical steps needed to turn evidence and policy proposals into reforms that can work in communities across Australia.
The roundtable also created space for participants to build relationships and strengthen the partnerships needed across government, service delivery and communities.
On the afternoon of 5 March 2026, CPD hosted a live public event in Sydney, livestreamed for online audiences, as part of the Policy Exchange program.
Moderated by CPD CEO Andrew Hudson, the event featured featured Trauma Proof author Benjamin Perks, alongside Richard Weston, senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leader and CEO of Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation; Georgie Dent, CEO of The Parenthood and prominent advocate for parents and families; and Angelica Ojinnaka-Psillakis, child and youth advocate and manager of the Future Healthy Countdown 2030.
As with the Melbourne public event, this was an open conversation between participants and audience members, both online and in person.
The discussion explored the varied experiences of early years support—with the perspectives of parents, service providers, regional and First Peoples communities all highlighted; acknowledging that practical reforms must work for all children and families. Participants highlighted examples of preventative services and discussed the importance of parenting programs, extended parental leave and universal early education and care.
A key insight from the conversation was that supporting children and families means ensuring help is available at every stage—from prenatal care, to time for babies to bond with their parents, through to high-quality early education and preschool, and on into primary and secondary school.
At a time when governments across Australia are actively considering reforms to early learning and family supports, the discussion reinforced that the evidence and ideas needed to drive change already exist—and that bringing these perspectives together can help turn momentum into practical reform.
