BSL Talks

BSL Talks is a regular webinar series hosted by the Brotherhood of St. Laurence. Evidence and research are discussed across a range of topics from housing affordability to climate justice. The aim is to consider the real life impacts of research on policy making and service improvements. While the community sector is the target audience, the general public are also encouraged to attend. To subscribe to hear about future BSL Talks events, please visit  https://www.bsl.org.au/contact...

Register now for our next BSL Talks - Thriving Kids, thriving families, thriving communities on Wednesday 29 April 

2026 marks a pivotal moment for early childhood development in Australia. With the rollout of Thriving Kids, governments, communities and service providers have a shared opportunity to reshape how children and families access the support they need - where they live, learn and play.

For too long, families of children with developmental concerns or differences have faced fragmented systems, long wait times and inconsistent access to early supports. Thriving Kids presents the opportunity to build a more equitable, integrated approach: one that meets families earlier, responds to their real‑world contexts, and strengthens inclusion.

Building on the momentum of this national reform, our upcoming BSL Talks event brings together leading voices from research, practice and policy to explore what it will take to create a system where every child can thrive.

Hosted by Zeah Behrend, BSL’s Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, this discussion will examine how equity, community‑embedded supports and cross‑sector collaboration can transform outcomes for children and families, and what practical steps are already showing promise on the ground.

Our speakers include:

- Professor Sharon Goldfeld, The Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute a leading pediatrician and researcher, Professor Goldfeld brings deep expertise in child development, population health and system reform.

- Dr Caroline Croser‑Barlow, CEO, The Front Project offers national leadership in early learning system design and workforce capability.

- BSL’s frontline insights on integrated service design will be shared from Tanya Oxlade, Head of Disability Service and Innovation and Leah Robertson, Senior Manager Early Years.

REGISTER NOW

Watch our Anti-Poverty Week edition of BSL Talks - Measuring poverty in Australia: Henderson's legacy and the path ahead

2025 marks 50 years since the release of Australia’s landmark Inquiry into the nature and extent of poverty, chaired by Professor Ronald Henderson.

The Henderson Inquiry laid the foundation for how we understand and measure poverty in Australia. The Henderson Poverty Line has been a consistently measured long-term benchmark – relative to average living standard. It is the same today as it was 50 years ago, but it needs refreshing.

Globally, 156 countries have adopted either a monetary, multidimensional, or combined approach to poverty measurement. Best practice is to have both – Australia has neither.

As part of ongoing work to support improved poverty measurement, the Brotherhood of St. Laurence and the Melbourne Institute have developed a demonstration Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for Australia. This work draws on the internationally recognised methodology of Professor Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and global leader in poverty measurement.

Facilitated by BSL’s Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, Zeah Behrend, our latest BSL Talks discussion with Dr Nicole Bieske (BSL’s Director of Research, Policy and Advocacy), Dr Melek Cigdem-Bayram (Ronald Henderson Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute and BSL) and two experts with lived experience, Jo and Tamara explored what having official poverty measures would mean for Australia.

Watch the full webinar below.

Watch BSL Talks - Tackling inequality: Hearing from experts with experience

On Wednesday 30 April, we held our second edition of BSL Talks for the year hosted by Dr Nicole Bieske - Tackling Inequality: Hearing from the experts with experience. It was a powerful and engaging discussion and we would like to thank and acknowledge our wonderful panellists for their insights and bringing their expertise into the discussion. A recording of the webinar is now available: https://youtu.be/Vr8xwZ6K4Z0

Thank you to Maggie Shambrook (Advocate & Co-founder of the Housing Older Women Movement), Peter Sutton (Employment and Social Security Advocate), Hayley Prasad (Youth Advocate, BSL) and Aradia Sayner (Co-founder & CEO, Women in Poverty Network).

At BSL, we are really committed to raising the voices of people with lived experience and people experiencing disadvantage, so were really thrilled to be able to host this discussion. We encourage you to share this webinar widely.