Thanks very much, Andrew. Like Uncle Charles, I’d like to acknowledge the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation on whose lands we meet today, to pay respects to all First Nations people present, and to acknowledge so much that the not‑for‑profits in the room do for supporting First Nations communities.
I started the day watching the sunrise on Maroubra beach this morning with a group called WNOW, founded by Tadgh Kennelly and David Eccles. It’s a group that gets a bunch of blokes together on beaches to do a bit of exercise. We did our push ups and our burpees, and then circled up to talk about our mental wellbeing. Tadgh and Dave founded WNOW because they were worried about the epidemic of loneliness in Australia. They now have chapters spreading not only across Australia, but now around the world. It’s just one example of the many extraordinary charities and not‑for‑profits helping shape Australia for the better.
Those organisations are operating at a fascinating time for Australia. We’ve never been richer and we’ve never had more technology in our hands. But for many of us, I think there is a sense that Australia has missed out on those social connections, the person‑to‑person interactions like we enjoyed on Maroubra beach, which no app, no AI algorithm can possibly replicate. What I admire about what Salesforce is doing is that you’re at the cutting edge of technology, but what you’re doing with the 1‑1‑1 model, 1 per cent of time, equity and product, recognising the importance of giving back to the charities and not‑for‑profits that sustain our community.
Australia’s had a decline in community connectedness over the last generation, and turning that around requires all of us – government, business, not‑for‑profits – to engage with community. It requires us to grow more charities, to get more new startups like parkrun or WNOW or Orange Sky, and it requires us to have a supportive environment in which those not‑for‑profits can grow and thrive. I look forward to this space being used by many more charities and not‑for‑profits, as they look to reach out to donors, aiming to meet the government’s ambitious goal of doubling philanthropy by 2030 while building those critical human connections. The importance of spending more time with our kids, putting down those devices ourselves, and getting out into nature and enjoying the beautiful environment that all of us can see around us today.
So thank you to Salesforce. Thank you to all the non‑profits, and thanks to all of you for helping to build a more connected community. Whether that’s reaching out to friends who might be feeling a bit lonely, whether it’s volunteering with your local community, whether it’s providing a donation to an organisation that makes a difference, all of us have a powerful role to play of building a connected community. I’m really delighted to be here today among so many fellow community connectors to open this space for charities and non‑profits.
