Hello everyone, and thank you for the opportunity to join you, albeit virtually, for the Technology for Social Justice Conference.
I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which you are meeting, and pay my respects to Elders past and present.
Let me begin by recognising the extraordinary work of the not-for-profit sector. Every day, charities strengthen social cohesion, support people through hardship, and build the connective tissue that holds communities together. They are also an economic force, employing Australians, connecting neighbourhoods, mobilising volunteers, and delivering services that change lives.
Increasingly, that work depends on technology.
For more than three decades, Infoxchange has shown what is possible when digital tools serve human dignity. As a social enterprise, it partners with community groups, government and business to tackle challenges such as homelessness, family violence, mental health and disability, while supporting First Nations communities, women, young people and families. Infoxchange platforms are used by tens of thousands of frontline services, improving coordination and lifting impact.
That is technology doing exactly what it should: helping people get on with the business of changing lives.
Under the leadership of your CEO, David Spriggs, Infoxchange has become a powerful advocate for digital inclusion and cross-sector collaboration. David brings more than two decades of experience across the technology and community sectors. One of his proudest achievements has been helping bring Ask Izzy to life, connecting people in crisis with essentials such as housing, meals, healthcare and support services. It has guided millions of searches for help.
David, that is compassion at scale. It is also proof that when technologists and community workers collaborate, remarkable things happen.
Technologists are the people who know the difference between UNIX and Linux, who understand that ‘the cloud’ is just someone else’s computer, and who are regularly surprised how many problems can be solved by turning it off and on again.
In many organisations, the person who once fixed the printer now carries the proud title of ‘Head of Digital Transformation.’ Somewhere in Australia today, a very capable program manager is updating cybersecurity software while simultaneously organising a sausage sizzle.
Technology strengthens productivity, and helps scarce resources travel further.
Across the sector, the urgency to improve the use of data continues to grow. Good data allows organisations to identify need earlier, target support more precisely, evaluate programs and understand which programs deliver the greatest benefit. Every clean dataset holds the promise of better decisions, and every better decision holds the promise of improving someone’s life.
With greater digital capability comes greater responsibility.
Cyber security now sits alongside governance and financial stewardship as a core obligation. Organisations entrusted with sensitive information protect trust. Strong training, clear protocols and regular system updates form the modern equivalent of locking the office door at night. As I’m sure David and his team will remind you, if you haven’t set up two-factor authentication, do it now!
Then there is artificial intelligence, the topic guaranteed to appear in every second conference session and every second newspaper column.
AI offers enormous promise. It can reduce administrative burden, help personalise services, provide after-hours options, and allow staff to spend more time with the people who rely on them. At the same time, it calls for careful thought about ethics, transparency, privacy and safety, particularly for younger Australians.
Here the not-for-profit sector holds a distinctive advantage. Yours is a human-first community. You understand that technology succeeds when it strengthens relationships rather than replacing them. That perspective equips you to help shape best practice: adopting AI thoughtfully, setting clear guardrails, securing data and ensuring innovation reflects community values.
Government plays a role in this journey, and progress accelerates when sectors collaborate. Conferences such as this create the conditions for that collaboration. They bring together leaders from philanthropy, technology, government and community organisations with a shared goal of achieving lasting social impact.
Before closing, let me share one observation about technology projects.
Digital transformation often begins with the promise of simplicity. Shortly afterwards, everyone is enrolled in a three-hour training session on how to submit a leave form.
Yet through each upgrade, each password reset, and each moment of wondering why the video will not unmute, you continue building a more connected and inclusive society.
So to everyone speaking, leading workshops, sharing insights and being part of the chat, thank you for your enduring commitment to embedding technology into your missions.
And to the entire Infoxchange team, thank you for the work you do each day to build stronger communities. All the best for a successful conference.