Jamie Reilly, recently appointed Deputy Chair of QSA, shared insights from recent conversations with Friends about QSA’s future direction. Jamie spoke about the changing international context, including reductions in aid budgets in the United States and Europe alongside rising military expenditure. He emphasised that the purpose of the session was to listen carefully to the concerns of the Quaker community.

Jasmine Payget, QSA’s Community Outreach Lead, reflected on her first six months in the role and on conversations with Friends, including the recent visit of Josephine Kizza from St Jude Family Projects. The 2024–25 QSA Annual Report was formally launched.

Two rounds of breakout groups explored themes including international programs, positive peace, advocacy, First Nations partnerships, refugee concerns, Earthcare, volunteering and fundraising. Friends expressed strong support for QSA’s engagement in advocacy on international development, climate justice and women’s empowerment, and encouraged closer collaboration with other Quaker bodies. There were calls to focus regionally in the Pacific, counterposed with other opinions that called for support in areas of greatest need including Palestine and Africa.

QSA will continue these conversations, reporting back at the online mid-year YM 2026.

Quakers Australia submission to Parliamentary Inquiry

 Quaker Service Australia (QSA) and the Quaker Peace & Legislation Committee (QPLC) recently collaborated to prepare a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Inquiry into ‘The Role of Australia’s International Development Program in Preventing Conflict.’

The submission argued that Australia’s overseas development assistance is both a responsibility of a wealthy nation

and a practical pathway to building resilient, peaceful societies. It affirmed support for civil society engagement and local sovereignty, while cautioning against approaches that risk subsuming development priorities under defence frameworks. It also highlighted the leadership of Pacific regional bodies and the urgent need for stronger climate action as central to conflict prevention.

The submission included a case study from Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia, which illustrated how locally led development can strengthen social cohesion. Through QSA’s partnership with  Khmer Community Development, practical initiatives such as language classes, child rights training and inter-community peace activities significantly increased school enrolment and reduced prejudice between Khmer, Cham Muslim and ethnic Viet communities. The project demonstrated that peace is not only negotiated between states but built daily between neighbours.

Acting locally: Wattle Pathways

In February QSA began a new 12-month partnership with Wattle Pathways, a social enterprise advancing educational equity and civic participation for refugee and asylum seeker young people in Victoria. The initiative will reach refugee and asylum seeker students, young leaders and families across south-east Melbourne through subsidised academic tutoring, youth leadership development and civic education. At its heart is a commitment to recognising young people’s strengths and aspirations and supporting them to contribute positively to their communities and to Australian society.

A group of secondary students who are refugees and asylum seekers will receive weekly individual tutoring to strengthen educational outcomes and build confidence. A second group of young people, aged 16–24, will work in mentored groups to design and lead initiatives that address barriers to education and civic participa-tion. Community information sessions for parents will also be held, recognising the vital role families play in educational success and civic engagement.

Led by educators and community leaders with lived experience of displacement and migration, Wattle Pathways brings deep community knowledge and a strong commitment to inclusion and social cohesion. This partnership reflects QSA’s vision of positive peace by investing in leadership, learning and belonging, and contributing to stronger, more connected communities.

QSA is a member of the Australian council for International Development and is a signatory to the ACFID code of conduct. The purpose of QSA is to express in a practical way the concern of Australian Quakers for the building of a more peaceful, equitable, just and compassionate world. To this end QSA works with communities in need to improve their quality of life with projects which are culturally sensitive, as well as being economically