Minderoo Foundation launches 2019 Annual Report

The Minderoo Foundation has launched its 2019 Annual Report, highlighting “a year of remarkable achievements,” including the collaboration between Minderoo, CoLab, the Early Intervention Foundation, the Front Project and Woodside Energy, to produce The Cost of Late Intervention (CoLI) report.

The CoLI report had a number of key findings that are significant to the Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, including: 

• Australian governments are spending more than $15 b. every year on services for children and young people, including:

• Services for children in child protection ($5.9b, or 39% of total costs).
• Police, court and health costs of youth crime ($2.7b or 18% of total costs)
• Welfare payments for unemployed young people ($2b or 13%)

• Young people hospitalised for mental health issues rose 25% from 2008 to 2014 and have increased sharply since then

 

• Childhood obesity has risen by 17% since 2011-12

 

• Children and young people in out-of-home care has increased by 34% in the past 10 years. There are 45,000 children in out-of-home-care

 

• In 2017-18, 124,000 children and young people received homelessness services

 

• Children and young people made up 43% (almost half) of all people who received homelessness services

“Specific evidence shows the building blocks of a person’s mental and physical wellbeing starts in the womb. Indeed, 90 per cent of a person’s brain growth has occurred by the age of five. We must ensure those years are jam packed with interactive and positive experiences,” Nicola Forrest AO, Minderoo co-Founder said. 

In launching the report Andrew, Nicola and Grace Forrest joined CEO Andrew Hagger for Minderoo Foundation’s inaugural Annual Report Roadshow which saw a travelling party of leaders visit five states and the ACT in just five days.

Launch events were held to packed function rooms in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Hobart. A separate Perth event will be held this week. During the Roadshow the leaders of Minderoo’s eight core initiatives presented on the exciting breakthroughs which have led to 2019 “becoming a watershed year for the Foundation”.

Other highlights showcased in the Annual Report include the $5 million collaboration with the Zero Childhood Cancer program, the release of the Bright Tomorrows Parenting App, the #NoPlasticWaste initiative and the launch of Walk Free’s Measurement, Action, Freedom Report. 

Mr Hagger said the roadshow was a chance for government, business and philanthropic leaders outside of Western Australia to get an understanding of the “phenomenal work” Minderoo was doing to arrest unfairness and create opportunities to better the world.

To access the annual report please see here.