Winter Breakfast event

The Winter Breakfast event has traditionally launched the Winter Breakfast Program started and run by Prahran Mission, now part of Uniting. The breakfast program provides a free hot meal to those most in need and runs from June to August. We invite you to come explore the current and potential future economic factors driving the need for emergency relief services such as the Winter Breakfast Program. This is sure to be a stimulating event with a diverse and knowledgeable panel, moderated by Professor Allan Fels AO.

TICKETS ARE LIMITED SO PLEASE BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT

Our Moderator

Professor Allan Fels, AO

Professor Fels is former Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Trade Practices Commission, the Prices Surveillance Authority and Australian National Mental Health Commission. He was Co-chair of the OECD Trade and Competition Committee and has had numerous other government appointments. Professor Fels is the Chair of the Haven Foundation and a professorial fellow at the Universities of Melbourne, Monash and Oxford. Prof Fels has degrees in economics and law from the University of Western Australia (UWA), and a PhD in Economics from Duke University. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia (ASSA) and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in June 2001.

Our Panel

Emma King

Emma King joined the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) as chief executive officer in 2013, providing a strong voice of leadership and advocacy on social justice issues for the community sector. Emma was previously chief executive officer of the Early Learning Association Australia (formerly Kindergarten Parents Victoria), the peak organisation representing parents and providers of early learning services in Victoria. Emma also has an extensive background in the public sector and in workforce and education issues, having worked as a Victorian policy adviser, a teacher, and in a range of industrial and training roles at the Victorian Independent Education Union and the Finance Sector Union. Emma’s qualifications include a Masters in Industrial and Employee Relations, a Graduate Diploma of Education and a Bachelor of Arts. Emma sits on a number of committees and advisory groups including the Family Violence Steering Committee, NDIS Implementation Ministerial Taskforce, Roadmap to Reform Implementation Ministerial Advisory Group and the Police Commissioner’s Human Rights Advisory Group. She is a regular commentator on social affairs and justice issues.

Emma Dawson

Emma Dawson is the Executive Director of Per Capita. Formerly, she was a senior advisor on Digital Inclusion at Telstra, Executive Director of the Institute for a Broadband Enabled Society at the University of Melbourne, and a senior policy advisor in the Rudd and Gillard governments. Emma has published articles and opinion pieces on a wide range of public policy issues, which have appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the Guardian, The Australian, and a number of online publications. She is a regular panellist on The Drum on ABC TV and various Sky News programs. Emma holds a BA with First Class Honours from LaTrobe University and an MA with Distinction from Monash. She sits on the board of the Prader-Willi Research Foundation Australia and is an Honorary Fellow in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne.

Jeff Oughton

Jeff is an insightful and practical economic and financial expert, educator and advisor. He has engaged in open and effective dialogue with and provided advice to a wide range of stakeholders including government, supervisors, businesses, households and the general community and across all medias. Jeff has over 25 years of global experience including Reserve Bank and NAB. In 2009, Jeff set up Economics & Beyond to advise businesses and households about the opportunities and risks in the macroeconomic, financial and political landscape. In this role, he helped develop and continues to assist ME with its bi-annual Household Financial Comfort Survey into the financial wellbeing of Australian households. Apart from Economics & Beyond, Jeff is an Adjunct Fellow at the Applied Financial Centre of Macquarie University.

Professor Roslyn Russell

RMIT University Professor Roslyn Russell is a Principal Research Fellow in the School of Economics, Finance and Marketing at RMIT University. Roslyn holds a PhD in Business and a Master of Public Policy and Management. Over the last 15 years, Roslyn’s research focuses on understanding the factors that impact the financial wellbeing of Australians especially women and lower-income households. Much of Roslyn’s work has also involved evaluating programs that aim to improve the financial capabilities of Australians. Roslyn has also more recently conducted research into the financial impacts of family violence and financial abuse of women. Roslyn serves on the Australian Government Financial Literacy Board.