Newsroom Archives - Advocacy Australia

ONE LIFE LOST EVERY TWO HOURS: AUSTRALIA’S DEADLY ASBESTOS LEGACY

November 3, 2026

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MEDIA RELEASE: 3 NOVEMBER 2026 AUSTRALIA’S DEADLY ASBESTOS LEGACY: ONE LIFE LOST EVERY TWO HOURS November is National Asbestos Awareness Month – Friday 27 November is Asbestos Awareness Day 2026 Every two hours and eleven minutes, one Australian dies from an asbestos-related disease caused by exposure to asbestos fibres; that’s 11 Australians every day, 77 every week and 333 every month totalling over 4000 preventable deaths every year – three times the national road toll (1,334 September 2026). Chair of the Asbestos Education Committee, Clare Collins said, “Australia’s national asbestos crisis will continue because many remain unaware or…

GOLDEN NIGHT FOR ADVOCACY AUSTRALIA’S “PR FOR GOOD TEAM” AT THE 50TH NATIONAL PR INDUSTRY AWARDS

September 21, 2026

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Unfunded, volunteer-run charity takes home more Gold Awards than any other organisation or agency at the Communication and Public Relations Australia’s National Golden Target Awards 2026. Sydney, 21 September 2026: Volunteer-run charity, Advocacy Australia, has taken home three Gold awards and one Silver from five nominations at the 50th Communication and Public Relations Australia’s 2026 National Golden Target Awards (GTA’s) —Winning more Golds than any other organisation, not-for-profit (NFP), government body or PR agency. The 2026 awards celebrated 50 years of Australia’s longest running and most prestigious awards for the communication and public relations industry, recognising the leading campaigns, practitioners,…

A Current Affair: Alicia Shiller

July 17, 2026

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Winner 2026 Queensland New Volunteer Award

May 18, 2026

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MEDIA RELEASE: MONDAY 18 MAY 2026 Phil Smith of Mackay Wins “Queensland New Volunteer Award” in Queensland Volunteer of the Year Awards 2026 Grief turned into life-saving advocacy following wife Leah’s asbestos-related death BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND – Advocacy Australia and its Asbestos Education Committee are proud to announce that Mackay volunteer Phil Smith, has been named the recipient of Volunteering Queensland’s “Queensland New Volunteer Award 2026”. Presented by the Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM, at Brisbane City Hall on 15 May, the award recognises an individual having demonstrated exceptional dedication and making a significant…

GLOBAL ASBESTOS AWARENESS WEEK (1–7 April)

March 31, 2026

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This week, Advocacy Australia’s Asbestos Education Committee is reminding Australians that asbestos remains one of Australia’s most significant and ongoing public health challenges. More than 4,000 Australians lose their lives each year to asbestos-related diseases – around three times the national road toll – with cases continuing to rise. According to the Australian Mesothelioma Registry Report (2025), diagnoses of malignant mesothelioma have increased year-on-year for both men and women, with experts predicting this trend will continue due to the ongoing disturbance of legacy asbestos in the built environment. The data highlights a critical shift: With 1 in 3 Australian homes…

Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT) Inquiry

March 27, 2026

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Advocacy Australia acknowledges Philip Donato for formally requesting an inquiry into the Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT). This request represents a critical step towards addressing long-standing concerns around the management of forensic patients and ensuring victims’ voices are appropriately recognised and considered. Advocacy Australia has been advocating for such an inquiry since launching our Justice For Biddy petition in 2024, which Phil sponsored. It shone a spotlight on the injustices victims face in their interactions with the MHRT and the broader implications for community safety. This progress would not be possible without the courage and persistence of victims and families…

Triple Finalist Honour for Advocacy Australia at Golden Target Awards

October 1, 2025

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We are incredibly honoured to announce that today Advocacy Australia has been named a triple finalist in the Communication and Public Relations Australia annual 2025 Golden Target Awards, Australia’s oldest and most prestigious public relations and communications awards. Our Justice for Biddy campaign has been recognised in two categories: Public Affairs & Advocacy Campaign and Not-for-Profit Campaign. With our Co-founders; Clare Collins and Alice Collins – “The Collins Girls”, proud finalists in the Not-for-Profit Team of the Year category. The Golden Target Awards applaud the crème-de-la-crème of strategic thinking, creative execution, and communication excellence nationwide. In 2022, our Asbestos Education…

Advocacy Australia Founder Clare Collins Named Volunteer Of The Year: Sydney & Eastern Suburbs

August 13, 2025

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Advocacy Australia is proud to announce that our founder, Clare Collins, this week was recognised with two prestigious honours at the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards – Sydney City and Eastern Suburbs Region, hosted by The Centre for Volunteering. Clare was named both the Senior (Over 65) Volunteer of the Year and the overall 2025 Sydney City–Eastern Suburbs Volunteer of the Year, in recognition of her exceptional dedication to supporting victims of serious crimes and their families, and her tireless advocacy for asbestos education and awareness. The awards ceremony, held at Club York in Sydney’s CBD, was a moving…

AdOz Named Best Social Justice Advocacy Organisation In Global Awards

July 27, 2025

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We are proud and deeply honoured to announce that Advocacy Australia has been named Best Social Justice Advocacy Organisation – Australia at the Global 2025 Non-Profit Organisation Awards, presented by Acquisition International. This award recognises organisations driving meaningful, lasting change across the globe. We are humbled to be acknowledged for our unwavering commitment to advancing awareness, promoting equity, and advocating for social justice. At Advocacy Australia, we remain firmly dedicated to giving a voice to victims of crime when they are silenced, standing alongside those whose experiences have too often been ignored. Our work also extends to preventing future harm…

Community Rally Demands Justice Reform: 24 Women Killed in 19 Weeks – Counted as Statistics – Remembered as Lives Lost

May 9, 2025

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TOMORROW, Saturday, 10th May at 12pm, the aunt of 18-year-old murder victim, Emerald Wardle, will be co-hosting the Community Rally Against Violence in Newcastle, to honour her niece and all women and children who fall victims of heinous crimes. “So far this year, 24 women in Australia have been murdered, and by the time we rally, that number could sadly be higher. This is a heartbreaking reality we can no longer ignore,” said Ms Smith. “On Saturday we’ll be walking and calling for critical change to the justice system that failed Emerald, our family and many other victims of violent,…

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