What Are the Current Initiatives and News of the Anglican Church of Australia?

Updated

The Anglican Church of Australia's website (anglican.org.au) is the primary place where its current initiatives and news are published. As of the site's latest updates, the most prominent initiative named is Hope25, an Australian outreach initiative discussed in a roundtable with the new Primate of Australia. The site also highlights ministry to First Nations people, responses to major public events such as the Bondi Beach attacks, and recent leadership appointments. If you want the official, current picture of what the Church is doing, the news and statement items on the homepage are the starting point.

Current initiatives named on the site

Hope25

Hope25 is described as "an Australian outreach initiative." It appears in the site's coverage of a roundtable discussion with the new Primate of Australia, alongside ministry to First Nations people and the impact of the Bondi Beach attacks. The site presents it as one of the topics the Primate engaged with directly, which signals it is an active national-level initiative rather than a past program.

Ministry to First Nations people

Ministry to First Nations people is listed as one of the topics explored in the same roundtable discussion with the new Primate. This places it among the Church's current areas of focus as reported on the site.

Ongoing national frameworks and reporting

The homepage also links to standing areas of church life and accountability, including:

  • Safer Churches and Reporting Abuse
  • National Redress Scheme
  • Family Violence Initiative – Ten Commitments
  • Prayer Diary (a 2026 Prayer Diary is available)

These are not news items but permanent entry points the Church maintains for safeguarding, redress, and prayer across its 23 dioceses.

Recent news and statements

The site's "Australian Church News" section carries statements and announcements. The items visible on the page include:

Date Item What it covers
Aug 28, 2026 Statement of the Primate – Floods in Nepal A statement from the Primate, the Right Reverend Dr Mark Short, on the floods in Nepal
May 20, 2026 Statement of the Primate – Death of Bishop Peter Hollingworth A statement from the Primate
Jan 20, 2026 'The language of hope speaks powerfully' says the new Primate of Australia Roundtable discussion covering Hope25, ministry to First Nations people, and the impact of the Bondi Beach attacks
Dec 18, 2025 Primate Statement on Mass Shooting at Bondi A statement standing "in solidarity with the Jewish community" after what it calls a "dreadful act of anti-Semitic violence"
Dec 9, 2025 Bishop Bradly Billings elected as 11th Archbishop of Adelaide Announcement of the election of the Right Reverend Dr Bradly Billings
Dec 9, 2025 Appointment of General Secretary Appointment of Mrs Juliet Wenden as the next General Secretary, commencing February 2026

Note that the May 20, 2026 item's excerpt text repeats the Nepal floods wording, so the visible summary does not match its headline; the headline itself identifies it as a statement on the death of Bishop Peter Hollingworth.

How the site keeps you informed

The homepage functions as a running record of the Church's public voice. Statements from the Primate are posted as events occur — natural disasters overseas, the death of a former bishop, a mass shooting — and leadership changes are announced as they happen. The roundtable piece shows how the site connects an initiative like Hope25 to the Primate's own engagement. If you want to track what the Anglican Church of Australia is currently saying and doing, checking the "Australian Church News" items and Primate statements on anglican.org.au is the direct route.

Who leads the Church right now

The Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia is Bishop Mark Short, Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, referred to in the news items as the Right Reverend Dr Mark Short. The site also notes the appointment of Mrs Juliet Wenden as the next General Secretary, commencing in February 2026.