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Territory Council

The St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia operates under the provisions of The Rule, as approved by the International Council General of the Society in Paris and the National Council of Australia. The core unit of the Society is the "conference", which is a local group of Vincentian volunteers who seek to live their faith by helping those in need in their community. There are 55 conferences within the boundaries of the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn. Each conference elects a president and the conference presidents together form a regional council. There are 6 regional councils in Canberra/Goulburn. The regional council presidents convene to form the Canberra/Goulburn Territory Council and elect a president for that Council. The Council president is also permitted to appoint up to four vice presidents to the Council to strengthen overall governance. The Council president is a member of the National Council along with the presidents of the States and the Northern Territory. The Territory Council generally meets quarterly to monitor performance, set strategy and endorse policy.

St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn Organisation Governance Structure

Brian Stacey, Territory Council President, looking at the camera and smiling

Brian Stacey, Territory Council President

Brian Stacey

Territory Council President

Brian Stacey was elected in early 2024 as the President of the St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn Territory council to lead the Society through an era of unprecedent challenges and change.

The Society has been present in the Canberra / Goulburn archdiocese since its founding in 1895 in Goulburn and marks its 100 years of service in Canberra later this year.

The election of Mr Stacey marks a new chapter in the life of the Society. Mr Stacey brings extensive leadership in the public policy sphere and academic experience where he was recently serving as a Professor in Practice at the Australian National University.

Prior to being a Professor in Practice at the Australian National University, Mr Stacey was the First Assistant Secretary in Indigenous Affairs and was the Commonwealth’s State Manager for Indigenous Affairs in the Northern Territory. It is in this role Mr Stacey was awarded the Public Service Medal.

The position of President is a key leadership role that oversees the organisation and running of the Society’s members, of whom there are nearly 500 currently in the Society.

These volunteer members devote themselves to the daily service of doing “good works” on the ground in their respective communities. These communities are grouped into conferences. There are some 50 conferences serving people doing it tough in the region in which the Society operates, ranging from Tumut in the Snowy Mountains, the far south coast of New South Wales down to Eden, and out West to Lake Cargelligo, and the capital region. Specialist support services and the Society’s professional staff support their work.

Mr Stacey has been a member of the South Woden conference since 2013, and also served as the President in Cairns of a conference for several years providing emergency relief to families in their homes with his fellow members, so comes to the role with deep understanding of the needs in the community and the role the Society plays in giving people a hand-up every day.

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