CONNECTIONS MATTER: TACKLING LONELINESS IN AUSTRALIAN YOUTH

Business Sydney alongside the Groundswell Foundation, Lifeline Australia, & KPMG hosted one of the most important forums we have ever been involved in.

At the centre of the conversation was a crisis we can no longer ignore: youth loneliness. This is not a marginal issue – it is a growing challenge with serious consequences for mental health, wellbeing and community connection. The Hon. Rose Jackson MLC, NSW Minister for Mental Health and Minister for Youth, delivered a keynote that drove home the urgency of confronting this problem head-on.

The forum also marked the release of the Groundswell Foundation’s groundbreaking research on youth loneliness – vital evidence that exposes the scale of the issue and guides us toward solutions. You can download Groundswell Foundation's report Connections Matter: Tackling Loneliness in Australian Youth here.

Our thanks to Doug Ferguson and the KPMG team for generously hosting, to Johanna Pitman for expertly unpacking the key findings, and to Groundswell Foundation Chairman, Martin Blake for leading a powerful panel with Minister Jackson, Rev. Bill Crews, CEO & Founder, The Rev. Bill Crews Foundation, Dr Anna Brooks, Chief Research Officer, Lifeline Australia, Stuart Hodge, CEO, Sport NSW  and Claudine Whealing, Senior Advisor to the CEO, Office of State Libarian. Their insights and passion brought this issue into sharp focus.