Cassandra Goldie is CEO of ACOSS, the Australian Council of Social Service, and an adjunct professor at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

Early life and education

Goldie has both a PhD from

and as a Masters of Law, awarded from

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

Career

Goldie has worked in the Australian Council of Social Service as CEO, since 2010. She was a representative of the Australian Climate Roundtable, as well as a consumer representative panel of the Energy Charter Independent Accountability Panel, in 2023. Goldie was appointed

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...

at UNSW in 2018. Goldie worked in public policy, with expertise across economic and social issues,

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

, human rights as well as

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

for vulnerable populations, she has worked with disadvantaged people in national and international issues. She was director of Sex and Age Discrimination with the Australian Human Rights Commission, as well as Senior Executive with Legal Aid in Western Australia. She was also on a panel on Climate Change and Resilience Building for the Justice and Peace office, as part of a

WWF-Australia The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...

and The Sydney Alliance event. Goldie is also a member of

Chief Executive Women Chief Executive Women (CEW) is an Australian organisation that supports women entrepreneurs and those in leadership positions and those aspiring to be senior executives. It provides a network of women in these positions, as well as funding lead ...

Media

Goldie has both published, and been cited numerous times in the media, with comments on climate change and social policy. She has commented on

JobSeeker Social security, in Australia, refers to a system of social welfare payments provided by Australian Government to eligible Australian citizens, permanent residents, and limited international visitors. These payments are almost always administer ...

, the Youth Allowance, and Rent Assistance, with comment on the Federal Budget in 2023. Goldie commented that the community sector needs to speak out on stronger action to address climate change, which is impacting the cost of living, as well as accelerated damage to people's homes livelihoods, health, and employment. Goldie's work on climate change has been published in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. She has also been on '' RN Drive'' on

ABC Radio National ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. ...

, discussing impacts of climate change with the Energy Council.

Recognition and awards

* 2012 – Women of Influence, Inaugural Westpac/ ''Australian Financial Review'' * 2013 – BOSS True Leader, ''

The Australian Financial Review The ''Australian Financial Review'' (''AFR'') is an Australian compact daily newspaper with a focus on business, politics and economic affairs. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and has been published continuously since its foun ...

'' * 2015 – Pro Bono Impact 25 on the Social Economy * 2018 – One of Australia's top 50 outstanding LGBTI Executives (Deloitte) * 2021 – Impact 25 Most Influential People in the Social Economy, Pro Bono Australia * 2021 – UNSW Alumni Award for Social Impact and Science * 2023 –

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

, for "service to social justice through leadership and advocacy to promote the rights of people marginalised and disadvantaged in the community"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldie, Cassandra Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Australian women academics Academic staff of the University of New South Wales Women jurists Officers of the Order of Australia