Our Strategy | Alannah & Madeline Foundation Skip to main content

Three decades ago, Walter Mikac AM established a foundation on the belief that remains just as powerful today: "that all children should have a safe and happy childhood without being subjected to any form of violence".

The Foundation was named in honour of his daughters, Alannah and Madeline, who were killed alongside their mother, Nanette, in an unspeakable act of violence at Port Arthur in 1996.

Today, we honour that legacy by continuing vital work at the Foundation. The world has changed and so have the challenges facing children and young people, but our founding belief has not.

This strategy is our roadmap to achieve our purpose. We're building on our strengths by deepening our work in online safety, supporting children to heal and recover from trauma, preventing bullying in rural communities, advocating for systems change, and delivering integrated support where it's most needed.

Our strategy for 2026-2029 will guide us in our work together.
 

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Alannah & Madeline Foundation - Our Strategy 2026-2029

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Why we're still here

Since 1997, the challenges facing children and young people may have changed, but our mission has not.

We fight for their right to be safe, so their future is strong.

 

62% of Australians have experienced at least one form of maltreatment in childhood – and it is actually more common to have experienced multiple forms of maltreatment than to have experienced none at all.

 

30 children per day are taken into emergency care because they're at serious risk of harm or have no safe place to live.

 

56% of Australian teens believe they had seen deepfake content.

 

25% of Australian teens had recently seen a news story on social media which they later found out was untrue.

 

46% of young people reported that bullying or emotional abuse was a concern for them in the past year.

 

53% of young people had experienced cyberbullying.

 

Special interest groups and the gun lobby continue to undermine our firearm safety laws, despite 92% of Australians wanting our gun laws strengthened after the Bondi tragedy.