Tuesday June 25, 2024
The Daniel Morcombe Foundation’s 20th anniversary celebrations are being launched in Canberra, marking an extraordinary two decades of Keeping Kids Safe.
Bruce and Denise Morcombe said it was an honour to be at Parliament House to launch the 20th year of the Foundation, one of Australia’s largest child safety organisations.
“We are proud to be Daniel’s parents and quite moved that 20 years after his abduction those tragic events are not forgotten and his important legacy continues to grow,” Bruce said.
The 20th anniversary celebrations are officially being launched at an afternoon tea at Parliament House, with bipartisan support from the Government and Opposition MPs. Bruce and Denise are also meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader the Hon. Peter Dutton, as well as officials from the Australian Federal Police and National Missing Persons Co-ordination Centre.
“We look forward to discussing new child safety initiatives, particularly in primary prevention, as well as future funding support for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation,” Bruce said.
Bruce and Denise arrive in Canberra during a 20-day, 7,200km Time To Talk Road Trip where they are visiting regional schools to educate more than 1600 students about personal safety.
Denise said, “We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support over the past 20 years.”
“The Foundation’s free child safety resources and Daniel’s legacy continue because of the generosity Australians have shown us.
“Everything we do is to respectfully honour Daniel and to help keep children safe from harm and abuse.”
Milestone events during the next 12 months include: the 20th Day and Walk for Daniel, the 20th Dance for Daniel and a special event to celebrate the Foundation’s 20th birthday in May, 2025.
New fundraising opportunities are also being launched to celebrate 20 years.
“After two decades and exhausting every opportunity promoting child safety across Australia, we believe this 20-year milestone is poised to make a profound difference in keeping all Australian kids safe,” Bruce said.
“The fire still burns within each of us. We are often outside our comfort zone. But we do what we can for the ones whose voices were not heard when they spoke out. It is the many adult survivors of child sexual abuse who inspire us to do more.”
The Foundation has made a profound difference to the lives of children and parents throughout Australia since its launch at Bruce and Denise’s Palmwoods home in May 2005.
As Queensland Child Safety Ambassadors, Bruce and Denise have visited more than 1000 schools and the Foundation continues to provide award-winning child safety resources free-of-charge.
More than $2.4m worth of counselling and gifts have also been provided to young victims of crime.
The anniversary launch follows Bruce and Denise’s recent partnership with the National Office for Child Safety on a suite of national resources as part of the Australian Government’s ‘One Talk at a Time’ campaign.
The resources have age-appropriate activities for children and young people to create a ‘safety team’ that consists of trusted adults both inside and outside of their home.
ENDS
For media enquiries, please email tegan@danielmorcombe.com.au.