Patrick Joseph McClure, AO (born 1949) advises governments on welfare reform, social policy, charity regulation and impact investment. He is a company director and a former chief executive officer of

Mission Australia Mission Australia is a national Christian charity that provides a range of community services throughout Australia. It has its roots in the Brisbane Town and Country Mission (1859) and Sydney City Mission (1862), but was only officially establish ...

and the

Society of St Vincent de Paul The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. Innumerable Catholic parishes have ...

(NSW/ACT).

Education and early career

McClure was born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and migrated with his family to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

at age 14 years. He commenced his secondary education at

St Peter's College, Auckland St Peter's College ( mi, Te Kura Teitei o Hāto Petera) is a Catholic church, Catholic secondary school single-sex education, for boys in the Edmund Ignatius Rice, Edmund Rice tradition, and dedicated to St Peter. it is located in the Auckland CBD ...

and completed it at Waverley College, Sydney. In 1968, he joined the Franciscans (

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

), was ordained a priest in 1975 and resigned from the ministry in 1977. He then pursued a career in the social purpose sector. He was a director of

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

(1978-1988), working with refugees and coordinating global campaigns against

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

abuses. He was founder and chair of

Second Harvest Second Harvest is Canada's largest food rescue charitable organization. Second Harvest works with thousands of food businesses from across the supply chain to reduce the amount of edible food going to waste. This model helps redirect surplus fo ...

(Australia), a social enterprise providing low cost food to people on low income (1978-1989), and awarded a

Churchill Fellowship Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts (WCMT) are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill, based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. They exist for the purpose of administering Churchill Fellowships, a ...

(1989) to study social enterprises in the US, Canada and the UK.Patrick McClure 1989 Fellowship
, ''To visit and study the operation of non-profit community enterprises involved in the provision of food for people on low income – USA, UK, Canada'', Churchill Memorial Trust website He worked as director of Migrant Services and area manager, Social Work, in the

Department of Social Security The Department of Social Security (DSS) was a governmental agency in the United Kingdom from 1988 to 2001. The old abbreviation is still often used informally. Advertisements for rented accommodation used to describe prospective tenants who wou ...

(now the Department of Social Services) in Perth and Sydney (1985-1991). McClure has a Master of Arts (Public Policy) from

Murdoch University Murdoch University is a public university in Perth, Western Australia, with campuses also in Singapore and Dubai. It began operations as the state's second university on 25 July 1973, and accepted its first undergraduate students in 1975. Its n ...

, WA (1987-1991), and a Bachelor of Social Work (Distinction) from

Curtin University Curtin University, formerly known as Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT), is an Australian public research university based in Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. It is named after John Curtin, ...

, WA (1978-1981). He also has a Diploma in Theological and Pastoral Studies from

Yarra Theological Union Yarra may refer to: * Yarra River, a river in southern Victoria, Australia on which the city of Melbourne was founded * Yarra Trams, a public transport company specialising in trams in Melbourne, Australia * City of Yarra, a local government area in ...

, Vic (1975). He is a Graduate Member of the

Australian Institute of Company Directors The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) is a non-profit membership organization for directors. The AICD is a founding member of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI). History The origins of the AICD can be traced ba ...

(AICD) (2005).

Career

Chief Executive Officer, Society of St Vincent de Paul (NSW/ACT) (1992-1996) McClure was CEO of the

(NSW/ACT) during a period of major organisation reform. The Society had a budget of $375m, providing housing, youth, family services and social assistance to over 500,000 disadvantaged people each year. During his tenure, he was also a member of the NSW Government Drought Assistance Committee, which distributed $80 million in drought assistance to rural households across NSW in 1995–1996.Damir Govorcin, (23 February 2003), Conversation: Patrick McClure, head of Mission Australia
, 'My faith and passion come together' here, ''The Catholic Weekly'', Sydney Chief Executive Officer, Mission Australia (1997-2006) During McClure's tenure as CEO of

, the organisation grew from separate state-based entities with annual revenue of $50m, to a national organisation with annual revenue exceeding $300m and 3000 staff providing employment, training, housing and other services to over 200,000 disadvantaged youth, adults, families and children. The organisation became a major provider of employment services in the privatised Job Network. Mission Australia was also awarded the Prime Minister's Community Business Partnership Award in 2001. /sup> Mission Australia acquired a one-third shareholding in

Working Links Working Links (formally Working Links (Employment) Limited) was a British outsourcing subcontractor established in 2000 as a public, private and voluntary company that provided welfare services and help with employability. It was acquired by the ...

, a UK employment company, in 2005. In the same year, the organisation opened the Mission Australia Centre in

Surry Hills Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney. Surry Hills is surroun ...

, Sydney, providing integrated services for homeless people. Chair, Reference Group on Welfare Reform (1999-2000) McClure was appointed chair of the Australian government's Reference Group on Welfare Reform (1999-2000). The final report, "Participation Support for a More Equitable Society" (known as the McClure Report) outlined a blueprint for welfare reform.

Michelle Grattan Michelle Grattan (born 30 June 1944) is an Australian journalist who was the first woman to become editor of an Australian metropolitan daily newspaper. Specialising in political journalism, she has written for and edited many significant Austr ...

wrote about the final report in the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' of 17 August 2000: "Mission Australia's Patrick McClure has scored a trifecta. Government, Labor and Democrats all had positive things to say about the inquiry's blueprint for welfare change ... The strength of the McClure report is that it is not driven by a narrow right or left ideology. Indeed if you ask whether the report comes from the Right or the Left in its approach, the answer is both.
Michelle Grattan, (17 August 2000), Mutual obligation is here to stay let the challenge of change begin, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', Sydney, p. 4
; accessed 21 November 2013 In the 2001 Federal Budget, the Australian Government committed $1.7 billion over four years to implement recommendations of the report called ''Australians Working Together.'' Chief Executive Officer, Macquarie Capital Retirement Villages Group (2006-2008) McClure was CEO of

Macquarie Capital Macquarie Group Limited () is an Australian global financial services group. Headquartered and listed in Australia (), Macquarie employs more than 17,000 staff in 33 markets, is the world's largest infrastructure asset manager and Australia's t ...

RVG, which raised $850m of institutional funds for investment in retirement villages in Australia and New Zealand. Ethics Fellow, Centre for Social Impact, UNSW (2008-2010) McClure was appointed Ethics Fellow at the Centre for Social Impact,

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

. Through workshops, conferences and articles, McClure presented applied ethics and an ethical decision-making framework for Third Sector organisations.Patrick McClure, Opinion: Profit and childcare don't mix
''The Centre for Social Impact'' Chair, Reference Group on Welfare Reform (2013-2015) In December 2013, Minister for Social Services Kevin Andrews announced that McClure would chair a Reference Group on Welfare Reform. An interim report was released on 29 June 2014, followed by roundtables with 175 key stakeholders in all states and territories, consultations with 55 people on income support, 271 formal submissions and 231 online comments. The final report titled "A New System for Better Employment and Social Outcomes" was launched in Canberra on 23 February 2015 by Patrick McClure and the Minister for Social Services

Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for t ...

. It proposed an integrated approach across four pillars of reform with an employment focus: a simpler and more sustainable income support system, building individual and family capacity, engaging employers, and building community capacity. Key recommendations included: reducing the current complex and inefficient system of 20 payments and 55 supplements to five payments and four categories of supplements; a passport to work, enabling people to move easily between employment and the income support system; a new ICT system to drive efficiencies in the new income support system; an investment approach with early intervention services focusing on groups most at risk of long term welfare dependence; a jobs plan for people with disabilities and mental health conditions; and the use of social impact bonds to attract private investment to address social problems. Since the 2015 budget, the Australian government has allocated funds for a new ICT system, a prerequisite for introducing a simpler income support system; the Priority Investment Approach contracting PwC to complete annual actuarial valuations of groups at risk of lifetime welfare dependence; allocations to organisations from the $100m Try, Test and Learn Fund; simplification of child and youth payments; support for social impact investment in affordable housing; and a new JobSeeker Payment to replace or consolidate seven existing payments. Chair, Oak Tree Retirement Villages Group (2018-2022) The Oak Tree Group specialises in providing affordable, stylish and secure retirement living communities across Australia. Chair, Review Panel, Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission Legislation (2017-2018) In 2017, Assistant Minister to the Treasurer Michael Sukkar announced that McClure would chair a review of the ACNC Legislation. The final report, "Strengthening for Purpose: Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Legislation Commission Review 2018", made 30 recommendations relating to functions, powers, governance, basic religious charities, secrecy, advocacy, criminal misconduct, harmonisation of fundraising, one-stop-shop, and a national scheme for charities. The Australian Government response in March 2020 implemented 19 of the recommendations. Current and recent roles He is a member of the NSW Treasury, Office of Social Impact Investment Expert Advisory Group. He is a director of the Waverley College Advisory Council. He is a director of the Institute of Strategic Management. He was an adjunct professor of the Australian Catholic University (ACU). He is an associate of The Brown Collective. He is a selector for Community Services of the Churchill Trust (NSW). He was a director of the Kincare Group (2013–18).

Government boards

* Delegate to the Australian Government's

Australia 2020 Summit The Australia 2020 Summit was a convention, referred to in Australian media as a summit, which was held over 18-19 April 2008 at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, aiming to "help shape a long-term strategy for the nation's future". Announ ...

(2008) * Commissioner of the

Australian Fair Pay Commission The Australian Fair Pay Commission was an Australian statutory body that existed from 2006 to 2009. It was created under the Howard Government's "''WorkChoices''" industrial relations laws in 2006 to set the minimum pay for workers. Established t ...

(2006-2009) * Member of the Prime Minister's Community Business Partnership Board (1998-2007) * Chair of the OECD Local Employment and Economic Development Forum on Social Innovation (2004-2006) * Deputy Chair of the Welfare to Work Consultative Forum (2005-2006) * Member of the Board for A New Tax System (1999-2000)

Honours

* Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO) for "services to the community through the development of

social capital Social capital is "the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively". It involves the effective functioning of social groups through interpersonal relationships ...

policy initiatives, and in the delivery of programs addressing social justice, welfare support, health and employment generation issues" (2003) * Australian Centenary of Federation Medal for "service to the community" (2001) * Distinguished Alumni Award, Murdoch University, WA for significant contribution to his profession and the community (2016) * ''Australian Financial Review'' True Leader (2005) * Equity Trustees EQT CEO Award for Lifetime Achievement recognising "leadership excellence in the non-profit sector" (2002) *Churchill Fellow, 1989

Notes

References

* * ''St Peter's College Magazine'' 1960–1963

External links

Welfare Reform article published in The Australian Financial Review – July 24, 2016 ''The Australian Financial Review''

Welfare Reform article published in The Weekend Australian – April 16, 2016 ''The Weekend Australian''

Patrick McClure joins Alan Jones to discuss welfare reform – March 10, 2015 ''2GB Radio''

Patrick McClure talks about welfare reform with the intergenerational report – March 5, 2015 ''2GB Radio''

Patrick McClure talks about his proposed changes to the welfare system – February 25, 2015 ''2GB Radio''

Welfare review by Patrick McClure lays out plan for simplified payments, tightening eligibility for disability support – February 25 2015, abc.net.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:McClure, Patrick Australian Friars Minor 1949 births Living people Australian people of Irish descent New Zealand people of Irish descent New Zealand Roman Catholics People educated at St Peter's College, Auckland