ABOUT
The driving force behind the ASPIRE Conference
FORM (Freedom, Opportunity, and Responsibility Movement Australia Ltd.) is a registered Australian not‑for‑profit and the organisation behind the ASPIRE Conference.
FORM was founded in 2025 in response to the serious challenges facing Australia. In recent years, Australians have experienced the sharpest decline in real household incomes in the OECD. But the challenge runs deeper than economics. Public trust is declining, confidence in institutions is weakening, and too many Australians feel that our shared direction and purpose are under strain.
These challenges are not only technical or policy‑based. They are civic and cultural at their core. Leadership formation is therefore not peripheral to Australia’s future. We need leaders of integrity, grounded in shared moral foundations, who can work together across sectors and generations. Leaders who are equipped not only with ideas, but with the character and practical wisdom to strengthen Australia’s economic, social, and civic life.
Inspired by the London ARC conference (Alliance for Responsible Citizenship), FORM was established to create an enduring Australian response. Our vision was never limited to a single event. FORM exists to deliver a national conference through ASPIRE, while also building ongoing initiatives that identify, connect, and equip current and future leaders to lead change across family, business, and civic life.
Our Purpose
Equipping leaders of integrity to shape Australia
HOW FORM BEGAN
Our Story
Like much of the Western world, Australia is experiencing more than a loss of trust in institutions and leaders. There is also a growing loss of confidence in our history, culture, and national story. The founders of FORM recognised this moment as one that called for renewal, not withdrawal, and were driven by a desire to see Australia flourish.
Following the success of the internationally recognised ARC Conference in London, a group of concerned Australians came together to establish FORM. Led by the Hon. John Anderson AC FTSE, they constituted a board and formed a legal not‑for‑profit in 2025 to carry a similar mission forward for Australians and in the Australian context.
From the outset, the vision was to create an entity that could host a national conference, but also mature into a lasting contributor to Australia’s civic and leadership landscape. FORM was designed to lean forward into hope by connecting leaders of virtue, fostering collaboration, and equipping them to lead the change they want to see.
ASPIRE 2026 was FORM’s inaugural event and public launch. Since ASPIRE, FORM has begun developing local network chapters, producing media and content resources, and offering advisory services. While still in its early stages, FORM aims to make a lasting contribution to the future Australia through an annual ASPIRE conference and other initiatives.
GUIDED BY PURPOSE
Our Vision and Mission
BOARD
Our Board
Hon John Anderson AC FTSE
The Hon John Anderson AC FTSE is a sixth-generation farmer and grazier from North-West New South Wales, who spent nineteen years from 1989 in the Australian Parliament. This included six years as Leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister as a member of the reformist government led by John Howard. John’s recent contributions to public debate have included his podcast series, where he interviews various thought leaders from around the world (johnanderson.net.au). John is also active in the not-for-profit sector and has been a sought-after speaker in both Australia and abroad. On leaving politics, Anderson, known as a man of simple Christian faith, was saluted by figures on both sides with overflowing praise; the then Prime Minister John Howard extolling: “I have not met a person with greater integrity in public life”.
Grant Millard
Qualified as an accountant, lawyer and tax adviser, Grant was a partner in the international accounting and legal firm Arthur Andersen, before embarking on a senior financial career in the Coca-Cola system in Europe, with responsibilities for tax, treasury, risk and insurance, and business development. More recently for thirteen years, Grant was the Chief Executive of Anglican Community Services, which is one of Australia’s largest not-for-profit Retirement living and aged care services organisations with a broad range of community services.
Dr Simon Kennedy
Simon is a historian, as well as a sought-after writer and speaker on public issues, especially religion and politics. Along with being a Director at FORM, he is on the founding Board of MIC Advisors.
Felicity Stead
Prior to her role at YSI, Felicity has worked as a solicitor with a specialisation in commercial law and infrastructure projects, and the not-for-profit sector in education, charities and the Anglican church. She has served in Anglican ministry with her husband, Michael (Bishop of South Sydney), and now works in religious freedom advocacy.
Rev. Nick Moll
Nick runs a policy research consultancy in Sydney. Prior to this he worked as an Anglican minister and in consulting at PWC. He serves on a number of boards and has recently undertaken Master’s studies at Oxford University whilst on sabbatical. Alongside John Anderson he was an early-stage advisor for the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship and FORM Australia.
Sam Kong
Sam is the Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Equity Partners. Prior to joining Pacific Equity Partners in 1998, Sam was a senior accountant at PricewaterhouseCooper. Sam received a BEc from the University of Sydney and an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management, University of New South Wales. He is a Certified Practising Accountant.
Zoe Hilton
Zoe Hilton is a policy analyst and media commentator with a background in energy policy, government and environmental research. Zoe has co-authored energy policy papers and featured in videos spanning a range of topics, including the flaws in official energy models and Australia’s rising electricity prices. She previously worked as a science and investment policy advisor in the NSW Government.
Duncan Brown
Born into a farming family in South-East Queensland, Duncan’s professional career began as a rural journalist, working for the Rural Press Group and News Ltd. A lifelong passion to empower young people, particularly in regional areas, saw Duncan accept the position of CEO of SU Qld, helping pioneer and establish hundreds of chaplaincies in Queensland state schools. This was followed by a period of strategic consulting and church leadership. Duncan pastored ‘New Peninsula Baptist’, a large multi- campus church on Victorian’s Mornington Peninsula, before returning home in 2013 to Queensland and farming. In the last 10 years, he pioneered several agribusinesses, a local church and a coffee roasting hospitality business. Duncan is married to Tricia and has three children – Emily, Jack and Laura.
Timothy Caughey
Tim is married, lives in the Hunter Valley, and is a proud granddad. He has had extensive experience as a Board Member and Board Chair in numerous non-profit organisations. Tim’s professional career begins with 20 years’ experience in the building industry, after which he moved into the non-profit community relations and development sector. As the establishing Director of a national community relations and development company, Tim also engages in philanthropic work through advancement and development with donors in political, humanities and school areas. Tim is a consultant and trainer to numerous Christian schools and non-profits in Australia, and has also worked with many schools in Canada. Tim’s work involves change management, leadership development and training, community/business assessment and engagement, stakeholder/customer resilience and engagement, and fundraising.
