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Associations Forum celebrates excellence at the 2025 Association Awards™ Dinner across organisations and individuals

On Thursday, 6 November 2025, Associations Forum celebrated achievement and excellence across the sector by outstanding associations and individuals at the Association Awards™ Dinner. “This year’s Association Awards highlighted the remarkable dedication and achievements of associations across Australia. The calibre of nominations was truly impressive and reflects the strength and innovation within the sector. We were also pleased to introduce Association Event of the Year, showcasing the important role events play in engaging members and advancing association goals,” said John Peacock AM, Chief Executive Officer of Associations Forum.

Association of the Year™ 2025 was awarded to the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia. CBAA’s mission is to support and champion community broadcasters, and in 2024/25, the organisation achieved impactful outcomes for its members. It secured the sector’s largest-ever funding increase, modernised governance, deepened engagement, and lifted visibility. These achievements are the culmination of a clear strategy, strong leadership, and a member-centred culture.

The Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) was awarded the Association Event Campaign of the Year™2025, for their National Health and Safety Conference 2025. The conference was a fully in-person, three-day professional event featuring a packed program of keynote sessions, workshops, an industry-first exhibition, offsite learning experiences, and structured networking. This flagship conference was anchored by the theme Driving Progress, bringing together safety professionals, regulators, academics, and business leaders from across Australia to explore innovations and challenges in workplace health and safety. With 700 registrations and 41 exhibitors, the 2025 conference secured the highest attendance for a national conference in the 76-year history of the Institute, exceeding attendance expectations by 27% and selling out both tickets and exhibition.

Association External Campaign of the Year™2025 was awarded to P&Cs Qld for their ‘Hands Up For Kids’ campaign. P&Cs Qld’s Advocacy campaign significantly advanced our mission to empower parents and ensure quality education for all Queensland state school students. Launched in early 2024, it directly addressed long-standing concerns over chronic public-school underfunding and the unsustainable burden on parents for essential resources, issues impacting student learning and wellbeing.

Communication and Public Relations Australia (CPRA) was awarded Association Turnaround of the Year™ 2025. Formerly known as the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) until 2019, the association has since undergone a significant transformation. PRIA was facing existential challenges and its relevance in the sector had diminished, its public voice had faded, and internal structures were no longer fit for purpose. The turnaround began with a change in board leadership in 2019. Every aspect of the association was examined and reshaped - its governance, mission, member offering, financial strategy, staffing, and public positioning. Today, rebranded as CPRA, the organisation is once again growing, financially stable, and leading conversations in the profession.

For their long and exemplary service to associations, the following outstanding individuals were inducted into the Associations Hall of Fame™: Eva Gold, Faye Doherty, John Plumridge, Keith Roberts, Lewis Kaplan, Maree McCaskill, Matthew Fisher, Ray Leak and Sarah Bachmann. 

“Congratulations to the Award winners and a shout out to all the nominees across award categories for the fantastic contributions their associations have made. The Association Awards are a great opportunity to reflect on our achievements, acknowledge our successes and celebrate that associations truly do advance the world!” said Andrew Gosbell, Associations Advisor of Associations Forum and Emcee.

Associations Forum would like to thank sponsors: Novotel Melbourne Airport, Nexia Australia, Lasercraft Australia, Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, TMC Productions, EventPix and Governology.

END

Media Release Friday, 7 November 2025, for immediate release.

For enquiries, please contact Sarea Bhar, Marketing & Communications Officer, Associations Forum at sarea@associations.net.au or call 02 9904 8200. 

About Associations Forum
Associations Forum is a commercial, member-based network of 500 associations, charities, clubs, societies and other not-for-profit organisations and is the leading organisation assisting associations in governance, operations, membership and finances.