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St Aloysius College, in North Melbourne is one of Melbourne’s oldest Catholic schools. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1887, the college was built on the values of justice, compassion, hospitality, respect, service, and courage. Today the school is led by Principal Mary Farah who is dedicated to honouring the Mercy traditions that have served previous generations so well, while being forward-focused and progressive in her approach, embracing change in many forms over her 13-year tenure. The first of these cultural shifts was realised in 2023, when in the face of declining enrollments, the college made a bold move to welcome its first cohort of boys into year 7 after 136 years as a single sex school. The change immediately placed St Aloysius in the unique position as the only Catholic co-education secondary school in inner Melbourne, and with its current enrollments of 812 projected to grow past 1000 in 2027, the Altiora move has seen the college thrive.
Staying secure online doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or time-consuming. Often the most effective ways to protect yourself cost nothing at all. Whether you’re checking your email, shopping online, managing your finances, or staying connected with family and friends, a few simple habits can help reduce cyber risk and give you greater confidence online.  Here are seven practical security habits that cost nothing but can go a long way in keeping your accounts, devices and personal information safe.
Before you paste, upload or prompt, pause and check what you're sharing; practical AI data-security tips from CDF's Cyber Security Awareness Month
Whether you’re saving for a family holiday, a new car, an emergency fund, or a future milestone, it’s natural to focus on the objective. But lasting progress often starts with something less tangible: our mindset and the habits we build along the way. The way we think about money, our confidence in managing it, and the habits we build along the way can shape our ability to save. Research into financial wellbeing suggests that financial confidence is influenced by more than just income or financial knowledge. Our behaviours, routines, and day-to-day decisions all play an important role in helping us feel in control of our finances ( Ecstra, 2026 ). Most meaningful savings journeys don’t require perfect conditions or large sums of money to begin.
Ground has been broken on St Francis; a $150 million retirement living community in East Ivanhoe and the latest expression of Villa Maria Catholic Homes' (VMCH) long-standing commitment to creating places where people can live well, remain connected and be supported through every stage of life. CDF is proud to support the development with a $90 million loan, continuing a partnership with VMCH that has helped bring some of Victoria's most significant Catholic aged care and retirement living projects to life.
For more than four decades, Assumption Catholic Primary School has provided Catholic education in Mandurah, Western Australia, welcoming children and families into a community grounded in faith, learning, service and belonging. Founded in the spirit of the Presentation Sisters, Assumption continues that tradition through its motto, ‘United in Christ’, with a commitment to help every child flourish in mind, heart, body and spirit. Now, a $2.4 million refurbishment of the school’s Senior Teaching Block is giving an established part of the campus a new future. Supported by a $2.3 million loan from CDF, the project has transformed classrooms for students in Years 3 to 6. For new Principal Colin Loh, the investment reflects Assumption’s commitment to providing an education that responds to the needs of today’s students while remaining grounded in its Catholic identity.
On 27 July 2026, the small coastal town of Triabunna became the site of a significant milestone for Tasmania, with the official opening of the state's first completed Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) project , delivering 36 new social and affordable homes to a community where housing need is real and growing. For CDF, it is a moment that reflects what partnership can achieve when organisations come together around a shared commitment to serving others. A partnership built on shared purpose
At the heart of Avila College’s Mount Waverley campus, a new learning space is taking shape - one that carries six decades of educational tradition into an exciting new chapter. The St Teresa Library was formally blessed and opened in July, marking the completion of the final stage of the College’s current master plan and creating a contemporary new hub designed to support learning, connection and opportunity for generations of Avila students. Supported by a $9 million CDF loan, the project represents a significant investment in the future of this Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) secondary school for girls, which educates almost 1,100 students from Years 7 to 12. A Future Focused Heart for the College
Australians reported 481,523 scams in 2025 , with 274,577 reports involving financial losses totalling $2.18 billion . Behind those numbers are scams that are becoming increasingly difficult to spot. For organisations, one of the most convincing can begin with something as routine as an invoice. Invoice fraud is becoming increasingly sophisticated. The email may come from a supplier you know. The invoice may look exactly like previous ones. The amount is correct, the project is familiar, and the message may even sit inside a genuine email thread. The only thing that's changed is the bank account. That one change can redirect thousands of dollars into a cyber criminal's hands. How it happens Invoice fraud, also known as payment redirection fraud, is a common form of Business Email Compromise (BEC). Criminals gain access to a real email account - through phishing, stolen credentials, malware or a data breach - then quietly monitor it. They learn who approves payments, how invoicing cycles work, and wait for the right moment to intercept a genuine transaction and simply change the bank details. Because nothing else changes, it's very hard to spot. Example of What a Scam Looks Like
In 1956, a priest with a vision and a community with faith came together to solve a problem. Catholic schools across Melbourne were overflowing. Families were growing. Government funding for Catholic education was simply unavailable. And so Fr James Wall, later honoured with the title 'Father of the Funds', established what he called the Schools Provident Fund (SPF): a new way for the Catholic community to pool its resources, invest in its future, and care for one another. The very first school funded through that vision was Sacred Heart Parish Primary School in Preston, Victoria, which opened in 1957 and became an instant success, laying the framework for what would follow. The movement spread across Australia and New Zealand, growing from a solution for Catholic schools into a broader vehicle for funding parishes, hospitals, aged care and social services. Seventy years later, that vision is very much alive.
The Fund is required by law to make the following disclosure. Investment in the Fund is only intended to attract investors whose primary purpose for making their investment is to support the charitable purposes of the Fund. Investors’ funds will be used to generate a return to the Fund that will be applied to further the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Sale, Bunbury and Ballarat. The Fund is not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An investor in the Fund will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). The investments that the Fund offers are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by ASIC. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and investments in the Fund are not comparable to investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Fund’s identification statement may be viewed here or by contacting the Fund. The Fund does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.
