Reverend Dr Tim Costello AO

Reverend Dr Tim Costello AO is a distinguished Australian and one of this country’s most respected community leaders, renowned for ensuring the challenges of global poverty and social justice are firmly and consistently on the national agenda.

Reverend Dr Costello was educated at Carey Grammar and graduated in Jurisprudence and Law from Monash University, followed by a Diploma of Education.

After doing his Articles and working for a few years as a suburban solicitor he travelled to Europe and studied Theology at Ruschlikon Baptist Seminary in Zurich where he graduated with Bachelor of Divinity (1984), followed by a Masters of Theology from the Melbourne College of Divinity in (1991). He was ordained as a Baptist Minister in 1986 and worked as Minister of the Baptist Church in St Kilda 1984 to 1993.

In 1991 to 1993 he served on St Kilda Council and was Mayor for the final year before amalgamation of councils and was well known for championing the cause of local democracy. He then was appointed a Minister at Collins St Baptist Church 1994 to 2003 where he pioneered an Urban Mission Unit called Urban Seed which helped marginalised people and advocated on issues such as homelessness, gambling and drug addiction. In 2000 and 2001 he was President of the Baptist Union of Australia.

At the end of 2003, Reverend Dr Costello was appointed Chief Executive Officer of World Vision Australia, a role he filled from 2004 to 2016. It took him to many natural disasters around the world, most notably the Asian Tsunami of Boxing Day 2004. He travelled immediately to the disaster area, and his presence and media profile added significant weight to the World Vision appeal, which ultimately raised more than $100 million. From 2016 to 2019 he was Chief Advocate for World Vision Australia.

He is currently Executive Director of Micah Australia, Chief Advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity. He is Chair of the Community Council of Australia, and also the Chair of Monash University's Peninsula Campus Community Advisory Committee. He is Patron for a number of charities both in Victoria and interstate. Reverend Dr Costello has also written several books including: A Lot with a Little (2019), Faith (2016), Hope (2012), Streets of Hope: Finding God in St Kilda; Tips from a Travelling Soul Searcher; and Wanna Bet? Winners and Losers in Gambling’s Luck Myth (co-written with Royce Millar).

For his extensive work and contributions to public and community service, Reverend Dr Costello has been widely recognised through awards and honours. In 2006 he was named Victoria’s Australian of the Year, in June 2005 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO); in 2004, was named Victorian of the Year; and in 1997 was named as one of Australia’s 100 National Living Treasures.