This September, David Pocock is asking Canberra to lace up, show up, and walk for hope

Posted on 7 September, 2026

As Karinya House prepares for Walk for Hope 2026, Senator David Pocock says every step is a public statement that vulnerable mothers and babies in Canberra are not alone.

For Senator Pocock, the work of Karinya House is simple to describe and almost impossible to overstate – it’s love in action at one of the most vulnerable moments in a woman’s life.

Karinya House is a residential support service with a proud history of 29 years of life-changing support for local mums and their babies.

A team of professionals works to seamlessly deliver wrap around support, including case work, 24/7 safe accommodation, health advice, practical assistance and goods and much more to women who are pregnant or parenting a newborn while facing homelessness, family violence, isolation or crisis.

And on Sunday 13 September, Senator Pocock is encouraging Canberrans to show up for those women and babies by joining Karinya House’s Walk for Hope, a community walk and fundraiser along Lake Burley Griffin that asks participants to take either 4.5km or 9km steps towards safety, hope and a stronger future for local families.

Senator Pocock has walked in support of Karinya House before, and says the organisation fills a vital gap in Canberra’s service system.

“They’re one of those extraordinary organisations that meet people where they’re at,” he says. “They provide a really unique support and service for women who are at their most vulnerable point – pregnant, with a new baby, and facing homelessness or family domestic violence, whatever it might be.”

That support does not end with emergency accommodation. Karinya House works alongside women as they rebuild – helping them find longer-term housing, connect with services, explore job prospects, build confidence and move forward with someone firmly in their corner.

“They provide a safe place to stay, and then all the wrap around supports to ensure that these women can get through it, but then come out stronger on the other side,” Senator Pocock says.

As a federal politician representing the ACT, Senator Pocock says he often hears Canberra described as affluent, comfortable and free of serious need. But Canberrans know the truth is more complicated with pockets of severe disadvantage.

“There are people who desperately need our support,” he says. “Canberrans want to live in a city, in a jurisdiction, where there is support for people who need it. Karinya House really fills a gap and provides a level of care and attention to detail that I think is really impressive.”

For many women, pregnancy and early motherhood unfold against a backdrop most of us would struggle to imagine – trying to protect a baby while navigating unsafe housing, violence, financial stress, trauma or isolation. Karinya House’s message is that no woman should have to do that alone.

Senator Pocock says becoming a parent has deepened his understanding of what safety can mean at that point in life. He and his wife Emma welcomed their first child in 2024, and Emma is pregnant with their second.

“As men, we can’t imagine what it’s like to be growing a human and everything that does to you physically and emotionally,” he says. “As a husband, you want to be there to care for her and ensure she has everything she needs.”

“I can’t imagine how scary it would be doing that alone or to have your supports crumbling around you at the same time that you’re desperately trying to give your newborn, or your future child, the very best start in life. That would weigh very heavily on you.”

More broadly, Senator Pocock believes raising money and awareness of the work of Karinya spreads the vital message that family violence is not only a women’s issue.

Senator Pocock says there is growing awareness of family and domestic violence across Australia, but awareness must become action – including from men.

“This isn’t a women’s issue,” he says. “This is also a men’s issue. We need to be stepping up. But this is a societal issue.”

That means funding frontline services, supporting prevention and behaviour-change work, and being willing to have uncomfortable conversations. But it also means taking public action, such as joining a walk that tells women experiencing vulnerability and children they are seen and not stigmatised.

“I think it’s a great statement from the community,” Senator Pocock says. “I may never know what it’s like, but I want to publicly say that I’m part of this. You’re part of our community. We want to look after you.”

As anyone who follows our local Senator – a former Wallaby who maintains a rigorous fitness schedule and loves being outdoors – knows, there is no better way to spend a Sunday.

Walk for Hope 2026 will begin and end at the Canberra Southern Cross Club Yacht Club in Yarralumla, with registration from 7.45 am and the walk/run starting at 9 am. Participants can choose between a 4.5km route – representing the one in four women who experience domestic or family violence – or a 9km route reflecting the nine months of pregnancy.

The event is designed to be inclusive and family-friendly, with walkers, runners, children, prams, wheelchairs and dogs all welcome. It is a morning for community, movement and meaning – and, as Senator Pocock puts it, “a great community day”.

“It’s a beautiful walk,” he says. “A lot of Canberrans getting out there with kids, grandparents, all walking with a purpose.”

It is also a vital step for Canberrans to take in order to help Karinya maintain its operational viability.

Like many frontline charities, Karinya House is facing growing demand at a time when funding remains uncertain and the cost of delivering care continues to rise. That makes community support urgent.

“So many frontline service organisations that are doing work Canberrans would say they deeply value and want to be available in this city are struggling, they can’t keep up with demand.”

Senator Pocock says government should take primary responsibility to fund the services communities rely on – but where gaps remain, the community has a role too.

“As a community we can be part of funding the gap,” Senator Pocock says. “We know that while we may not be in that situation today, in life, it can be just a few twists of fate away. Things happen to you, and you never know when you will need to rely on the community for help.”

And a Canberra without Karinya House is a bleak proposition to consider.

“We’d have a huge gap supporting women who are pregnant or have a newborn and are homeless, fleeing family domestic violence, or have a lot of uncertainty around where they’re going to live and what they’re going to do,” he says.

Most of all, he says, Karinya House offers something every woman deserves at the beginning of a child’s life.

“There’s no judgement,” Senator Pocock says. “It’s just pure love and support, and really doing everything they can to help women who clearly are going through a really tough time.”

And that is worth getting out of bed for early on a Sunday, grabbing friends and family, and strapping on your walking shoes.

Selfie of David Pocock and his wife Emma