The Buddhist Council of NSW (BCNSW) is a peak organisation for Buddhism in New South Wales and one of five state Buddhist council members of the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils. It also collaborates with the Australian Sangha Association, the national body representing Buddhist monastics.¹ 

In 1984, efforts to form a Buddhist Council were galvanised by several factors. The World Fellowship of Buddhists called a meeting in Sydney to establish a regional branch. There was also informal feedback from government officers about the absence of a central point of contact with Buddhist communities. Buddhist leaders such as the late Graeme Lyall AO saw the need for an umbrella organisation to help Buddhist temples from diverse cultural backgrounds navigate Australian regulatory and administrative frameworks. Lyall contacted local Buddhist organisations, many of which responded and came together to form the Buddhist Council of New South Wales. Its inaugural Annual General Meeting was held in June 1985, when its constitution was ratified. The Council was incorporated in March 1991. Graeme Lyall, the founding Chairman, led BCNSW until his retirement from the Board of Directors in December 2006. He was succeeded by Brian White (until 2018), Gawaine Powell Davies (until 2023), and Erica Hendrawan.²  

BCNSW currently has 132 member organisations across NSW and the ACT. It supports members through group insurance, event promotion, and assistance with immigration, visas and child-protection compliance.³ 

The Council also provides a Buddhist voice to government, other faiths and the broader community. It promotes Buddhist values, multicultural inclusion and interfaith dialogue through initiatives such as Vesak in Parliament, partnership with UNICEF Australia, and advocacy on issues including war, violence and climate change. It is a state-approved providers for Special Religious Education in Buddhism in NSW. It offers chaplaincy programs in prisons and hospitals across NSW and runs a visiting program for isolated people. ⁴ 

By: Sioh Yang Tan and Juewei Shi 

References: 

¹ “About Us,” Buddhist Council of NSW, accessed August 20, 2026, https://buddhistcouncil.org/about-us/. 

² “About Us,”, Buddhist Council of NSW;; Graeme Lyall, “Buddhist Life Stories of Australia | Graeme Lyall,” conducted by Deakin University, interview, 2015, posted May 13, 2026, by Nan Tien Institute, YouTube, 1:01:45, https://youtu.be/IshnXhragLs 

³  Buddhist Council of NSW, Annual Report 2025 (Buddhist Council of NSW, 2025), https://buddhistcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ANNUAL-REPORT-FINAL.pdf. 

⁴ Erica Hendrawan, “Chair’s report,” in Annual Report 2025 (Buddhist Council of NSW, 2025), 4–6, https://buddhistcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ANNUAL-REPORT-FINAL.pdf; “Special Religious Education and Special Education in Ethics Providers,” NSW Department of Education, last modified August 4, 2026, https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/religion-and-ethics/approved-sre-see-providers.