Perth Liaison Office

Introduction to the Tzu Chi Perth Office

In June 1997, Tzu Chi held its first tea gathering in Perth, Australia, planting the first Tzu Chi seed in the local community. That seed was Ms. Chen Chang Feng-zhu, who established the Tzu Chi Perth Liaison Office. Although she was not initially familiar with Tzu Chi, reading Master Cheng Yen’s Jing Si Aphorisms inspired her to cultivate kindness. Through the tea gathering, she deeply realized that Tzu Chi is an organization that puts goodness into action while cultivating spiritual practice. With the full support of her family, she began from her own home, entered the community to share Tzu Chi’s spirit of compassion and relief, and actively led volunteers to visit nursing homes, cerebral palsy schools, and disability centers to provide feeding and care services.

Upholding Master Cheng Yen’s teaching of “taking from the local area and using it for the local area,” the Perth Liaison Office was formally established on 1 March 1998. As its missions gradually expanded, in 2001 cases were referred by Disability Services Western Australia, and Tzu Chi Perth’s charitable work extended from visits to aged-care facilities to support for struggling families across the community.

The Tzu Chi Academy was founded in the same year, combining Chinese-language education with Jing Si Aphorisms to pass on Tzu Chi’s humanistic values; the Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association was also established to nurture young people to join the missions and continue the power of goodness.

As the number of volunteers and activities continued to grow, Chinese migrants from different countries living in Perth came together through their shared recognition of Tzu Chi’s ideals, forming a steady and warm force. In 2004, the current site was purchased and renovated by volunteers working together with their own hands. After years of effort, it officially opened in 2010 and became a spiritual home jointly protected by Perth volunteers.

Over the years, Tzu Chi volunteers in Perth have continued to serve the local community with gratitude and a spirit of selfless-giving, including long-term visits to nursing homes, assistance for disadvantaged families, free clinics, sewing clothing for premature babies, promoting vegetarianism, and carrying out environmental and community volunteer services. Through efforts in many areas and through festive events, they have fostered mutual help, collective goodness, and humanistic values that enrich the heart.

In 2013, the Perth Liaison Office reached an important milestone in its medical mission with the establishment of the Tzu Chi Perth International Medical Association. It was established by Dr. Shi Binbin, who is a dental professional that aspired from childhood to help others, and whose ideals closely align with Tzu Chi’s spirit of compassion and relief. Having witnessed the financial and medical hardships faced by vulnerable groups, after completing studies Dr. Shi used her professional expertise to promote free dental clinics for people experiencing homelessness, refugees, and low-income households, improving their quality of life. In addition to regular monthly small-scale clinics, the team also travelled 600 kilometres to remote areas in 2024 to continue caring for vulnerable communities.

Looking back on the journey, today’s Perth Liaison Office could come into being because of a single seed. This single seed has led to many more seeds of great love spreading across the community, forming an endless cycle of love and kindness.

Australian branch commissioners visited the Perth tea gathering