[2] The organisation is involved in translating, publishing, and distributing the Christian Bible, from print, to audio, to digital versions.
[6] Moved by a scarcity of Scriptures in the new colony, Lady Elizabeth Macquarie influenced her husband to form an Auxiliary Bible Society in New South Wales.
[6] One of the first acts of the new Auxiliary was to establish a Scripture depository after the discovery that "more than one-third of the dwellings, and nearly three-fifths of the inhabitants who can read, are without a Bible".
[7] In Melbourne, 'The Auxiliary Bible Society of Australia Felix' was formed in 1840, eleven years before Victoria officially became a colony.
"My parish," said Harry, "is the Aborigines, the stockmen, the miners, the prospectors, the oilrig crews, the road gangs, the shearers, the fencers, the fettlers and the dam sinkers – all who inhabit the lonely places.
"[14] In 1887, the Bible Societies gave a Penny Testament to every schoolchild in Australia to mark the diamond jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria.
[19] In 1957, building operations started on the site of the Memorial Bible House in Canberra, what was to become the national headquarters of the Society in Australia.
[24] A special commissioning service was held in August 1968 for Bible Society's Flying Bibleman, Trevor Booth, who saw the need for an itinerant ministry to serve the remote communities in Western Australia.
[29] In 2015, the organisation commemorated the centenary of Gallipoli with Their Sacrifice, a multi-media travelling exhibition and website that highlighted the comforting presence of the Bible in times of conflict, from the Boer War to Afghanistan.
[31] It has published a number of notable titles since the acquisition including among others, Mr Eternity: The Story of Arthur Stace, Metanoia and Christ Centred Mindfulness: Connected to Self & God.
[33] This included a national celebration service on Sunday 5 March, held at the Hillsong Church main auditorium in Sydney and live streamed across the nation, and the launch of 'Our Mob, God's Story: Australian and Torres Strait Islanders Artists Share Their Faith', an art book that celebrates the impact of the Bible on Indigenous Australians.
[39] As well as her role at the Bible Society, Anne (through her own legal business) works closely with Hillsong's board in forming and developing a number of their governing processes.
[40] Grant's leadership style in contrast to his predecessor is more reserved, less publicly engaged and more focused on forming strategic relationships such as with key political figures and Australian Pentecostal movement leaders.
[43] Simon Smart, Bible Society's Chief Media Officer, assumed the role of Acting CEO.
[45] Overseas projects include Bible translations of the New Testament for ethnic minority groups in Vietnam,[46] and in the Pacific Islands.
[54][55] In late 2016, Bible Society Australia bought Acorn Press[56] and in July 2015, the organisation acquired leading Christian retailer Koorong.
[44] Recent literacy projects in Egypt, Pakistan and South Africa aim to benefit lower socioeconomic groups, such as women and children.
[61] In 2017, Bible Society Australia ran a campaign telling the story of Easter through a series of text messages.
Bible Society has published Scripture in almost all of these languages, ranging from portions and single Gospels through to full New Testament.