Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett has helped kick off an appeal for the Salvation Army charity in her native Australia.

The Oscar-winning actress attended a luncheon in the capital Sydney on Thursday (01May14) to launch the charity's annual Red Shield Appeal fundraising drive.

She drew comparisons to her troubled character in Blue Jasmine, for which she won a Best Actress Academy Award, and the Australians who are helped by the charity.

Blanchett says, "There are so many people who don't think they will ever need assistance and... the Salvos (Salvation Army) so often step in and help people like Blue Jasmine who perhaps thought they'd never need that help."

The mother-of-three added that parenthood compelled her to help the needy, saying, "As a parent you have many conversations with your children and the things you say are all about being compassionate, all about being gentle, all about having respect for other people, and if we don't lead them through example then those words are incredibly hollow."

The Salvation Army's Red Shield Appeal will be held throughout Australia over 24-25 May (14).