Every October, sites and services across the organisation host Celebration of Ageing Well events to mark the founding of Uniting AgeWell and importantly, to celebrate the lives of our customers and the loyal and professional service of our staff.  For me, it is a time I thoroughly enjoy, as I attend the various site celebrations and chat with many members of the UA family.

This year’s Celebration of Ageing Well is also a very special one, as it marks the organisation’s 20th anniversary, giving us an opportunity to reflect on the incredible achievements and changes that have occurred over this time.  I am sure there will be plenty of reminiscing and applause as we cut the anniversary cakes and present length of service awards to staff – with some having been with us since the start of the UA story and beyond.

Following recommendations by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the Aged Care Taskforce and significant consumer and sector advocacy, a new Aged Care Bill has been tabled in Parliament with bipartisan support, along with the Government’s long-awaited response to the Aged Care Taskforce report.  Both the proposed Aged Care Bill and the Taskforce Report propose a new framework for the delivery of funded aged care services to individuals under the Commonwealth aged care system and adopt an individual rights-based approach.

The September 12 announcement by Prime Minister Albanese, came just 24 hours after I joined the CEOs of Uniting Care Australia at Parliament House to call for urgent action on aged care viability and sustainability and to voice the need to ensure every Australian can age with dignity regardless of their financial circumstances or where they live.

While the announcement by the PM was a pivotal moment, there is still much to be done to bring the new Aged Care Act and the much-needed reforms into fruition to create a brighter and more certain future for older Australians and the aged care sector.

On October 4, I will be in Devonport to address the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs who will be discussing how the Aged Care Bill 2024 can be improved.

There is no doubt that key to the success of any aged care service today and into the future, is workforce and an important part of staff attraction and retention are wages and benefits.  In line with our commitment to being an employer of choice, last month we put forward UA’s Victorian Enterprise Agreement offer to staff.  I am thrilled to report that the Agreement received a resounding 93% YES vote with a 75% staff participation rate.

There is always a huge amount of work that goes into preparing an Enterprise Agreement and informing staff about the offer and the ballot process.   I would like to take this opportunity to thank our People and Culture team for their collective efforts and the Victorian staff for their active interest and engagement in the process, with over 1,200 staff taking the opportunity to attend information sessions in the lead up to the vote.  Preparations are now underway to commence the Tasmanian Enterprise Agreement process, with information being rolled out in the near future.

I am also thrilled that we are receiving a great response from staff to the Uniting AgeWell Scholarship Program, with Round 1 applications streaming in.   It is great to see so many staff keen to progress their knowledge and career at UA.  Whilst applications close on 16 October, please remember there will be further rounds, so if you are unable to apply at this time, there will be further opportunities in 2025.  Special thanks go to the Marketing and Community Relations team and our SharePoint team for their efforts to get this important program up and running.

In closing, I would like to congratulate the finalists in the 2024 AgeWell Awards.  With so many outstanding nominations, it was an extremely difficult task selecting just 22 finalists.  You can read the list of finalists in this edition of Inside Story and I look forward to announcing the award winners later in November.

As always, thank you for everything you do to bring the UA vision and values to life and delivering our services with respect and kindness

Warm regards

Andrew Kinnersly

Chief Executive Officer

Return to Inside Story