The Hatchery

Ian Yates is Chief Executive of COTA Australia, the national peak body for COTAs (Councils on the Ageing) in each State and Territory of Australia. Ian was appointed CE of COTA SA in June 1989 and has played national leadership roles in COTA since 2002.

Ian serves on a wide variety of federal government and aged care sector national bodies. He is a member of the Federal Government’s Aged Care Financing Authority; the Aged Care Sector Committee and the Aged Care Quality Advisory Council.

Beyond aged care Ian is a member of the Consumer Advisory Panel to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), a Director of Livable Housing Australia, and a member of the Advisory Board of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR).

Ian holds a BA from Flinders University; is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors; is an Honorary Doctor and Emeritus Deputy Chancellor of Flinders University; and was awarded Membership in the Order of Australia (AM) in June 2005.

Ian Yates is Chief Executive of COTA Australia, the national peak body for COTAs (Councils on the Ageing) in each State and Territory of Australia. Ian was appointed CE of COTA SA in June 1989 and has played national leadership roles in COTA since 2002.

Ian serves on a wide variety of federal government and aged care sector national bodies. He is a member of the Federal Government’s Aged Care Financing Authority; the Aged Care Sector Committee and the Aged Care Quality Advisory Council.

Beyond aged care Ian is a member of the Consumer Advisory Panel to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), a Director of Livable Housing Australia, and a member of the Advisory Board of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR).

Ian holds a BA from Flinders University; is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors; is an Honorary Doctor and Emeritus Deputy Chancellor of Flinders University; and was awarded Membership in the Order of Australia (AM) in June 2005.

Professor Michael Woods is a Professor of Health Economics at the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation at the University of Technology Sydney.

He chairs the Editorial Board of the new biannual reports on Australia’s Aged Care Sector and was recently on the Board of the Australian Digital Health Agency and a member of the Aged Care Financing Authority.

Mike’s research focus is on aged care and palliative care, the health workforce and the economics and financing of health systems. He specialises in policy development and program evaluations, including on significant aged care reforms.

Professor Woods was previously Deputy Chairman of the Productivity Commission and Presiding Commissioner on over 20 national Inquiries. He led several landmark Reports including Caring for Older Australians and Australia’s Health Workforce. He has been a visiting scholar at the Australian National University and held Staff Consultant and Senior Expert Roles for the World Bank and OECD.

With 20 years’ nursing experience, Mathew Brincat is an expert clinician who has spent the last 14 years in the Aged Care Industry. Mathew is the General Manager of Clinical Services at Provider Assist where he advises on critical issues of Aged Care management including AN-ACC, clinical assessment & documentation and accreditation needs.

Mathew is passionate that quality care and entitled funding all begin with proactive & holistic comprehensive assessment and believes that AN-ACC provides a unique opportunity to take advantage of synergistic opportunities in the way Facilities manage both funding and quality.

Mathew has a passion for Aged Care education and regularly delivers training to the Aged Care Industry. He thoroughly enjoys empowering others to affect the changes through the impossible to the rewarding and enriching environment that is Aged Care.

Derek Dittrich has worked in aged care since the mid-90s and has spent the last two years as ACSA’s Senior Manager for Strategic Policy, recently taking on the role of Executive Director – Government and Public Relations. Derek represents ACSA on a range of Government and Department of Health expert and reference groups and is a well-versed in the Government’s reform agenda. He has been central to ACSA’s response on key issues, such as the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and the Budget, and is passionate about ensuring a sustainable aged care sector and better quality of life for older Australians. Derek holds qualifications in nursing and Health Services Management.

Tyler is the Mirus Australia Data Scientist who oversees the largest combined database of aged care information covering workforce, government expenditure and all key performance metrics relating to funding. Tyler has strong data management and statistical analysis skills and was previously a Revenue Manager for NSW Health.

As part of her role as Head of Revenue at Anglicare, Sydney, Caroline is tasked with leading the organisation’s transition in one of Aged Care’s most significant changes, the AN-ACC funding model. With senior management roles in local and multi-national companies in Marketing, Sales and Operations across a variety of industries such as FMCG, Electronics and Aged Care, Caroline and has successfully led multi-disciplinary teams to deliver strategic transformational projects and targets and has a passion for delivering the best possible outcomes for staff and residents.

Abby Westphal is the Aged Care Revenue Manager atBolton Clarke. Abby has worked in the Aged Care Industry for 12 years, and has dedicated this time to the Aged Care Funding Instrument across both for profit and non-for-profit providers. Abby prides herself on the above industry funding results to those who she has worked alongside and the teams that she is honoured enough to lead. As Aged Care continues to transition, Abby will continue to lead with connection and empathy to ensure the best results are achieved for our residents.

Josephine Boylan is the CEO at Clayton Church Homes. Over the past 20 plus years Jo has been leading organisational reorientations toward healthy ageing approaches across residential, community and retirement living communities. Jo holds a Bachelor and Master of Nursing and a Master’s in Public Health.

Dr Nick Hartland is the First Assistant Secretary of the In Home Aged Care Division in the Department of Health.

Nick’s key focus is supporting greater independence and wellness for Older Australians, including the provision of aged care information and assessment of needs through My Aged Care, entry-level aged care assistance at home (Commonwealth Home Support Programme) and assistance for older Australians with more complex care needs (Home Care Packages Program).

Previous roles Nick has held include: Aged Care Policy Principle Advisor, Chief of Staff to the Hon Ken Wyatt, AM, MP, Minister for Seniors and Aged Care and Minister for Indigenous Affairs, First Assistant Secretary of the Health Economics and Research Division, and First Assistant Secretary of the Aged Care Policy and Regulation Division.

Prior to working in the Department of Health, Nick played a key role in the development of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in the Department of Social Services. In DSS he has also had responsibility for administering and advising on Commonwealth income support payments (Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Carer Payment and Carer Allowance).

Tara Russell is the Executive Officer for the Community Transport Organisation (CTO), the peak body for community transport in NSW. Tara brings a community development perspective to her work at the CTO, trusting that a thorough collaborative and human centric approach to problem solving will bring innovation and aspirational change. With a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Notre Dame in the United States of America, Tara promotes the connection between policy and outcomes. Passionate about the role of transport within an age friendly community framework. Tara believes that transport is a powerful piece of social infrastructure that connects communities and enables people to remain engaged with their personal, social, civic and professional lives.

Sharyn is a passionate advocate for and leader in home support service delivery for older Australians and people living with disability, devoting her entire career to this purpose. In her dual role of CEO of Meals on Wheels SA and President of Meals on Wheels Australia she has a deep and broad understanding of the operational context and challenges of high volume service provision along with a system-level perspective and vision for the world class in-home aged care that Australians need and deserve.

Sharyn is leading business transformation and sustainment of Meals on Wheels at a state and national level to continue to extend its social impact and successfully anticipate and adapt to impending aged care reform. Her expertise has been sought by the Aged Care Royal Commission, various government Advisory Groups, and she has served on ACSA Divisional Council and state Boards for the past decade. A catalyst for change, she initiated the Nutrition for Older Australians Alliance and represents Meals on Wheels Australia as a founding member of the Support at Home Alliance.

Sarah has over 15 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service, working across aged care, disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Sarah is passionate about working with the aged care sector to improve workforce opportunities. She holds a Masters in Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development, business and arts degrees.

Anna-Maria is a passionate advocate for the Aged and Community Services industry, working with aged care providers operating in a challenging and constantly changing environment. Anna-Maria assists providers in navigating the labyrinth that is the workplace relations and aged care ecosystems, fostering productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders and driving positive outcomes for members. Anna-Maria manages ACSA’s Employee Relations service offering nationally and is the State Manager for NSW and the ACT.

As CEO, Jodi leads key initiatives to strengthen skills and workforce development in the human services and early childhood education and care sectors. Through strategic engagement with employers, peak and industry bodies, and all levels of government the Human Services Skills Organisation develops evidence-based solutions to deliver the skilled and adaptable workforce the sector needs. Jodi has an impressive track record as an executive in both public and private enterprise in Australia and internationally and has been privileged to lead business transformation projects, develop and implement significant government policy, and lead major reforms.

Sarah has over 15 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service, working across aged care, disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Sarah is passionate about working with the aged care sector to improve workforce opportunities. She holds a Masters in Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development, business and arts degrees.

Emma Woodhouse MACN is a registered nurse from the United Kingdom. She moved to Australia in 2006 to work as a perioperative nurse in a regional hospital. For more than 30 years, Emma has been driven to improve healthcare outcomes through education, leading to her joining ACN as a nurse educator in 2010. Since joining the tribe, Emma has completed a master’s in education and is on the path to PhD candidature. She has designed many curricula, including perioperative and dermatology graduate certificate courses and customised education programs, one of which was the Aged Care Transition to Practice program.

After attending CATSINaM cultural safety course in 2016, Emma became an advocate for ensuring that cultural safety, context and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health are integral in all education developed and delivered by ACN.

Dr Lyn Farrell is General Manager Training Services and responsible for the development and delivery of vocational education and training services that meet the career aspirations of individuals and the workforce development needs of industry. Prior to this role Lyn was Dean of Edith Cowan University’s South West Campus. With respect to her career in the Vocational Education and Training Sector, other positions Lyn has held, include Managing Director of the Pilbara TAFE, General Manager Organisational Services at Swan TAFE, Director Goldfields Vocational Education and Training Centre, CEO Abmusic and Academic Director at Central West College. Lyn has also held ministerial appointments as a member of the Training Accreditation Council and Chair of the Rural, Regional Remote Women’s Network.

Lyn’s formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma (Higher Education) from Murdoch University, a Masters in Professional Education and Training from Deakin University and a Doctorate of Education from the University of New England. She also holds a Diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Lyn has a particular passion about the benefits of higher education and a focus on providing learning pathways for people from diverse backgrounds. She has spent much of her adult life living and working in regional parts of Western Australia and has been involved in community and industry committees and forums focused on improving the economic and social capacity of the community. Lyn was inducted into the Western Australian Women’s Hall of Fame in 2020 for her work in regional education.

Nicky Sloan is the Executive Director Membership & Services/Executive Director NSW, ACT & Qld with Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA). Nicky leads a team of experts to deliver member services and engagement activities which support them in their service delivery and operations.

Nicky’s personal mission is to build a fair and inclusive community where all people are valued and enabled to live rewarding lives.

Nicky has extensive governance experience and is currently Chair of the Board of Wollongong Conservatorium of Music, Independent Non-Executive Director of Warrigal, and Non-Executive Director of Regional Development Australia Illawarra.

In addition to her busy work role and Board commitments, Nicky is currently in her final year of part time study for a degree in Dementia Care. She also holds a degree in Community and Environment, and in Marketing, a Diploma in Project Management, a Training and Assessment qualification and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Asha Oudit is the Executive Director, Strategic Industry Partnerships for North Metro TAFE, where she is responsible for shaping and managing strategic industry partnerships and business development opportunities for the college.

Throughout her twenty-five-year career, Asha has developed strong strategic, business development and industry partnership experience across a wide range of industries, having worked on major projects for BHP Billiton, Newcrest Gold, the Department of Commerce, HBF and NIB Health Insurance, Colonial First State Investments, two Olympics and one Commonwealth Games. She has spent the last seven years in management roles with Edith Cowan University.

Currently the Chief Operations Officer for the Council on the Ageing in Queensland Australia, Darren brings over 30 years’ experience as a not-for-profit professional. His recent experience includes being the Executive Advisor for Australian Red Cross in Queensland, and he was formerly the State Director for Mission Australia across both Queensland and the Northern Territory. Darren has extensive experience in leading services within communities and has held senior management roles within local government, state government and ‘for purpose’ organisations. His portfolios have been diverse and included residential and community aged care, children and family services, homelessness, employment related programs, mental health, and early learning services. He has also held board roles in aged care, child protection and housing and homelessness in Queensland. Darren’s interest includes consumer informed services, social impact, service performance frameworks, ethical leadership and good organisational governance practices.

Paul Sadler is an influential aged care leader with over 35 years’ experience in the industry. Past CEO of Presbyterian Aged Care (NSW & ACT) for 14 years and former ACSA President, Paul has held a number of board and representative appointments including Committee member and past President, NSW Division, for the Australian Association of Gerontology and CEO of Aged & Community Services NSW & ACT.

His expertise and his drive to improve Australia’s aged care system will guide ACSA through the implementation of reforms ahead.

Paul Sadler is an influential aged care leader with over 35 years’ experience in the industry. Past CEO of Presbyterian Aged Care (NSW & ACT) for 14 years and former ACSA President, Paul has held a number of board and representative appointments including Committee member and past President, NSW Division, for the Australian Association of Gerontology and CEO of Aged & Community Services NSW & ACT.

His expertise and his drive to improve Australia’s aged care system will guide ACSA through the implementation of reforms ahead.

Ms Walsh is an experienced nurse and Manager of organisations providing services to people who live with disability, and an aged care organisation. Margaret has been passionately advocating for over 20 years for the disability sector. Margaret brings experience in policy development and delivery of services according to service agreements.

Margaret’s experience includes being the Community Representative for the WA Older Person Health Network Expert Advisory Group. She also brings Committee and Board experience, as well as experience working with various Health Consumer Council consultations and projects. She is a Board member of Association of Independent Retirees (AIR) and worked with the Royal Perth Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital Consumer Advisory committees.

Margaret is committed to the inclusion of lived experience and has demonstrated understanding of the significance of this in her career, particularly in the disability field while managing an Alternatives to Employment organisation which provided services to young adults who have severe disabilities and high support needs.

Margaret also worked in Home and Community Services at Geraldton Home Help and Perth Home Care providing a range of Home Care to frail aged seniors and younger people with disabilities, in their homes.

In 2011, Margaret was awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia for her services to people with a disability. She is now retired and together with husband Doug has two children and four grandchildren.

Mr Barbato entered the palliative care field in 1989 following 17 years as a General Physician in rural NSW. He retired from clinical practice in 2014 and is now engaged in research into the experience of unconsciousness in dying patients.

Michael is the author of 3 books: Caring for the Living and the Dying; Reflections of a Setting Sun; and Midwifing Death.

Michael and his wife run a correspondence course for members of the community and healthcare workers on the art of midwifing death. In the 2008 Australia Day Honours, Mr Barbato was awarded a medal in the Order of Australia for his service to medicine in palliative care.

Ms Fell is 93 years old and says she used to describe herself as a “retired mathematics teacher/ statistician who had worked in many fields including economics, media and advertising”.

In recent years however, Val has made a significant contribution as a Dementia Advocate. Her work since 2012 has meant that people in Wollongong living with dementia and/or their carers have improved access to the information and resources they need.

In 2020, she was awarded the City of Wollongong Senior Citizen of the Year for her volunteering with Parent and Citizen Associations, Eisteddfod, the Council on The Ageing, and Dementia Australia.

Val is the 8th child in a family with 11 children and is now the eldest of 3 surviving family members. Over the years, she has watched her mother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister, 2 brothers-in-law, 1 sister-in-law and husband enter residential aged care facilities.

Over 25 years, Andrea has built a thriving consulting practice specialising in health and social services policy and regulation. She has led large scale evaluations, strategic policy, law reform and program improvements across a range of topics. Andrea’s love of aged care has seen her contribute to reforms of aged care funding, the creation of the first aged care Charter of Rights and the development of Quality Standards. She is a trusted advisor to government and is well known to many of you including through her work facilitating forums and training quality assessors. With family experiencing aged care and as an admitted barrister, JP, company director, patient review panel member, and West Wing tragic, her focus is on ‘What’s next’? How do we ensure people experience aged care as safe, kind, respectful and individualised, and workers are excited to work in aged care?

Sharayne Given is a Senior Director in the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, overseeing quality assessment programs delivered across Home Services, Residential Aged Care and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flexible care program. Sharayne has spent the last 20 years working in the public service and has undertaken various roles in regulation as well as across NSW Health and Defence. Sharayne holds a Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety and a Masters in Business Technology (Risk Management).

Josh Maldon is currently the Assistant Secretary of the Choice and Transparency Branch in the Aged Care Group in the Department of Health. In this position he has responsibility for overseeing a number of key elements of aged care quality reform, including the Aged Care Quality Standards, Quality Indicators and the development of a Star Ratings system for residential aged care. Josh has depth of experience across policy, program, legislation, regulation, and delivery of major change and ICT reform having worked in a range of roles across the Department of Health, Department of Social Services and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Josh has degrees in management and law and a graduate diploma in legal practice.

Prof Len Gray is the Professor in Geriatric Medicine, Centre for Health Services Research, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland
He has formal training in medicine as a specialist geriatrician and in health administration. Previously he held senior management positions in the public health system in Victoria, in general management and aged care services. He joined academia full time at UQ in 2002.

His research interests focus on aged care policy, models of aged care service delivery, assessment and care planning systems, and in recent years, health informatics and telemedicine strategies.

He leads international development of hospital systems, and is a Board member and the Australian coordinator for interRAI, a multinational research collaborative.

Kim is a long-time champion of community health care.

Kim holds over 15 years Clinical Occupational Therapy and extensive Management Experience building large, multi-disciplinary and high performing community-based teams. As an experienced healthcare leader Kim has worked across various practice settings including paediatric disability and developmental services, community based rehabilitation, NDIS service delivery, palliative care, post-acute rapid response and Hospital-In-The-Home.

Holding advanced clinical experience in community care and rehabilitation, she has special interests in oedema management, neurologic rehabilitation, equipment prescription and home modifications. Kim currently works for Feros Care and lives her passion by bringing multidisciplinary stakeholders into the aged care conversation, and innovating new models to help meet the needs of Australia’s ageing population. She lives in North Brisbane, Qld; with her husband and three young boys.

Penny is the Executive General Manager Community Services at Fronditha. She has a long history in the aged care industry and over 30 years in the health and community services sector. She has extensive experience in executive management roles; most recently this includes previous positions at Villa Maria Catholic Homes (VMCH) and Blue Cross Community and Residential Care as senior and executive manager, respectively.

Penny’s professional interests are in leadership, culture, quality and the client experiences. Penny is committed to meeting the needs of consumers; ensuring operational processes deliver an optimal consumer journey and building and maintaining a culture of high performance.

With over 20 years’ experience within the aged care sector, Kellie has a broad and deep experience from the ‘ground-up’ to executive management level. She has served in senior leadership and management positions for over 15 years, including concurrently working with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (formerly Australian Aged Care Quality Agency) for over 13 years as a Quality Assessor.

Kellie is currently the Chief Operations Officer of RSL Care SA, the premier veterans senior living organisation of South Australia and has a Bachelor of Nursing (University of SA), Graduate Certificate Health Administration (Flinders University) as well as Certificate IV – Training and Assessment). Kellie has successfully implemented a philosophy of care for RSL Care SA as well as a leadership development program for its middle-level leadership team. Kellie is currently on the South Australian Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and was on the board of directors for Meaningful Ageing from 2018 – 2021

Robyn is a strong and experienced executive with a passion for delivering customer centric aged care services. With over 13 years’ in the industry, commencing as a in-home carer followed by 9 years’ management and executive management experience across multiple business operations for the largest aged care provider in the ACT. Participating in numerous research projects across dementia care, palliative care and championing innovation in the aged care industry, Robyn is passionate about caring for our elderly and is a strong advocate for ensuring respectful, dignified, quality care services.

Paul is Chief Executive Officer at the Care Connect, one of Australia’s largest independent Homecare providers, and the largest to operate entirely on an independent advisory and brokered service model.

With 24 years’ international experience in private health and homecare, Paul has a strong record in building leading health services.

With the ongoing developments in Aged and Disability services, Paul and his team are focused on reinforcing the organisation’s role as Australia’s longest standing Independent Advisor and Service Connector, supporting people to live life their way.

Fonda Voukelatos is the Deputy Chief Executive for Uniting AgeWell.With almost 20 years of executive expertise, Fonda is currently responsible for Strategy, Home Care services, Retirement living, Business Development, Research & Innovation and IT/Digital.Core to his approach is a focus on customer outcomes, partnerships innovation and investing in staff development.