Chair Report

Welcome to our 2023-24 Annual Report. I am delighted to present the Annual Report for Lady Gowrie Tasmania (LGT) on behalf of the Board in my role as Chair.

Thank you to the former Chair, Anne Beach, for the passion and commitment she brought to her role as Board Director and then Board Chair over the past seven years. Anne’s knowledge, skills and sound advice contributed greatly to the strategic direction and success of LGT during this time. This was achieved through the calm and considered way she approached decision making and her guiding principle of ‘Children First’ in her work.

It was a very busy and rewarding year for the organisation. We welcomed Suzie Jones as our new People and Culture General Manager which coincided with the expansion of our People and Culture team for the organisation. Investing in strong organisational governance and supporting our people to deliver our ‘Children First’ purpose is recognised and important to the Board.

The organisation continued its strong connection with our national counterparts through Gowrie Australia meetings and supporting staff attendance at the 2023 Early Childhood Australia (ECA) Conference in Adelaide. This participation offered opportunities to share knowledge and to bring ideas back into our organisation and to strengthen the important network needed in the education and care sector. This is equally important locally where we continued to participate in the B4 Leaders meetings, ECA Tasmania Branch and internally, as we came together at the Manager Connection Days to enhance collaboration within our services.

Our lived values underpin our organisation. I want to acknowledge the work to make donations to Tassie Mums as a way of demonstrating our values in action to make a difference to Tasmanian children in need. The work undertaken by Tassie Mums and their passion for supporting at-risk babies and children closely aligns with LGT’s mission of providing services and programs that enable Tasmanian children to thrive, and the annual donation drives have become a special fixture in our calendar.

The Board, working closely with the Senior Leadership Team, developed a new 5 year strategic plan. This process was an opportunity to revisit our ‘Children First’ purpose and vision and to refresh our strategic priorities. We will continue to focus on high quality service delivery, developing and supporting our workforce, and advocacy for the sector, all underpinned by sustainability and continuous improvement through robust systems and processes.

We continued to ensure families accessed quality LGT services across Tasmania. Our Penna Road Education and Care Service was officially opened by the Premier, The Honourable Jeremy Rockliff MP, on 25 October, 2023. The service was redeveloped to create a seamless indoor and outdoor play and learning environment for children. Following this exciting opportunity, the Board supported the purchase of land at Latrobe to explore LGT’s possible expansion in North-West Tasmania.

The sector faced a number of reviews including the ACCC and Productivity Commission. Gowrie Australia provided a submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Early Education and Care. LGT participated in that submission and advocacy work with our Gowrie Australia colleagues. Locally, both major parties made significant announcements about funding and initiatives for our sector during the Tasmanian State Election.

Like all organisations, we were impacted by cost pressures as we continued to deliver the same high quality of services that LGT is known for. We understand that the same cost pressures we face as an organisation, are impacting our families and so we continue to work hard to absorb and minimise these impacts where we can.

The Board welcomed three new directors, Amy Kelley, Vicki Rundle and Nic Stephen. Their experience and expertise complement the strong skill set on the Board.

Thank you to my colleagues on the Board for their support. Their contribution enhances our organisation, and I am very grateful to them for volunteering their time and expertise to LGT. I am also appreciative of their support to me as Chair.

I want to thank our Chief Executive Officer, Mat Rowell, for his significant contribution to the organisation and support to the Board in 2023-24 and during the past three years in this role. Mat’s exceptional support of the Board, Senior Leadership Team and his colleagues ensured that the organisation continued to thrive and remained focused on ‘Children First’. Following his resignation, we wish him well with his future endeavours.

Finally, thank you to the dedicated team at Lady Gowrie Tasmania. Your ongoing drive and commitment to putting ‘Children First’ and supporting our organisation to educate and care for Tasmanian children and to support educators and our sector, is acknowledged and appreciated.