CEO Report
Suzie Jones
Chief Executive Officer
“…thank you to all the children at LGT for your unique potential, possibilities and conversations that inspired our team and underpinned our purpose of ensuring ‘Children First’ in our work every day.”
I am proud to present Lady Gowrie Tasmania (LGT)’s Annual Report for the 2024-25 financial year.
As a leading provider in Tasmania’s education and care sector for over 85 years, this report acknowledges and celebrates the incredible work undertaken by our teams this year to deliver high quality, safe and inclusive education and care and support programs to Tasmanian children, families and communities.
Our shared vision is that Tasmanian children have the best start in life through high quality, safe and inclusive education and care. This year significant investment was made in strengthening intentional, quality learning outcomes for children with a strong focus on continuous improvement, incorporating children’s voices in our programs and child safety.
We recognise that the capability, professionalism and wellbeing of our workforce underpins the quality of our services and programs. This year we strengthened our commitment to workforce excellence through sustained investment in wage increases, building workforce capability, professional learning, employee wellbeing and vocational pathways.
Building on our strong history of supporting Tasmanian children, families and communities, we progressed with the development of a new service in Latrobe in response to the region’s education and care crisis. Consultation with the local community and careful planning with a strong focus on quality, safety and inclusion will see this service open in 2026.
We continued to offer a strong voice in our advocacy work to state and federal government processes with a strong focus on equal access to high quality education and care for children and better pay and professional recognition for educators. Significant investment and work was also undertaken within our Quality and Risk Management and IT Roadmap.
The work outlined in this report was only achieved with the professionalism and commitment of our educators, and all those in our team who support them in their work with children and families. Thank you to our incredible team for supporting children’s health, safety and wellbeing and maximising opportunities for their growth and development.
Thank you to the Senior Leadership Team for your commitment to achieving our strategic priorities and strong leadership in the face of many regulatory and workforce challenges faced by our sector this year:
Annette Barwick – General Manager Learning Development and Inclusion
Kerrie Walter – General Manager Strategic Initiatives
Sam Wesson – Chief Financial Officer
Zoe Florusse – General Manager People and Quality
Miffy Wedd – General Manager Education and Care
Thank you also to Gary Fox for your invaluable support and coordination of the Board and Senior Leadership Team’s work.
We are very grateful for our voluntary Board of Directors who support the strategic direction and strong governance of LGT. Thank you especially to Chelsea Trubody-Jager, previous Board Chair, for your sound advice and guidance as I settled into the role as CEO and to Brenton West, current Board Chair, for your continued support of our work this year.
Finally, thank you to all the children at LGT for your unique potential, possibilities and conversations that inspired our team and underpinned our purpose of ensuring ‘Children First’ in our work every day. Thank you also to the families for placing your trust in our team to nurture, educate and care for your children.
Together, we will continue to build a strong and resilient organisation and a culture where children are safe, protected and able to thrive.