Chair Report
Brenton West
Chair Board of Directors
“With our long history, strong reputation, ability to adapt in the face of many sector and policy reforms and the dedication of our incredible team, I am confident that LGT is well placed to care for and educate Tasmanian children for many more generations to come.”
Welcome to Lady Gowrie Tasmania (LGT)’s 2024-25 Annual Report. I am proud to present the Annual Report on behalf of the Board in my role as Chair.
LGT has always been a leader in the provision of high quality education and care for children in Tasmania. This year we celebrated 85 years of operation and our 2024-28 Strategic Plan, with a focus on four core priorities that drive our work, enabled us to build on this reputation as a leader in the education and care sector well into the future.
We continued to focus on high quality, safe and inclusive service delivery, developing and supporting our workforce, and advocacy for children and the sector, underpinned by continuous improvement through robust systems and processes, notably the projects related to Quality and Risk Management, Workforce Development, IT Roadmap and upgrades to our existing education and care services.
LGT continued to thrive and pursue new opportunities for growth and development, particularly with planning approval for a new, purpose-built service to open in Latrobe in 2026. This development is only possible due to our strong financial performance over many years, which allows surplus funds to be re-invested into providing services and programs to Tasmanian children, families and communities.
The education and care sector, both at state and national levels, continued to change and evolve with various government reviews and policy reforms. I am proud of the way our team at LGT contributed to these important conversations and showed resilience and flexibility in amidst the many changes, notably increased child safety regulations and the long overdue educator wage increase.
As part of our ongoing commitment to recognising and rewarding the contribution of our valued workforce, LGT passed on the government’s 15% educator pay rise to all eligible employees. The first 10% was delivered in December 2024, and the remaining 5% will be delivered in December 2025. Recognising our workforce is a priority and is important to the Board.
On behalf of the Board, I extend my deepest gratitude to the many people across LGT who provide high quality, inclusive and safe education and care and support programs for children. The incredible work our teams undertake every day to deliver our ‘Children First’ purpose makes a significant contribution to Tasmanian children, families, communities and the economy.
LGT continued to contribute to the lives of Tasmanian children and families in ways beyond our work and strategic priorities. This year we again demonstrated our values in action by supporting Tassie Mums’ donation campaigns. Tassie Mums’ passion for supporting at-risk babies and children closely aligns with our vision of providing services and programs that enable Tasmanian children to thrive.
In December 2024, the Board appointed Suzie Jones as our new Chief Executive Officer. Suzie’s people-focused, consultative and strategic approach to her work, as well as a strong focus on quality and child safety, ensured a smooth transition for LGT. I take this opportunity to thank Suzie and the Senior Leadership Team for their exceptional support of the Board and our strategic priorities.
Thank you to my colleagues on the Board for volunteering their time, skills and expertise to LGT this year. Your contributions have been instrumental in driving the strategic direction and enhanced the work of our organisation. I am very grateful for your support of me as Chair and the professional discussions undertaken to ensure our decision making aligned with our strategic priorities.
Thank you to Chelsea Trubody-Jager who resigned this year after four years as Board Director and then Chair. Chelsea provided grounded and committed leadership in her role as Board Chair, with a keen focus on the strategic direction and the deepening of the values that sit at the core of our organisation. We will miss Chelsea’s sound advice and strong focus on ‘Children First’ in the Board’s work.
Following his resignation in January 2025, I would also like to thank Andrew Crozier for his valuable contributions to the Board over the past three and a half years. I extend a warm welcome to Kate Rowland who joined the Board in November 2024 and know that Kate’s experience and expertise will complement the strong skill set on our Board.
With our long history, strong reputation, ability to adapt in the face of many sector and policy reforms and the dedication of our incredible team, I am confident that LGT is well placed to care for and educate Tasmanian children for many more generations to come.