From Suzie
Dear Team,
Welcome to the Winter 2025 Gowrie Gazette.
Last week I visited our Penna Road Education and Care Service to plant a lemon tree in celebration of Planet Ark’s National Tree Day. It was fantastic to spend time with the children and educators there and to see their working garden and program in action. Thanks to everyone in the team for welcoming me and I look forward to sharing a glass of lemonade soon!
It has been a particularly challenging winter with so many viruses and other illnesses circulating in the community. Thank you to everyone in our teams for supporting children, families, learners and each other with all the disruptions due to absences across our services and programs.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATE
Chelsea Trubody-Jager recently resigned as Board Chair at Lady Gowrie Tasmania (LGT). I would like to thank Chelsea for her incredibly grounded and committed leadership and for the steady hand and sharp mind she brought to the table. Under her leadership, LGT has seen progress, change and a deepening of the values that sit at the core of our organisation.
Chelsea has been a guiding force during her time on the Board, always asking the right questions and never losing sight of why we are here – to make a difference for children. Personally, I will miss Chelsea’s unwavering support, sound advice and keen focus on the strategic direction of our organisation.
I am pleased to welcome Brenton West, previously Deputy Chair, to the role of interim Board Chair. I am also pleased to welcome Helen Mitrofanis, previously Board Director, to the role of interim Deputy Chair. I know Brenton and Helen will bring their valuable skills, knowledge and passion to these interim roles.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR CHILD SAFETY
Recent events in the education and care sector are a reminder for all of us that child safety is everyone’s responsibility. It is also a moment to recognise the great work you do every day to create quality, safe and inclusive environments for children. Your commitment and care make a real difference, and we want to make sure you have the tools, support, and confidence to keep doing that.
We are starting a range of initiatives to strengthen child safety in line with the new National Quality Framework (NQF) Child Safe Culture Guides. You may like to familiarise yourself with the guides here: https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf-child-safety-guides.
This work is designed to support you, as well as children, to make your role easier, to support your wellbeing and to ensure you feel confident to speak up when something doesn’t feel right or could improve. Over the coming months, we will work with your Manager on practical actions and encourage you to contribute your ideas on key areas.
As you know, we currently have a ‘no personal mobile devices’ in LGT licensed spaces policy but we will be updating our approach to ensure that from Monday 1st September 2025 we are meeting the requirements of the new national legislation. The changes will strengthen requirements to ensure that all educators across Australia will not be permitted to have a personal mobile device while working in education and care settings. More information about these changes can be found here: https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-07/InformationSheet_CS5_2025.pdf.
We understand this new law may raise questions, and your Manager will provide information on how this will be introduced in our services shortly. If you have any immediate concerns about how this may affect you, please speak with your Manager.
Together, we will keep building safe, supportive and inclusive services and programs for every child and every educator.
ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT UPDATE
Our current Lady Gowrie Tasmania Enterprise Agreement (which covers most of our employee terms and conditions) expires in December 2025, so over the coming months please keep an eye out for information about the process of developing a new Enterprise Agreement and what this means for you.
WORKER RETENTION GRANT UPDATE
I am pleased to advise that our Grant Agreement for the Worker Retention Payment (WRP) has been signed. As part of this, we are required to provide information to staff within 90 days about the Individual Flexible Arrangements (IFAs) that we have in place at LGT. More information about the WRP and what this means for you can be found here: LGT ECEC Worker Retention Allowance FAQ
I hope you enjoy reading through this Gowrie Gazette with feature stories about our recent celebrations and events, latest education and care news, important child safety updates, how to apply for the Helen Stephen Memorial Scholarship, Christmas closure dates and staff news – to name just a few!
On behalf of the Board and Senior Leadership Team at LGT, we take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued dedication and commitment to putting ‘Children First’ in your work.
Until next time,
Suzie Jones
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
