From Mat
FAREWELL
This will be my last Gowrie Gazette as CEO of Lady Gowrie Tasmania (LGT) and so I share my farewell below from the upcoming 2023-24 Annual Report:
‘On my very first day at LGT, it was obvious that I had joined a team of incredibly passionate, committed professionals who lived by their mantra of ‘Children First’ in their work. Thank you to everyone in our team and please never lose that passion for wanting the best for Tasmanian children.
Thank you to the Senior Leadership Team comprising Shanna Hughes, Annette Barwick, Sam Wesson, Suzie Jones and Lee Veitch and to Gary Fox for your support and valuable contribution. LGT and our sector has faced many challenges and changes in recent years and with your guidance and support, we successfully faced these hurdles together.
Thank you to the voluntary Board of Directors that support the strategic direction and governance of LGT. Thank you especially to Anne Beach, previous Board Chair, who helped me to settle into the role of CEO and always provided sound advice and support. Thank you also to Chelsea Trubody-Jager, current Board Chair, for your support in my work this year.
Finally, thank you to the children for the pure joy you brought to my days here at LGT. I will miss my daily conversations, stories and laughter with you all. Thank you also to the families for placing your trust in me to lead this organisation and our people to educate and care for your children.
I leave LGT with a strong sense of pride for all that our team has achieved during my time here and many fond memories from planting trees, to watching Book Week costume parades, to eating the children’s baked treats. It has been a privilege.’
I also wanted to thank everyone for their farewell messages and for the gorgeous book of children’s artwork that I was given by everyone in the education and care services. This was really special and I will treasure it forever.
Whilst I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life, I will miss you all. No matter which team you are part of at LGT, keep putting ‘Children First’ in the incredibly vital work that you do every day.
Mat Rowell
Chief Executive Officer
CEO RECRUITMENT UPDATE
The Board has engaged Chapman Executive to conduct the search and run the recruitment process for LGT’s new CEO. They are a highly regarded local firm with good experience in recruiting senior leadership roles.
The Board has asked Suzie Jones to be Acting CEO from now until the new CEO commences. Suzie has capably carried out these duties earlier this year and I know she will do a great job as Acting CEO.
The CEO role has been advertised and whilst the recruitment process is underway, it is likely to take several weeks. Suzie and the Board will provide further updates on any important developments in the recruitment process.
WAGE INCREASE UPDATE
We are still waiting on the government for confirmation on service level implementation of the recently announced educator wage increase. At this stage the SLT can confirm:
- The government will provide funding through a new worker retention payment
- The payment will support a wage increase of:
– 10% on top of the current national award rate in the first year
– 15% above the current national award rate in the second year
- The payment will start in December 2024 and run for 2 years
- The payment is on top of the 3.75% increase to award wages that started on 1 July 2024 following the 2023–24 annual wage review
- Providers will need to apply for the payment in the form of a grant and grant guidelines will be made available soon
When more information is made available the SLT will work on how this translates to LGT’s services and programs and keep you all updated.
COMMITMENT STATEMENTS
The SLT is pleased to share LGT’s commitment to child safety and our new culture statement below:
Lady Gowrie Tasmania (LGT) has a ‘Children First’ philosophy, supporting the rights of all children to grow, learn and play in a safe place. LGT has zero tolerance towards abuse, neglect or exploitation of children combined with a strong commitment to the health and wellbeing of both children and our team. LGT strives to provide a safe and inclusive environment across our services, programs and workplaces, where diversity in all its forms, including strengths, cultural background, identity and abilities are recognised and celebrated.
The SLT is also pleased to share our updated acknowledgement to country and commitment statement below; which was approved by the Board in August.
Lady Gowrie Tasmania acknowledges the Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples as the custodians of these lands and honour the wisdom of, and pay respect to, Elders past and present. With gratitude, we acknowledge the rich landscape of lutruwita, the living culture of Aboriginal peoples and recognise that they have been nurturing and teaching children on this land for thousands of years. We honour and respect their continuing connection to land, sea, waterways, sky and culture.
These commitment statements formalise our policies and procedures and the work that we do every day in our services and programs.