Annual Report 2023-2024

EAAA has had another very successful year, extending our influence as the peak body for the prevention of elder abuse and attracting new sources of funding.

We have progressed work on delivering our new strategic plan, we have recruited new directors and staff, and supported the organisation through numerous community consultations. Preparation for the next Australian Elder Abuse Conference in Adelaide has been extensive and we look forward to the conference in July.

These activities have been closely aligned to our Strategic Plan. The plan’s strategic priorities are:

1 Influence policy and encourage greater financial investment
2 Unite communities against elder abuse through awareness and knowledge
3 Collaborate in the fight against elder abuse with organisations and individuals
4 Build a strong and effective peak body

We farewelled long-term directors Russell Westacott, Jenny Blakey and Carolanne Barkla during this reporting period, at the AGM in November 2023. Russell, Jenny and Carolanne were all founding directors of EAAA and we are very grateful for their wisdom and insight during their time serving as directors of EAAA. We especially thank Russell and Jenny for their contributions as Co-Chairs of EAAA. We have continued to work with Carolanne Barkla in her role as CEO of ARAS, as our co-host for the conference in Adelaide, and this has ‘softened’ her departure as another long serving director.

As we head to the close of the financial year, we are very close to the final details for our conference and we have greatly appreciated the support from our cohosts ARAS.

We thank the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department for their ongoing support and welcome support from the Commonwealth Department of Social Services to support the work to eliminate elder abuse.

We thank all directors for their commitment, knowledge and wisdom during the year. We have welcomed new directors during the year and at the AGM, Rebecca Edwards, Tara Simpson, Medha Gunawardana and Brian Attard.

We thank all the staff for their enthusiasm, valuable contributions and professionalism, especially our Executive Officer Bev Lange, during a particularly productive year. Our gratitude goes to those members and other community members who have volunteered in various ways, including the Advisory Group and conference committees.

Diedre Timms and Sue Leitch
Co-Chairs

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