Summary of our 2025 AGM

We were pleased to welcome members and supporters to our AGM on Friday 28 November 2025. Alongside the formal business of the meeting, we also heard from key speakers and reflected on EAAA's achievements over the past year.

Leadership updates

The Co-Chairs report was presented by Sue Leitch and highlighted a year of growth, increased reach, and strong engagement with members and policymakers. Key achievements included advocacy for the National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older Australians, the continued success of the Compass website, and preparations for the Stand Up, Speak Out conference. On behalf of herself and Diedre, Sue thanked staff, board members, members and older people sharing their lived experience, recognising the collective effort that continues to drive EAAA’s mission to prevent elder abuse. She also paid tribute to fellow Co-Chair Diedre Timms, who would be stepping down from her role at the end of the meeting. 

The Executive Officer Bev Lange highlighted a year of engagement, innovation and impact, with initiatives such as the Breaking the Silence podcast, the SPARK panel and the growing Compass knowledge hub reaching wider audiences. EAAA strengthened connections with members, communities, and policymakers, advanced advocacy through partnerships and public campaigns, and delivered learning initiatives including Safer Seniors and Lunch & Learn webinars. Thanks were extended to staff, board, members, funders and community partners, whose contributions have been central to EAAA’s achievements. 

Guest speaker

Our guest speaker was Dr Rebecca Edwards, Director of Legal Practice at ARC Justice, who brings more than 25 years’ experience in social justice and elder abuse law. Her address was a summary of her presentation at the 2025 International Access to Justice Forum in New York where she was the only speaker on the topic of elder abuse.

Rebecca explored how ageism, assumptions about vulnerability, and a tendency to defer to family narratives can result in older people being disbelieved, overruled, or left without meaningful access to justice. Real case examples illustrated how these biases can play out in policing, aged care and legal responses, sometimes leading to profound losses of autonomy, safety and dignity. 

The presentation also emphasised that elder abuse is not an inevitable part of ageing and that age itself should never be equated with incapacity. It encouraged a shift away from assumptions of incapacity towards supported decision-making, greater self-reflection by professionals on unconscious ageism, and stronger inclusion of older people’s voices in policy and service design.

The key message was that older people are rights-holders with agency, and that challenging systemic bias is essential if elder abuse responses are to be fair, respectful and effective.

A copy of Rebecca's slides can be accessed here.

Financial statements

The audited financial statements and Directors’ Report were presented by Treasurer Graeme Tolhurst. He noted that during the financial year EAAA made deliberate and strategic decisions to ensure the organisation was well positioned for the release of the National Plan to End the Abuse of Older Australians. This included investing in systems and people, with a planned deficit approved to secure these resources. The deficit was also partly attributable to conference costs incurred prior to receiving related revenue. 

Graeme confirmed that EAAA continues to receive funding to support its core operations, as well as the ongoing development of Compass and the new Safer Seniors project. As at 30 June 2025, EAAA reported total equity of $227,337, including cash holdings of $127,001, indicating the organisation remains in a sound financial position. He noted that EAAA’s strong balance sheet and continued funding provide a solid foundation for building on the organisation’s recent successes. 

Board election and appointments

In accordance with the Constitution, one elected Director position was declared vacant at the AGM. Three nominations were received for the position, all submitted by the due date and from current financial members of the organisation. Details of each nominee were circulated in the AGM papers. 

The nominees were Helen Wallace, Graeme Westaway and Jacinta Woehl. Co-Chair Sue Leitch noted the strength of the field and and valuable skills and experience each candidate would bring to the Board. She thanked all the nominees for their commitment to the organisation and to ending the abuse of older people in Australia. 

Following voting by members, Sue declared that Helen Wallace was re-elected to the EAAA Board. Members were invited to thank all nominees and congratulate Helen.  

That brought the formal part of the meeting to a close and Sue thanked everyone for attending and wished them all the best for the Festive Season. 

Following the close of the AGM, the Board met and elected Dr Rebecca Edwards to the vacant Co-Chair position. 

Thank you

EAAA would like to thank all the members who participated in our AGM this year. Your continued support and commitment is greatly appreciated by us and we and look forward to working with you all in 2026.