Aged Care Peak Body Restructures
24 March 2016 at 5:04 pm
Long standing disquiet among state and federal aged care peak bodies has come to a head with the restructuring of the federated Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) organisation which has now become a new single entity.
To be known in the interim as New ACSA, the restructure will see the winding up of state entities in coming months and will operate with six divisions.
“The ACSA Federation is at the final stage of its transition into the New ACSA – a single national entity representing the Not for Profit aged and community services sector,” ACSA President Paul Sadler said.
“The ACSA board believes it is time to end the transition phase and commence full operations as a national entity. Alongside the finalisation of the legal arrangements by all parties, the New ACSA is announcing that we are open for business.
“New ACSA brings a stronger national voice for our Not for Profit sector, enhanced policy capacity and effective member support services.”
The New ACSA company is registered with ASIC. Sadler said members of the SA/NT and WA state associations have approved resolutions to undertake a legal transition into New ACSA and, at the appropriate time, will wind up their state entities. NSW/ACT and Tasmania will be voting shortly.
The restructuring will also see a new CEO taking the reigns.
“Given the exciting period ACSA will now enter and the transition work undertaken to date, our CEO, Adjunct Professor John Kelly, has suggested to the board that now is the time to recruit a new CEO to take the organisation to its next level,” Sadler said.
“The complex work to bring the organisation and its members into a single entity is now almost complete and ACSA would benefit from a fresh focus on where it could play an active leadership role in the sector and on behalf of its members.The board has considered this at length and has agreed that this approach has merit.
“The New ACSA brings together over 70 staff nationally under one management structure.”
He said the organisation would be looking for a CEO who can deliver this next part of the development through being a strong and effective voice for its members, building a national profile, providing drive and direction to policy development and membership services and leading the development of a cohesive and highly functioning national team.
“John has agreed that he would remain as CEO during a recruitment process for his replacement,” ACSA President Paul Sadler said.
In 2012, ACSA’s two state-based aged care representative bodies, Victoria and Queensland, withdrew from the national peak to form a new national entity with the for-profit peak.
The split followed more than a year of turmoil over representation and a failed attempt to merge with a for-profit association.
Agreement was then reached to establish the new national entity called of Leading Age Services Australia with Aged Care Queensland (ACQ), Aged and Community Care Victoria (ACCV) and the Aged Care Association Australia (ACAA) as the founding members.
