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Program overview


Aged Care Futures: People, Purpose and Progress 

The conference theme highlights where the sector is heading and what providers need to focus on next. You will gain insights into workforce, quality care and the innovations shaping tomorrow’s services.  

People

Centers on the workforce and empowering the next generation through strong career pathways and capability building. We will focus on attracting talent, growing skills and developing future leaders.

Purpose

Focuses on supporting aged care providers to deliver sustainable, high-quality services, ensuring safety and meaningful outcomes while adapting to funding changes and post-reform requirements.

Progress

Explore innovation and new models of care, showing how providers can adapt, improve operations and remain resilient as the sector changes.

SA State Conference Program

Wednesday 22 April

7.30am - 5pm

Registration Open

8.30am - 8.40am

Welcome and Opening
Shannon Sanderson, State Manager SA, Ageing Australia

8.40 am - 8.45am

Welcome to Country
Robert Taylor, Senior Kaurna Man and Cultural Custodian

8.45am - 9am

Ministerial Address
Hon Katrine Hildyard MP, Minister for Human Services, Minister for Seniors & Ageing Well, Minister for Women

9am - 9.05am

Gold Sponsor Address
Rebecca Anasson, Business Relationship Manager, HESTA

9.05am - 9.35am

Ageing Australia CEO Address
Tom Symondson, CEO, Ageing Australia

9.35am - 10.05am

Navigating the Next Phase of Aged Care Reform
This session will focus on Aged care reform reflections and the value of collaboration and local relationships.
Danny McAteer, Acting State Manager, SA/WA Branch, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

10.05am - 10.35am

Beyond Compliance: Partnering for Quality and Trust Under the New Aged Care Act
Janine Renna, Director, Audit, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

10.35am - 11.05am

Morning Tea and Networking

11.05am - 11.45am

Panel Discussion
Strengthening System Pathways for Long Stay Older Patients in Acute Care

This panel examines the growing system pressures driving long hospital stays for older people. It will explore barriers in hospital to aged care transitions, workforce and capacity constraints, and highlight practical local innovations that improve flow while prioritising consumer experience.
Jeanette Walters, Executive Director of Integrated Care Systems, SA Government
Jane Pickering, Chief Executive, Eldercare Australia

Chris Hampton, Head of State & Territory Government Relations, Ageing Australia
Miranda Starke, Chief Executive, COTA SA
Moderator: Shannon Sanderson, State Manager SA, Ageing Australia

11.45am - 12.15pm

Community Based Care, Where to Now for CHSP?
Roald Versteeg, Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer, Ageing Australia

This presentation explores the future of the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and Ageing Australia’s advocacy to strengthen entry-level aged care both now and into the future. It will also share key insights from our leading national research on community expectations for ageing, aged care, and what it means to age well in Australia.

12.15pm - 12.45pm

Update on Legislation, Growth and Opportunity in Retirement Living

Mark Prosser, Director Retirement Living & Seniors Housing, Ageing Australia

12.45pm - 1.45pm

Lunch and Networking

1.45pm - 2.15pm

Future Workforce: Building a Workforce Ready for What's Next
Kelly Geister, Executive Manager - Residential Services, Resthaven

  • Find the gap, rethink the solution:
    When usual staffing models fall short, try a different approach and don’t be afraid to take a risk.
  • Nurture early, and they will grow:
    Investing in young people creates not just employees, but future professionals and long-term workforce pipelines.
  • Create value for both sides, and it will sustain itself:
    When the experience benefits residents and staff alike, better service and stronger engagement follow naturally.

2.15pm - 2.45pm

ACH Group Leadership Framework
Cher Lopresti, Executive Manager People, Culture & Safety, ACH Group

  • How to build leadership capability that is aligned to strategy, not just training activity, using a structured framework that connects leadership expectations, performance, and development pathways.
  • Practical ways to measure leadership impact using workforce data such as engagement, retention, internal promotion trends, and leadership participation metrics.
  • How to create targeted leadership pathways that support emerging through to senior leaders, while strengthening cross-team collaboration and workforce connection.

2.45pm - 3.15pm

Closing the Experience Gap
What Aged Care Can Learn from World-Class Service Systems

Ivan Zrinscak, Service Excellence Officer, St Basil's Home
  • The Experience Gap Is Structural, Not Intentional:
    Most organisations believe they are delivering person-centred care. Residents’ lived experience tells a different story. The gap is not effort or intent, it is system design. Food, dining, and service are where this gap becomes most visible because they occur multiple times a day, every day.
  • Operating Model Is Producing the Current Experience As Intended:
    What residents experience today is not a failure, it is the output of current legacy system working as designed. Time pressure, task allocation, menu cycles, and staffing structures are all shaping behaviour at the frontline.
  • Compliance Has Become the Ceiling, Not the Foundation:
    Most organisations have built their model around passing audits. That creates consistency, but it also caps experience. High-performing environments treat compliance as the baseline, then design for flexibility, responsiveness, and human moments on top of it.

3.15pm - 3.45pm

Afternoon Tea and Networking

3.45pm - 4.15pm

ECH’s Innovation Framework in Action: A Case Study in Customer-Centred Experimentation
ECH’s Innovation Framework embeds a culture of customer centred experimentation, empowering frontline insight, cross department collaboration and leadership support to turn ideas into impact. Designed to help us move fast with confidence, it creates clear pathways for testing, learning and scaling what works to meet the evolving needs of our customers.

Alan Morrison, Chief Executive, ECH

4.15pm - 4.45pm

Understanding and Adapting to Funding Changes Under the New Aged Care Act
Stuart Hutcheon, Managing Partner, StewartBrown

4.45pm - 5.25pm

How safe are we? The Age of AI
Ex Criminal Bastien Treptel bad guy come good explores up to the minute AI technologies and how it can be used to hack individuals, businesses and create havoc. This session will offer some practical guidelines on how to stay safe.
Bastien Treptel, Ex Criminal Hacker, Founder of CTRL:Cyber

5.25pm - 5.30pm

Closing Remarks and Reflections
Shannon Sanderson, State Manager SA, Ageing Australia

5.30pm - 6.30pm

Networking Hour
Unwind after a full day of conference and continue the conversation. Connect with peers, speakers and industry partners in a relaxed setting. Share insights, spark new ideas and build valuable relationships before the day wraps up.

Disclaimer: Please note that this conference program is subject to revisions and updates. While every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, changes may
occur prior to the event. Attendees are encouraged to regularly check for updates on the conference website. Thank you for your understanding.