Intereach makes ‘enduring impact on regional communities’

Intereach has made “an enduring impact on regional and rural communities across the Riverina-Murray in NSW and northern and central Victoria”, its Acting CEO Yvette Buhagiar told today’s annual general meeting.

“We are proud to say Intereach is a key contributor to our communities. We are truly committed to our communities and have strived to bring about the best levels of service for children and families, people living with disability, mental health challenges and older people. We will continue to build our reputation as a caring and innovative organisation,” Ms Buhagiar said in her annual report.

“Intereach prides itself on being a welcoming and supportive organisation with our key purpose of giving our participants and clients the very best service possible. We are here to make a difference in people’s lives.

“We have seen the ability of our organisation to take up new challenges and embrace new ways of working, which have been so valuable for helping people to navigate the programs we deliver,” Ms Buhagiar said.

Chair Rob Brown, in his first annual report, said the organisation had “a clear direction and a solid foundation to consolidate and grow Intereach in a sustainable and targeted way”.

He said as a sector, healthcare and social assistance employs nearly 15 per cent of Australia’s workforce and was a “really important contributor to the social and economic fabric of our country and all communities”.

“Our sector’s services, from cradle through the entire life cycle, are increasingly a measure of community liveability in a world where communities compete to support, attract and retain people. We value employing local people who know and contribute to their local communities.

“With the demand for our services growing, our organisation has laid a solid foundation to play our part in bringing equitable access to services,” Mr Brown said.

In his report, Mr Brown spoke about the 2022-2025 strategic plan, describing it as “a pivotal moment in our tenure”, which “brings together Board, executive and staff priorities”.

“We are privileged to be tasked with ensuring Intereach has strong, robust governance to support the dedicated work of our teams. We have undertaken a large amount of work to ensure that our Board and governance processes continue to grow and develop with the organisation,” he said.

Three directors who retired by rotation were re-elected – Rob Brown, Pat Fogarty and Andrew Johnstone.