From the Board – Supporting Orana’s Next Chapter
Board Summary
It continues to be an exciting and important time for Orana, with significant work underway across the organisation as we strengthen our services, systems, culture and long-term sustainability.
Our August Board meeting was held at our Para Hills West site, reflecting our commitment to staying connected to the people who make Orana what it is. Through our BoardConnect initiative, Directors had the opportunity to spend time directly with employees, clients and staff. These sessions give us valuable insight into what is happening across Orana and ensure we remain connected to the people and services at the heart of the organisation.
At the meeting, we also spent time reviewing early progress against our new 2026/27 Business Plan and the broader transformation work underway across Orana. We are encouraged by the progress being made, while recognising there is still plenty of work ahead.
A key focus for the Board has been strengthening risk management and governance. In August, we adopted a substantially updated Risk Register and Risk Management Framework, including greater focus on psychosocial health and wellbeing, regulatory and NDIS compliance, and client choice.
The Board continues to closely monitor Orana’s financial sustainability. There have been some encouraging improvements, including a significant reduction in receivables, while increased wage costs across the sector continue to place pressure on operating results. Maintaining strong financial oversight while continuing to invest in quality services remains an important priority.
Quality, safeguarding and the experience of the people we support remain at the heart of our discussions. We have been pleased to see improvement in the quality and detail of incident reporting and continue to monitor areas including medication management, falls prevention and safeguarding.
We are also maintaining a strong focus on Orana’s accommodation services – occupancy and ensuring our properties meet the future needs and preferences of the people we support are important areas of work. This includes looking carefully at changing demand and making sure Orana has the right services and properties in the right locations.
The Board has also been strengthening its own governance. A new Board Governance Handbook, Code of Conduct and Environment and Waste Management Policy were endorsed in August, alongside improvements to Director recruitment and induction processes.
There will also be some changes around the Board table in the coming months. Our Chair, Lindsay Stark, will retire from the Board at the end of 2026, and a Director recruitment process is underway as part of our succession planning. We look forward to sharing more about our new Directors in the coming months.
As a Board, we recognise that transformation does not happen overnight. We are encouraged by the energy and momentum across Orana and by the willingness of our staff, supported employees, clients, families and partners to contribute to making Orana stronger.
There is much more to do, but we believe Orana is heading in a positive direction. We look forward to continuing the journey together and keeping our stakeholders updated as Orana’s next chapter takes shape.
