Letter from the outgoing chairperson
Dr Lloyd Walker
I am delighted to introduce Motivation Australia’s 14th annual report to you.
These last few years have seen a lot of change, and I am now the only founding governor who remains on the board. Organisations, like gardens, need always to be open to renewal – fresh and tested ideas, letting go of things that were good in years past, but not helpful now, and getting ready for new opportunities. From small sprouts in 2008, Motivation Australia is now a vibrant community-connected organisation that is striving to ensure all lives in the Pacific and wider afield are truly valued and everyone can participate.
I am delighted to introduce Motivation Australia’s 14th annual report to you.
These last few years have seen a lot of change, and I am now the only founding governor who remains on the board. Organisations, like gardens, need always to be open to renewal – fresh and tested ideas, letting go of things that were good in years past, but not helpful now, and getting ready for new opportunities. From small sprouts in 2007, Motivation Australia is now a vibrant community-connected organisation that is striving to ensure all lives in the Pacific and wider afield are truly valued and everyone can participate.
The highlights of the past year in this report reflect well our values – developed over our 14 years of operation and growth, and described in our new strategic plan.
- Equity. All involved with Motivation Australia believe that all people should have equal opportunities and be treated fairly. Everyone in our communities should be equally able to experience their full human rights, including being part of and benefitting from economic, social, cultural and political development. This commitment challenges us all to look out for all, particularly those who are vulnerable or overlooked.
- Integrity. We believe in being genuine and trustworthy; we do what we say we will do. We look to the future with a real and enduring interest in furthering the development of the health, disability, rehabilitation and assistive technology sectors. Our board of governors leads by example, taking this responsibility very seriously; it is expressed in the new board charter.
- Collaboration. We develop strong, respectful and cooperative relationships with the individuals, partner organisations, donors, and other stakeholders with whom we work. We are very proud of the respectful nature and robust quality of our partnerships, especially with rehabilitation service providers in Pacific island countries. That will continue.
- Adaptability. As a small and flexible organisation, we are able to respond quickly and creatively to challenges and opportunities. We have many years of experience tailoring solutions as circumstances change, adding innovation to get the best outcomes. In recent times, we have accelerated the digitisation of service where it helps deliver during pandemic or natural disaster constraints. New partnerships have thus been born in Vietnam and Cambodia, while diversifying options to meet Pacific needs.
- Sustainability. We see three pillars of sustainability – economic viability, environmental protection and social equity. Strengthening each separately, and understanding how they each work together, is important in creating positive and lasting change. This last year we have revitalised the board, to provide sustainable and practical stewardship for the years ahead. A major donation received in 2021 has strengthened our financial sustainability too.
So I’m thrilled that I can hand over the chairperson’s reins to Evelyn O’Loughlin, knowing that the organisation and its governance is in good shape. It has been a privilege to hold this role and be blessed with a good working relationship with our CEO; first Kylie Shae, and in the last year, Louise Coventry. A great organisation’s success depends on its key relationships, and I have witnessed respectful rapport grow between Louise and Evelyn. Together with the whole board, Motivation Australia’s staff, volunteers and partners, they will ensure Motivation Australia continues to be a catalyst for great outcomes for those we serve across the region.
Letter from the incoming chairperson
Evelyn O’Loughlin
I am honoured to be entrusted with the role of chairperson of the Board of Governors.
Supporting Motivation Australia as a board member since 2017 and now moving into the role of chairperson is strongly aligned to my personal values, ethics and long history of work in the community sector. My work is characterised by sustained advocacy for inclusion and participation – creating more inclusive communities and securing the right to inclusion and participation for all.
I am honoured to be entrusted with the role of chairperson of the Board of Governors.
Supporting Motivation Australia as board member since 2017 and now moving into the role of chairperson is strongly aligned to my personal values, ethics and long history of work in the community sector. My work is characterised by sustained advocacy for inclusion and participation – creating more inclusive communities and securing the right to inclusion and participation for all.
Motivation Australia is a small but mighty organisation, working at the intersection of health and disability. We are conducting life changing and life saving work in contexts where there are few resources. This work is rights based and about creating real, sustainable change. Fundamentally, all of us have the same rights to participate fully in family and community life. These rights exist in international law regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, indigeneity, disability, age, displacement, caste, gender, gender identity, sexuality, sexual orientation, poverty, class or socio-economic status. The lived experience of these rights matters greatly to us.
Full participation is a marvellous aspiration. Full participation for all people means realising rights under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, securing Universal Health Coverage and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. I commend the Motivation Australia team for their outstanding work in bringing to life this vision and shared aspiration.
It is an exciting time for me to embrace this new role with Motivation Australia.
The year ahead will see us gearing up to renew our accreditation with the Australian NGO Partnership Program. And guided by our new strategic plan, we will invest in the priority areas of rehabilitation and assistive technology services, diabetic foot care, gender and local leadership.
On behalf of the Motivation Australia Board and team, I would like to thank and acknowledge Dr Lloyd Walker as his term as chairperson draws to a close. Lloyd’s stewardship over the last thirteen years has been characterised by strategic leadership, steadfast support of Louise and the team and previously of Kylie and team, and his tireless efforts to increase Motivation Australia’s sustainability, credibility and visibility.
We thank you for your hard work and commitment in building and growing Motivation Australia to what it is today. Your energy and devotion to the role will be difficult to match, but you have made Motivation Australia a better organisation and strengthened its position.
I am looking forward to working with board members, and with Louise and her team in the years to come to as we continue to punch above our weight.
Letter from the CEO
Louise Coventry
I am very honoured to present this annual report to you at this time of having just completed my first year as Chief Executive Officer of Motivation Australia. For me, this past year has been marked by listening, learning and inspiration. I am always learning more about the vital role played by rehabilitation services and assistive technology as a precondition for inclusion and participation.
I am very honoured to present this annual report to you at this time of having just completed my first year as Chief Executive Officer of Motivation Australia. For me, this past year has been marked by listening, learning and inspiration. I am always learning more about the vital role played by rehabilitation services and assistive technology as a precondition for inclusion and participation.
Through our mentor program, I am listening to how local leaders seek to plan and advocate for, implement and evaluate their services. I am learning about the multi-dimensional nature of capacity; the value of having access to technical resources, skills and knowledge, but also an organisational culture that supports high quality and accountable service delivery, and well-planned, functional service systems (like systems to collect data and report on what has been achieved). I am convinced of the importance of supporting interventions that prevent avoidable health conditions such as diabetic foot wounds leading to amputations. I am also listening and learning to understand how best to ensure that women and girls have equitable opportunities to access services.
I continue to be inspired and impressed by the staff, partners and supporters who work so hard and contribute so much in order to bring to life Motivation Australia’s vision that all people can fully participate in family and community life. In 2021, I am excited to preside over the launch of a new strategic plan which doubles down on our longstanding commitment to strengthen locally led and sustainable health, disability, rehabilitation and assistive technology sectors.
We can’t do this alone. Strong, respectful and mutual relationships with the individuals, partner organisations, donors, and other stakeholders with whom we work are the foundation of success. I know that we are stronger when we work with others; accessing a diversity of ideas and experiences enriches us all.
I look forward to working with you in our shared efforts to enable all people to participate fully in community and family life.
You have worked with Kylie Shae for many years. Can you tell us about her influence on you?
I was a new graduate with zero experience of working on a project and I remember feeling very nervous meeting Kylie at the start of the PNG Access to Mobility Project.
But Kylie has a great sense of humour! She made time to speak to anyone that came her way seeking help or support and I thought that was very nice of her. I also thought it was very unusual for a CEO to do that. Kylie would take me along to attend meetings with her and encouraged me to speak in meetings or discussions. I learned from Kylie that it was always good to read and prepare prior to meetings and workshops and that having good clear communication enables my messages to be understood clearly by others. Networking skills and working in partnership is something I learned from Kylie as well.
As I reflect, I believe that Kylie instilled in me the courage to speak to a wide range of different people who I meet in work and life. Kylie never gave up easily and she always had a positive approach to difficult situations.
What new opportunities have opened up for you since you received the Kylie Shae Award for Women in Leadership?
I believe this award exposed me to new opportunities to work with new people, with international organisations and to share the work that I have been doing over the years and to share the stories and challenges faced by many people with disabilities.
PNG and other countries in the Blue Pacific are still developing and there’s a high need for better assistive technologies and rehabilitation services across the region. It’s really good to see a lot of organisations doing work in disability, rehabilitation and assistive technology services. These services are designed based on lessons learned and government plans and priorities. Yet these services are not reaching all people with disabilities or not provided using a holistic approach.
Why is that? I believe that the government, the service providers, organisations, and service planners are not including the users during the planning stages of a service, programme or project. The users of assistive technologies and rehabilitation services have a wealth of experiences that can help to shape planning and delivery of needed services.
We need to include users in planning, consult them, don’t exploit them but acknowledge and respect their intellect and their rights. By doing this, they will have a voice to speak, to share and help in planning and delivery of assistive technology and rehabilitation services.
Being the first recipient of the Kylie Shae Award for Women in Leadership has pushed you into the limelight. What was that like for you?
It was a new experience for me since I’ve not received any previous award in my years of work.
I was happy to be the first recipient but I also think I wasn’t ready to be exposed to bigger audiences. I felt a bit upset with myself as I worried that my story wasn’t important: The stories of people with disabilities across Papua New Guinea are far more important than my story. But as time went by, I began to see it differently. Having exposure was helping me tell the stories of people with disabilities in Papua New Guinea!
What changes do you hope to inspire in others during your time as the awardee?
First, I hope that during my time as the awardee, and with the exposure I have been given, I can help to change the way people, the government and organisations think and plan for assistive technology and rehabilitation services for people with disabilities in Papua New Guinea and across the Pacific region.
Second, I hope that my story will encourage more women to believe in themselves, to have an open mind, and be ready to learn from other women around them and be eager to learn new things. I believe that information is power that gives knowledge and confidence to speak in any circumstances.
Pacific Wayfinders
Our project, known as Pacific Wayfinders, is creating opportunities for continuing professional development to our partners and colleagues who provide rehabilitation and assistive technology services in the Pacific region. Highlights in 2020-21 include:
- The successful pilot of a mentoring programme which matched 16 rehabilitation professionals in Pacific Islands to allied health and other professionals in Australia and New Zealand. Satisfaction with the mentoring programme was very high such that the programme will be repeated, with minor adjustments, in 2021-22.
Learn more about Ranisha’s experience. - Remote delivery of diabetic foot care training to five service personnel in the Solomon Islands.
Pacific Leaders
Pacific Leaders is a project to develop local capacity to plan, implement and evaluate rehabilitation services through focusing on existing and emerging leaders in the Pacific region. Highlights in 2020-21 include:
- Establishment of the Pacific Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Regional Network, a group of service providers committed to improved service coordination and advocacy.
- Development of the Procurement Tool Kit to help service managers to plan and manage their services.
- Investment in data collection and service systems that support service managers to monitor and evaluate their activities and contribute to ongoing learning and accountability.
COVID-19 support
Motivation Australia is very concerned about the low take-up of vaccinations in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Vaccine hesitancy in PNG is among the highest in the world (Development Policy Centre, 2021). Fortunately, additional support for COVID-19 safety plans and access to personal protective equipment for service providers was made possible with support from the governments of Canada and Israel.
Support from the Government of Israel enabled the National Orthotics and Prosthetics Service (NOPS) in PNG to travel to remote areas to provide life-saving and life-changing services. The Government of Canada’s Canada Fund for Local Initiatives enabled us to send personal protective equipment to PNG and support local services to adjust to the new realities of living with COVID-19.
Support from the Canadian government also enabled us to respond to COVID-19 in the Solomon Islands and continue supporting provision of diabetic foot care there.
Inclusive communities
We were pleased to have the opportunity to support Mary MacKillop Today by conducting an end-of-project evaluation of the Inclusive Communities Project in Papua New Guinea and support the development of a project design to scale up this initiative. This assignment was a valuable opportunity to further our engagement in Papua New Guinea in strengthening services that support the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Prosthetic and Orthotic services in Fiji
This year, with support from the Australian Government’s Fiji Program Support Facility, we were able to review the current provision of prosthetic and orthotic services in Fiji and provide recommendations on future planning to strengthen these services.
Training in assistive technology, rehabilitation and noncommunicable diseases
We are thrilled to continue our long-term collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) throughout 2020-21. This year, we have worked with WHO and another collaborator, Human Study, to author training materials addressing rehabilitation and assistive technology for those with a noncommunicable disease like diabetes or a stroke.
We have also been able to support WHO and its partners in establishing data systems that will track the impact of rapid disbursements of assistive technologies during a pandemic. With our partner, Beyond Essential Systems, we have worked with WHO partners in India, Papua New Guinea and Iraq, each of which have been significantly affected by COVID-19.
Cambodia physical rehabilitation guidelines
Further afield, our work in Cambodia involves consulting and supporting local stakeholders with the development of operational guidelines for (government-run) physical rehabilitation centres. We look forward to building more partnerships and increasing our impact in southeast Asia over coming years.
AT Procurement Study
November 2020 saw the launch of the Assistive Technology (AT) Procurement Study commissioned by the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Regional Office. Motivation Australia led the process of producing the report in partnership with the Pacific Disability Forum and the Nossal Institute for Global Health.
The AT Procurement Study is intended as a blueprint to guide all stakeholders in the Pacific toward clear and specific actions that can significantly improve access to AT services and products. When the recommendations in this report are adopted, it will completely revolutionise the way that Motivation Australia works. We are ready. Bring it on!
Australia Disability and Development Consortium
In 2020 and 2021, we have continued to work with our colleagues in the Australia Disability and Development Consortium (ADDC) to focus attention, expertise and action on disability issues in places with fewer resources, building on a human rights platform for disability advocacy.
Professional associations
Motivation Australia staff hold membership of and are active in a wide range of professional associations. We continue to present our work at international, national and regional conferences.
We are also committed to supporting the next generation of development practitioners to access appropriate learning and experience: We have hosted three students on placement through collaborations with Monash University and Flinders University. We have also contributed to shaping research projects undertaken by additional students in the areas of our work.
Collaborative campaigns
We are proud to support #WeThe15. WeThe15 is an international campaign that shines a light on 15% of the world’s population who live with a disability. WeThe15 draws attention to the barriers and discrimination that people with disabilities face on a daily basis at all levels of society. By doing this, we break down these barriers so all persons with disabilities can fulfill their potential and be active and visible members of an inclusive society.
Members
Support from members forms the bedrock of our organisation. In 2020-21, in the context of developing a new strategic plan, we hosted a range of consultations with members covering issues such as future priorities, how we engage members, our name, working with indigenous Australia, as well as our rules of association.
Our membership has grown: We now have more than 100 members. Regular giving by members is incredibly precious for us; it increases our confidence to plan for the future. Thank you so much for your support.
Reference group
Some of our members make the commitment to join our reference group. Our reference group is a panel of subject matter experts on whom Motivation Australia staff draws for specialist advice and support, especially in the design and delivery of projects.
Reference group members volunteer their time and have a wealth of diverse expertise. This is an extremely valuable support for Motivation Australia staff, especially given the small size of our team. Cumulatively, reference group members have hundreds of years of experience! We are so fortunate to have this resource. Thank you reference group members.
New partnerships
This year Motivation Australia was honoured to host visits from ambassadors from Israel and Canada. We love having the chance to explain the importance and power of our work and we can also showcase the beauty and hospitality of the Fleurieu region of South Australia.
We are excited to make progress on a budding new partnership to strengthen assistive technologies and rehabilitation sectors in Vietnam. There will be more news on this front to report next year.
Sometimes support comes from unexpected places. In 2021, we learned that Mr William Doyle wanted to share his fortune with organisations promoting the rights of young people with disabilities. We were thrilled then to receive a significant donation of $200,000 that will underwrite our future programmes.
In 2021-20, we completed a participatory evaluation of our organisational performance for the previous 18 months.
We asked ourselves:
- Is the capacity of our local partners to provide more and better health, rehabilitation and assistive technology services improving?
- Are people being enabled to stay healthy, and access rehabilitation and assistive technology from local services through trained personnel? How is this impacting their lives?
- To what extent have our projects focused on and/or strengthened equity?
- Are we confident that our projects have been delivered in accordance with the principle of value for money?
- Is our work well aligned with and contributing to local priorities, and do our partnerships create local ownership over the outcomes?
- Are we actively engaging with other organisations, demonstrating our capacity, and responsive to the changing environment around us?
- And how have we further developed our human resource, financial and other organisational capacities to support our programmes?
Our progress reports and lived experience tell us that the capacity of partners has increased and our work is making a meaningful contribution to improved health, increased access and equity and local ownership over services.
Yet more systematic processes are needed to support regular monitoring of the performance of our programmes and capacity of our partners to provide more and better health and rehabilitation services. In 2020 we recognised the value of creating a system of metrics in order to measure and communicate our performance as an organisation.
The strategic plan 2021-24 was drafted creating four outward facing goals (delivering our mission) and using the balanced scorecard framework to create four inward facing goals (supporting our mission). We are now finding new and better ways to map and harvest the outcomes that we achieve and our new ‘balanced scorecard’ keeps track of our organisational performance.
Motivation Australia is deeply committed to learning. This is why, in 2020-21, we have put in place lunchtime learning sessions for staff and a staff book club. These initiatives help us stay up to date with new research and emerging evidence that underpins our pursuit of good practices.
We continue to join relevant conferences to listen, learn and, wherever relevant, present our work.
Our regular staff workshops support collective planning, reflection and learning. We took advantage of the reduced requirements for international travel to spend more time together and schedule more workshops for planning and reflection than usual in the past year – we had three! This enabled us to produce a participatory evaluation of our organisational performance and a new strategic plan.
Team
We are proud of the Motivation Australia team, and thank them for their work this year.
Staff
Lee Brentnall
Timothy Cleasby
Louise Coventry
Lucy Delahunty
Thomas Fitzpatrick
Lauren Flaherty
Ainsley Hadden
Ray Mines
Daniel Noll
Erika Pech
Alex Phillips
Kylie Shae
Kate Shortt
Krystal Panakera-Thorpe
Volunteers
Simon Barns
Deeni Betar-Young
Hannah Buultjens
Lizzie Carey
Renata Delahunty
Katrina Fitzpatrick
Beth Gigger
Sarah Gigger
Amber Gorman
Ruth Hanslow
Jonathon Hart
Fiona McManus
Ann Morris
Brett Murphy
Nina Murray
Michelle Naish
Lawrence Read
Carol Slade
Jennifer Taumoepeau
Natalie Templar
Steph Thom
Ken Wallis
Karen Wilson
Cienna Whitton
Students
Yasmine Ernst
Alexis Pantazis
Ciarne Tomlinson
Board of Governors
The Board of Governors sets high standards for itself and works to coordinate the contributions of organisational stakeholders towards effective, prudent and well-informed decision-making. In 2020/21, the Board refreshed its membership, recruited new governors and invested in a review of the board charter. The board charter establishes the responsibilities of Motivation Australia’s Board of Governors, its function, mandate, relationships, operations, protocols and composition.
Continuing
Evelyn O’Loughlin
Dr Lloyd Walker
Incoming
Jane Alver
Louise Coventry (ex-officio, non-voting)
Liz Garrett
Donna Leigh Holden
Dr Dinesh Palipana, OAM
Outgoing
David Constantine
Mona Girgis
Deb Hartley
Tania Sargent
Kylie Shae
Reference Group
Members of the Reference Group support our work by providing voluntary, expert advice in a range of speciality areas. We sincerely thank the following people for their service as reference group members in 2020-21:
Iain Brown
Jarrod Cahir
Andrew Congdon
Chris Dent
Natasha Layton
Camille Mewett
Ann Morris
Nina Murray
Cathrine Napier
Beth Sheehan
Jennifer Taumoepeau
Ken Wallis
Karen Wilson
Partners
Program partners
Pacific Disability Forum
Ministry of Health and Medical Services Fiji
Frank Hilton Organization
Ministry of Health Vanuatu
Vanuatu Society for People with Disability
Vanuatu Skills Partnership
Ministry of Health and Medical Services Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands National University
Department of Health Papua New Guinea
The Network of Callan Services Papua New Guinea
Badminton Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Gymnastics Federation
Ministry of Health Tonga
Ministry of Health Kiribati
Ministry of Health Samoa
The International Centre Vietnam
Australia-Cambodia Cooperation for Equitable Sustainable Services
Oceania Gymnastics Union
Mobility India
Papua New Guinea Eye Care
Rotary Club of Torquay
University of South Australia
Flinders University
Funders
Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Canada Fund for Local Initiatives
Government of Israel
World Health Organization
Tetratech (formerly Coffey International)
Cowater International
Corporate sponsors/partners
Ossur
Netsuite
Motivation Australia is a registered charity and member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID). We are a proud signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct, which is a voluntary, self-regulatory code of good practice.
We are committed to adhering fully to the Code’s high standards of governance, public accountability and financial management. For information on the Code, including how to make a complaint, contact ACFID at www.acfid.asn.au or email code@acfid.asn.au.
To make a complaint directly to Motivation Australia, contact report@motivation.org.au
Financial report
Year in review
With challenges come opportunities. In the 2020-21 year Motivation Australia has managed the challenges and embraced the opportunities. Like many international development organisations COVID-19 has changed the way we work.
After beginning the 2020-21 year with a total equity of $394,874, we received further income of $1,293,159.
Throughout the year, Motivation Australia spent $1,371,646. Expenditure on our international programmes, programme support and education comprised 64% of all expenditure. This is a smaller proportion of expenditure on programmes than in previous years and is largely due to a one-off payment for superannuation settlements which is further explained below.
Where were our funds sourced?
Motivation Australia secures funds to support our work from a range of different sources. The range of funding sources for our 2020-21 income of $1,293,159 attests to this.
We received $374,535 (29%) from Australian Government grants and $73,492 (6%) from other Australian grantors including Coffey International Development (now known as TetraTech), Eleanor Walker Education Support Fund and Mary MacKillop Today. We received $262,351 (20%) from overseas grantors being Government of Canada, World Health Organization, Cowater International Inc, The State of Israel, The International Center (USA) and Badminton Oceania.
The Australian Government JobKeeper Payment and Boosting cash flow for employers’ initiative contributed $197,750 (15%) to our total income. This assistance from the Australian Government provided very valuable support to Motivation Australia during an uncertain time.
The continued support of our members and supporters added $237,175 (18%) for which we are extremely grateful. Income from the sale of sports wheelchairs in Australia and New Zealand was $42,192 (3%).
In all, $4,041 (<1%) of income was made up of interest earned on cash at bank and $2,663 of other income (<1%).
Motivation Australia also received non-monetary income in the form of donated goods and time committed by our many fantastic volunteers; altogether $98,960 (8%) worth of goods and time was donated to our programmes and organisation.
- Grants (55%)
- Monetary gifts and donations (18%)
- Government COVID-19 Assistance (15%)
- Non-monetary (8%)
- Commercial activities (3%)
- Interest (<1%)
- Other (<1%)
How were our funds spent?
Motivation Australia spent $1,371,646 this year, including the cost of wheelchairs sold. This includes an investment of $834,453 (61%) directly on our international programmes. These funds were spent in strengthening health, rehabilitation and assistive technology services in: Cambodia (5%), Fiji (18%), PNG (28%), Solomon Islands (22%), Tonga (8%), Vanuatu (12%) and Vietnam (<1%). Motivation Australia also supported global efforts to strengthen the health, rehabilitation and assistive technology sectors (6%).
The remainder of our aid and development expenditure was invested in programme support and education activities (3%), administration (23%), fundraising (7%), commercial activities (3%) and non-monetary expenditure not directly attributable to programmes (3%).
We had a one-off large expense related to accountability and administration, which accounts for its higher than usual proportion of expenditure. This expense will enable Motivation Australia to make historical superannuation settlements to people whom we engaged between 2010 and 2014. Notwithstanding this expense, we remain committed to modest administration expenditure in comparison with spending on our programmes.
- Development Programmes, Support and Education (64%)
- Accountability and Administration* (23%)
- Fundraising (7%)
- Non-Monetary Expenditure (3%)
- Commercial activities (3%)
- Other expenditure (0%)
Summary statement of financial position at June 30th 2021
Full financial statements
For a more detailed understanding of our financial performance also read our full financial report, or request a copy by email: info@motivation.org.au
Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with the requirements of the ACFID Code of Conduct.
Auditors report
