ANNUAL REPORT

ECCQ has three distinct areas of
activity – the home and
community care division,
Diversicare, under the management
of Margaret Hess; the aged
care home Berlasco Court, under the management
of Athena Ermides; and the peak body and
advocacy role which is easiest referred to as ECCQ
House and for which I have management
responsibility.
Reports dealing specifically with the activities and
performance of Diversicare and Berlasco Court are
included in this annual report.
The focus of my report is ECCQ House, which
underwent significant and necessary change during
the year under review.
To set the scene it’s worthwhile reflecting on some
of my comments in last year’s annual report:
“My primary focus during the period under review was
organisational to ensure that ECCQ is positioned to act
effectively as the peak body in the multicultural sector.”
Solid teamwork over the past year means we have
achieved that.
“Administrative policies and procedures were reviewed
and improved and much energy was put into the development
of ECCQ’s Strategic Plan 2004-2007 which has, in
turn, formed the framework for our short-term Business
Plan which I am implementing.
This, in essence, is that ECCQ:
• provide a developmental, supportive, progressive and
challenging environment for all staff
• clearly define and communicate ECCQ’s role as a
peak body
• expand and develop relationships between ECCQ,
ethnic communities and agencies working in the
sector
• prioritise those areas to which the organisation
should direct its resources
• establish sustainable long-term mechanisms to
ensure the resources to achieve our objectives are
available
• replicate within the peak body role the best-practice
standards ECCQ has achieved in aged care through
Diversicare and Berlasco Court
• provide leadership in improving collaboration within
the sector.”
We are close to being able to say we have achieved
most of the above objectives.
With the appointment of new staff in key areas we
were able to vigorously adopt a fresh approach to
our organisational processes and to our operational
activities. Separate reports reflect the very high
levels of activity in the advocacy area and in our
HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C & Sexually Transmissible
Executive Manager - Ian L Muil
Infections (STI) Program. Not only are these
programs operating at the high levels of activity our
funding bodies would expect but they are being
innovative, cutting edge, efficient and relevant.
That’s primarily because the right people are in the
right jobs and they have the requisite organisational
support and monitoring backup.
The year under review was, as indicated in my last
report, one of change, consolidation and
preparation.
The coming year, then, will be the year in which we
continue to deliver quality outcomes but also look
to the future in delivering the outcomes our
constituency need and securing the funding base to
enable that to continue on a sustainable basis.
In the advocacy area we farewelled Letitia
Bouloukos who left for a long-planned and
extended overseas trip. In replacing her we
consulted with Multicultural Affairs Queensland,
who fund the position, and re-defined the position
as statewide systemic advocacy, better reflecting the
role of a peak body.
Following a national recruitment campaign we were
pleased to be able to appoint Irene Opper who
comes to the position with a solid understanding of
advocacy and good working knowledge of the
multicultural sector in Queensland.
Irene’s report details her activities. Worthy of
mention are her initiatives in undertaking a series of
interviews to better map both the role of a peak
body and the ingredients to successful advocacy.
This ‘landscape’ audit will be used to develop her
work plan and to feed into ECCQ’s business plan.
Irene has also focused on housing as an area of
priority – the increase in homelessness is a sad
national trend and migrants, especially refugees, are
especially vulnerable.
The other area which has occupied much of Irene’s
energy in her settling-in period has been the Be
Fearless! program which concluded Phase Two,
funded by the Gambling Casino Benefit Fund,
during the year, and commenced Phase Three, mid
year, with Brisbane City Council funding.
It’s worth noting that our Be Fearless! advocacy kit
is highly regarded and during the year we granted
FECCA permission to use the kit for wider
distribution nationally to FECCA members.
Towards year’s end Irene and her team were able to
start the process of looking ahead and determining
the lessons flowing from this highly-regarded
project which, at the conclusion of the current funding
round, will be at a crossroads with an infrastructural
springboard for us to extend the
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14 ECCQ Annual Report 2004-2005