OT AUSTRALIA

From the President

Please find below the latest update from the President of Occupational Therapy Australia.

Issue 4

At a special general meeting on November 28, 2009, the members of OT AUSTRALIA passed a special resolution to move OT AUSTRALIA into voluntary liquidation and also that the activities and operations of OT AUSTRALIA be transferred to, and undertaken by, Occupational Therapy Australia Limited (OTAL). At the same meeting, members passed a resolution to appoint David Solomons and Riad Tayeh as liquidators of OT AUSTRALIA.

In line with the liquidation process there needed to be interim arrangements put into place to allow OTAL to continue with Occupational Therapy business.

Throughout this transition phase of moving OT AUSTRALIA “business” across to OTAL there are a number of processes put into place:

OTAL Structure

Occupational Therapy Australia Limited consists of the following individuals:

> President - Peta Raison

> Executive Members - Nicole O’Reilly (Vice President) and Amanda Bladen (Vice President of Finance).

> OTAL board are - Gail Kingston

Carolyn Webster

Laurie Farrow

Thelma Burnett

Jan Erven

Sue Gilbert- Hunt

Domenico Tripodi

Our first meeting together was held Sunday 21 February, 2010 at the National office in Fitzroy.

This interim board will be in place until the 1^st AGM (June 2011) when a new board will be elected.

The new constitution developed via consultation with members prior to the restructure and the creation of OTAL has now been adopted by the new board.

Members of OTAL:

All members of OT AUSTRALIA in the National category are currently acknowledged as members of OTAL. There will be a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Member Association during the transitional stage to guarantee ongoing provision of member services.

National Advisory Committee

As per our model (see website) the National Advisory Committee is currently being formed. It will be a body that is representative of the members from each foundation division. This committee will play a vital role in assessing the current “environment” and providing advice to the board, on behalf of members, about future directions and opportunities for the profession. In addition, this committee will nominate future candidates to the Board of Directors.

The terms of reference have been sent to the Member Associations outlining the roles and responsibilities of this group and a number of nominations have already been received. This is a very exciting development for our unified organisation.

Divisional Council (see model on web page)

We are about to take the next step in the establishment of the Divisional Councils. It is planned that the Member Association Committees of Management become the inaugural Divisional Councils to ensure that the vital work that is currently undertaken at a local level is maintained. Unification will provide additional support and resources [where they currently don’t exist or rely too heavily on volunteers] to enable the occupational therapists to focus on professional and strategic issues and to allow the association staff to concentrate on administration.

Transitional Steering Committee.

During the transitional phase there is a need for open, transparent dialogue and active consultation. To allow this to occur a Steering Committee has been set up with the Presidents from each State and Territory involved, the Executive and the National office (CEO). Peta Raison was elected by this group as its Chair. This group will ensure that the process takes into account everyone’s ideas and will ensure a smooth transition. Within this group the winding up of the associations and how this will be implemented by each State and Territory involved will be discussed.

Transitional Leadership Team.

The leadership team is comprised of association staff in the state and national arms of our organisation and will work with the Steering Committee to plan and deliver the day to day operational requirements that are needed to make the merger and allow for informed and agreeable process.

Registration:

OTAL are well aware of the need to be alert to the ongoing requirements that are needed to allow us to be part of National Registration. It is still very much a work in progress from both sides. On Saturday 21 Feb 2010 there was a meeting between representatives of OTAL and representatives of COTRB (Council of Occupational Therapy Registration Boards) at the Hilton (Melbourne airport). This was a good opportunity for both organizations to come together and address the need to collaborate in preparation of national registration.

COTRB and OTA/OTAL were instrumental in getting national registration back onto the table after the first rejection of the Occupational Therapy submission, thus securing national registration for us. This will commence in 2012. Well done to both parties.

A working party has been assigned to assist with open dialogue and improved communication from both sides. Carolyn Webster, Rebecca Allen and Chris Kennedy will be representatives from OTAL.

We will update members with information as it becomes factual and relevant as this will assist with the understanding of what registration will mean for us.

Communication:

It is imperative that we address the need for good communication during this transition between all parties involved. We want to make sure you as members are aware of what is happening both at a State and National level and it is important that you feed back to us any issues you may have. The need to hold so many strings can sometimes lead to a balloon or two getting loose and we know this can make people feel confused or out of the picture.

Due to the National office going into voluntary liquidation first, and under the processes in place by the liquidators, we are now under the OTAL banner. As the States and Territories wind up and merge with OTAL the liquidators role will diminish resulting in the completion of the single entity merger by January 2011.

We will ensure you are kept in the loop regards ongoing developments.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Council members from OT AUSTRALIA that have worked tirelessly for the betterment of our profession. We don’t always agree but no one can deny the passion of your elected representatives to meet the needs of you, the members.

We held the final meeting for OT AUSTRALIA on Saturday 20 February, 2010 allowing closure for some Councilors and to recognize the work that has been done by the current members and those from the past Councils.

There are a number of activities planned for the Association and I look forward to updating you after each monthly Board teleconference.

Yours in OT,

Peta Raison