Baptist Care Australia, 1/1193 Toorak Road, Camberwell (2026)

05/09/2025

🌟 Exciting news! Baptist Care Australia joins BaptistCare 🌟

Baptist Care Australia (BCA) is proud to have joined the newly merged BaptistCare as we seek to strengthen our national voice for vulnerable Australians 📣📣📣

With this transition, BaptistCare is establishing a dedicated national advocacy function to be led by Robyn Sampson (former BCA CEO), who will become BaptistCare’s General Manager, Advocacy.

By combining BCA’s expertise in policy, government engagement, and advocacy with BaptistCare’s frontline services across aged care, housing, family and community support, we are stronger together.

“We need to evolve for the future. The relationships, expertise, and advocacy we’ve built over many years will now be embedded in a national care provider—one that is deeply committed to both service delivery and sector leadership. We believe this new model strengthens our capacity and resources to do even more, as one united voice,” shared Robyn Sampson, outgoing CEO of Baptist Care Australia.

BaptistCare CEO, Charles Moore, said: “This is a natural and empowering next step for us all. Together, we can enhance our influence and create positive, lasting change where it matters most.”

This is more than a structural change – it’s a strategic opportunity. By coming together, we are creating a national organisation grounded in compassion, powered by community, and united in purpose. We are ready to amplify the voices of the people and communities we serve.

Read more about this exciting next chapter: https://baptistcare.org.au/blog/baptistcare-welcomes-baptist-care-australia-team/

14/08/2025

Last Friday, our CEO Dr Robyn Sampson and Head of Policy & Advocacy Charles Dane represented Baptist Care Australia as witnesses at the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee Inquiry into the recent Aged Care Amendment Bills.

We made clear that our members need certainty and time to prepare, rather than any re-litigation of the technical aspects of the Bills, imploring the Government to prioritise passing the Bills and publishing the final, approved Rules by the end of August.

We shared our concerns about the Department’s ICT readiness, as any ICT implementation hiccups risk becoming a grave issue for providers, given the cascading nature of ICT system interaction and the costs involved.

We also raised our concern about the care management funding cap being reduced from 20% to 10%, as the reduction in funding will reduce services, just when older Australians are facing complex new arrangements.

We look forward to seeing the Committee's report on August 21.
You can watch the hearing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXBjjSO0Lfg&t=3723s

06/08/2025

As a member of the Stronger Charities Alliance, Baptist Care Australia joins the Australian Democracy Network in calling on the Federal Government to protect charities' voices in our democracy.

We're the peak body representing Baptist social services in Australia, working to bring equality and opportunity to the most vulnerable in society, and we advocate nationally on social issues such as homelessness, aged care and domestic violence. Charles Dane from our team joined the ADN team in Canberra this week advocating for charity voice protections. Great to see our sector coming together to push for these important reforms.

We stand with the Stronger Charities Alliance in calling for reforms that recognise the beneficial role advocacy has in Australia, that stop government officials from restricting the voices of charities who receive government funding, and that requires a merit-based and transparent appointment of the ACNC Commissioner.

These are simple, budget-neutral reforms that will protect the right to advocate without fear of political interference.

For too long, charities have been vulnerable to political attacks that threaten our essential role in creating a healthy democracy. Without these protections, our ability to speak up on critical issues remains at the mercy of politics.

The open letter is clear – it's time for the Government to prioritise these long-overdue reforms and deliver on the promises made to the charity sector.

Read the full letter: https://www.strongercharities.org.au/2025/08/05/open-letter-protect-voices-now/

05/08/2025

Yesterday kicked off Homelessness Week 2025, and we joined the virtual launch event "Homelessness through a First Nations lens" hosted by National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association , Homelessness Australia and Homelessness Nsw

What a powerful panel discussion with some incredible voices - Zachariah Matysek from NATSIHA, Tahlia-Rose Vanissum from First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence (formerly the NFVPLS Forum), Kate Colvin from Homelessness Australia, and Josh Burns MP, Special Envoy for Social Housing and Homelessness plus a message from Clare O'Neil, Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness.

The conversation really drove home some important points - we need a dedicated First Nations-led housing and homelessness plan, culturally safe housing solutions, and we've got to tackle the systemic barriers that mean Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overrepresented in homelessness.

The speakers talked about how housing connects to everything - justice, education, health. When housing goes wrong, it affects whole communities and generations to come.

The message was clear: we need community-led solutions, proper funding for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, and real partnership between Aboriginal and mainstream services.

As Homelessness Week gets underway, it's a good reminder that real change happens when communities lead the way and we all work together to support them.

17/07/2025

Last month, our CEO Dr Robyn Sampson and National Member Support Coordinator Vanessa Mason visited our Queensland state member, Carinity.

At Shalom Education in Townsville, we were inspired by the community’s strength and spirit. The school, which serves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, recently celebrated its first Prep-to-Year 12 graduates — a proud and powerful moment for all involved.

We also visited Carinity’s residential aged care facilities in Townsville and Brisbane. These homes radiate warmth, love, and connection — a true reflection of what aged care should be.

🩵Whether it's education or aged care, Carinity’s work makes a lasting impact on people and communities. We’re proud to stand beside them.

Address

1/1193 Toorak Road
Camberwell, VIC
3124

Website

http://baptistcareaustralia.org.au/

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