FRONT COVER: FEATURES PICTURE FRAMES WITH 7 IMAGES AND MS LOGO AT THE TOP
Picture a world
free from
multiple sclerosis
MS Queensland
2011–12 Annual Report
Our audience
This annual report is intended
for the following stakeholders:
people living with MS; their
carers and family members; our
donors, Government, our
corporate supporters, our staff
and the wider MS community.
Our AGM
The annual General Meeting for
2012 will be held on Friday 9
November 2012 at the
Southbank institute of
technology.
Financial information
Our Special Purpose financial
report for
the 2011–12 financial year is
available in
full from our website
www.msqld.org
Table below in grey at the top of the page
Our MS Stories
Line break Grey
Throughout this report we have included a number of personal
stories from people living with multiple sclerosis in Queensland.
Each MS story talks about how each person felt when they were
diagnosed with MS, how their life has changed, and how they
now live positively with MS. We thank the following people who
contributed their stories to this report:
Thumbnail pic of Mark Pg 02 Mark Elvery
37 years old, living with MS for 20 years
Thumbnail pic of Jackie Pg 18 Jackie Richards
26 years old, living with MS for four years
Thumbnail pic of Wendy Pg 28 Wendy Lovelace
49 years old, living with MS for 24 years
Thumbnail pic of Stephen Pg 46 Stephen Rayward
2012 carer of the year
Thumb nail pic of Peter Pg 58 Peter Coy
2012 Volunteer of the year
Thumb nail pic of Louise Pg 70 Louisa Ogden
32 years old, living with MS for four years
Thumbnail pic of Paul Pg 80 Mayor Paul Pisasale
60 years old, living with MS for 13 years
Congratulations to Peter coy from the Gold coast, who was
recognised as the MS Queensland 2012 Volunteer of the year
for his work in giving life back to people living with MS; enabling
independence through communication and social interaction via
the MS Skype community. His story is on page 58.
We also acknowledge Stephen Rayward from Cotswold Hills
near Toowoomba as the MS Queensland 2012 carer of the
Year for sharing his story about caring for wife Diana Rayward,
60 years old, who was diagnosed with MS six years ago. His
story is on page 46.
CONTENTS WHITE TEXT RED BACKGROUND
Our Review (Red section)
Strategic Evolution (Orange section)
Our Performance (Dark Green Section)
Meeting the Need (Yellow)
Our People (Light Green Section)
Governance and Compliance (Blue Section)
Our Financial Performance (Purple Section)
04 | Our year in review
06 | How we performed
09 | Chairman’s report
09 | CEO’s report
10 | Our Patron
11 | Our history
12 | MS: the mystery disease
14 | The world of MS research
16 | The changing nature of MS and the operating environment
20 | Our focus
20 | Our strategic objectives
21 | Our new Strategic Plan
22 | Our new vision, mission and values
23 | Explaining our organisational values
24 | Measuring our performance against the new plan
26 | Looking ahead to 2020
---------------------------------------------------------------30 | Meeting our strategic objectives
33 | Awards and achievements
34 | Revenue activities
38 | Our reach and service delivery
43 | Future service demand
44 | Sustainability and our social impact
---------------------------------------------------------------48 | Communicating our work
50 | Our stakeholders
53 | Advocacy
54 | Strategic alliances
55 | Our volunteers
---------------------------------------------------------------60 | Management structure
62 | Our Executive Leadership Team
64 | Our staff
---------------------------------------------------------------72 | Governance
74 | Our Board
76 | Compliance
78 | Risk management
---------------------------------------------------------------82 | Our five-year performance
84 | Financial summary
84 | Where our money came from
85 | Where our money was spent
86 | Financial position
86 | Investment policy
87 | Independent Auditor’s
Assertion Statement
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------88 | Index and glossary
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Story 459 words back drop image of Mark with overlay of text
Excerpt of text white text
“In many ways, I’ve been blessed.
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
in 1993 when I was in Year 12. So I’ve
had it for almost 20 years. Because I
knew from such an early age, I’ve been
able to plan for it. There was
no sudden crisis in the middle of my career.
I knew, so I could prepare.”
Mark Elvery knows what it’s like to
face an uphill struggle. In Year 11,
he climbed Mount Barney,
Queensland’s second tallest
mountain. A year later, in 1993, at
the young age of 17 he was
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
“When I was first diagnosed, I
remember someone told me
‘don’t give in. Keep doing as much
as you can for as long as you can.’
And I have,”
Mark said.
Mark doesn’t feel sorry for himself
and twenty years since his MS
diagnosis, he’s living life to the
full. “I don’t resent
MS. I don’t get depressed or
anything- although I do get
frustrated. But I’m certainly not a
‘woe is me’ story.”
As a father of two young boys and
husband of accountant, Adrienne,
Mark said his determination to live
everyday to the maximum, his
faith, and the support of MS
Queensland have all helped him
have a better quality of life.
“I only started using a wheelchair
in 2001. And it’s only recently that
I’ve started using an electric one. I
have two beautiful sons and an
amazing wife. And whilst I have
never been able to practice my
chosen career of dentistry –
weakness in my wrist made it too
risky – I am constantly asked for
my ideas and professional
expertise,” he said.
Recently, Mark and his family
enjoyed well-deserved respite at
MS Queensland’s accommodation
facility, McKinnon House at
Runaway Bay. The speciallymodified property is a peaceful
retreat offered to those with
multiple sclerosis and other
degenerative neurological
conditions, fully equipped
to provide respite to families.
McKinnon House is just one of the
many services and locations that
MS Queensland offer
to support those with MS.
“Taking a break when you’re
disabled is a real challenge. You
need somewhere that’s equipped
properly to make it accessible and
easy. We’d made do for years with
holiday homes that said they were
modified and weren’t. My wife
and children deserved a break, but
it was almost impossible when I
was in a wheelchair.”
“McKinnon House is simply
wonderful. It meant the world to
us - we’d never had the chance to
stay in such a pristine spot. There
were ramps right up to the jetty McKinnon House is right on the
water. And a wide veranda so that
I could watch the kids on the
grass, even if I couldn’t go on it
myself,” he said.
In addition to utilising the respite
accommodation at McKinnon
House, Mark has also benefited
from MS Queensland’s
physiotherapy services and
occupational therapy for more
than 15 years.
“I have no doubt that I was able to
put off being in a wheelchair for
much longer thanks to the
physiotherapy sessions at MS
Queensland and for that, I am
truly grateful.”
Our Review
our review red page tab
“More than fifty years of experience, working on
behalf of people in Queensland living with MS, has
enabled MS Queensland to reach a very high level
of ‘delivery’ in all these areas – a very high level of
knowledge and expertise.
Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley AC, Governor of Queensland and Patron,
MS Queensland. World MS Day Heroes reception, 29 May 2012.
Speech bubble red box white text Contents
04 | Our year in review
06 | How we performed
09 | Chairman’s report
09 | CEO’s report
10 | Our Patron
11 | Our history
12 | MS: the mystery disease
14 | The world of MS research
16 | The changing nature of MS
and the operating environment
3
Page 4 Our Year in Review how we performed
5 Our Year in Review how we performed continued
Page 6 how we performed
Page 7 How we performed continued
Page 8 Image page red background features Jonathan Loraine and Lincoln Hopper standing side by side
Jonathan Loraine
“This year we made solid progress,
overcame challenges and delivered on our
commitments.”
Lincoln Hopper
“MS Queensland counts it a privilege to serve
the needs of people living with MS”
8
Chairman’s Report
CEO’s Report
Jonathan Loraine
I am pleased to report 2011–12 was another good year for
MS Queensland, where we made solid progress, overcame
challenges and delivered on our commitments. Our team of
dedicated management, staff and volunteers were once again
the best source of reliable and relevant MS information and
knowledge; were able to provide care and support to people
living with MS to the highest standard; were a strong
advocate being a voice for others; and were able to rally
significant financial and in-kind support for our cause from
donors, events participants and funders.
Lincoln Hopper
Changes during the year
In late 2011, Trevor Farrell retired after 27 years as Executive
Director. I thank Trevor for the truly significant contribution
he has made to the MS community over such a long time.
Through a planned and well executed transition, Lincoln
Hopper took up “the reins” as CEO and brings a refreshed
approach and leadership to MS Queensland. In March 2012 a
new LNP government was installed in Queensland. As a
significant and long-term funder/partner to us, we are
committed to working with the new government to
ensure the voice of people living with MS is heard and we will
seek to influence policy and sector reform for their benefit.
Challenges during the year
Our overall strong financial results were achieved in the
context of a volatile economic outlook in Queensland which
particularly affected our community fundraising and 300 Club
lottery results. At the same time however, we launched and
sold-out our new MS Black Edition car lottery and had our
best-ever MS Brissie to the Bay result with record fundraising
outcomes.
Strategic issues
The Board and Management of MS Queensland has a clear
sense of direction and purpose and is focused on a range of
strategic issues for the coming years, as detailed on pages 16
and 17 of this report. We stand confident and ready to face
the future, knowing that every action we undertake is to help
give life back to people living with MS in Queensland. The
year
ahead will again be full of opportunity and challenge and we
thank you in advance for your ongoing support and trust in us
to deliver the outcomes people living with MS both need and
deserve.
The last year was an incredibly busy but fruitful 12 months for
the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and our fantastic staff
and volunteers. Much was achieved and many challenges met
in pursuit of our vision, purpose and mission. At MS
Queensland, everyone counts it a privilege to serve the needs
of people living with MS and we never take for granted the
faith and trust people place in our ability to meet their needs.
Leading up to the close-out of the existing 2010–12 Strategic
Plan, the Board and ELT undertook a process of review and
evaluation before announcing a new 2020 Strategic Plan with
detailed plans for the next three years.
2010–12 Strategic Plan review
The overarching goal of the existing plan was to “… promote
research to cure MS and to facilitate equitable, high-quality
and specialised services for the benefit of people with MS.”
The plan had a number of key strategic objectives which are
outlined on page 20 of this report.
The review undertaken in early 2012 found that MS
Queensland had been mostly successful in progressing these
objectives, if not hampered by some execution issues related
to a lack of funding as well as changes in key personnel
including the retirement of the Executive Director, and the
need for tighter measures and indicators linked to some of
the plan objectives. The end assessment showed that MS
Queensland was in genuinely good shape and well positioned
for the future.
2020 Strategic Plan development
In developing the new Strategic Plan, it became apparent that
the old plan key objectives had continuing relevance to the
organisation, at least for the near term. As a consequence,
the Board determined that the current strategic direction of
the organisation remained sound and therefore the new 2020
plan should by nature be a continuation of it – evolutionary
not revolutionary; a refresh rather than a restructure of
where the organisation has been heading.
Most importantly, a new vision, purpose, mission and values
statement was created to guide the organisation for the longterm. The Board, ELT and staff were all involved in the
creation of the statements and we all feel a renewed sense of
excitement, direction and satisfaction as we strive, united in
purpose towards our vision of a world free from MS and its
devastating impact.
9
Our Patron
Ms Penelope Wensley AC
MS Queensland activities are generously supported by our Patron the
Governor of Queensland Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley AC.
Penelope Wensley was born in Toowoomba and completed a Bachelor
of Arts degree with First Class Honours at The University of
Queensland in 1967.In 1968, Ms Wensley joined the Australian
Foreign Service andpursued a highly distinguished career as a
diplomat, representing Australia in a wide range of overseas posts and
senior policy positions until 2008, when she became Queensland’s
twentyfifth Governor.
Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley AC, Governor of Queensland and
Patron, MS Queensland. World MS Day MS Heroes Reception, 29 May
2012.
Image of Penelope in same frame as front cover caption:
Among her prestigious diplomatic appointments, she served
as Australia’s Ambassador to the United Nations for seven
years, in both Geneva and New York, as Ambassador for the
Environment, High Commissioner to India and Ambassador
to France. She has been awarded honorary Doctorates by
The University of Queensland, Griffith University and the
Queensland University of Technology. In 2001, Ms Wensley
was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for her
distinguished contributions to Australia’s international relations.
She was then made a Companion of the Order of Australia
(AC) on Australia Day 2011.
During 2011–12, Her Excellency officially opened the new North
and Far North Queensland MS Queensland office in Townsville
and hosted the World MS Day reception at Government House
to celebrate our MS Heroes and announce the year’s recipients.
As our Patron, Ms Wensley has become passionate about the
many issues people with MS face. For World MS Day, Her
Excellency highlighted the importance of our MS Heroes awards
and the benefit they serve in recognising the good work of
people living with MS around the State.
“We are honouring some particularly deserving individuals…but
every [MS Hero]… in one way or another, is contributing and
making a difference, whether through research, fundraising, and
advocacy, as MS staff members, volunteers, service providers,
corporate supporters, or in some other way – and for that great effort,
I express to you, as Patron of MS Queensland, and as Governor of
Queensland, on behalf of the people of Queensland in need of your
support and understanding, my heartfelt thanks for your generosity
and willingness to work in practical ways to help us address the great
challenge that MS represents, not just to those living with MS their
families, friends and carers, but for all Queenslanders who care about
this being a just and caring society. Thank you.”
10
Stats at the top of the page 59 MS hero nominations
54 years of supporting people with MS two photos follow
Our History boxed red
In 1958, the MS Society of Queensland
(MS Queensland) was formed two years
after the first Australian Society in New
South Wales. In order to support the
growing community need of providing
vital services to Queenslanders living
with MS, and their families and carers,
fundraising revenues needed to be
generated. With funds raised through
community fundraising activities
partnered with Government support,
MS Queensland was able to open
‘Granston Lodge’ in 1974; a high care
facility for those with MS unable to care
for themselves.
Over the following five decades MS
Queensland has committed itself to
providing the highest levels of care
and support services for people living
with MS including physiotherapy,
psychology, counselling and financial
support. MS Queensland has launched
several fundraising programs which
are still successful to this day including
the MS Brissie to the Bay bike ride and
the Limited Edition Art Union. These
programs have enabled us to introduce
a 1800 Info Line, set up the MS Clinic
at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s
Hospital and complete works for our
Annerley Apartments which empowers
people with MS with high care needs
to live more independently in housing
within the community.
2008 marked the 50th anniversary of
MS Queensland. In recent years, MS
Societies in Australia have unified the
‘MS’ brand and today, the red and white
MS, and awareness of MS as a disease,
are stronger than ever before. The
national theme carried through all of MS
Queensland’s work is ‘giving life back’ to
people living with MS. This coordinated
national response provides a strong
platform for longevity of the organisation,
our influence in the disability sector and
our impact within the community, now
and into the future.
In late 2011, Lincoln Hopper
commenced as CEO of MS Queensland
with the retirement of Trevor Farrell
after 27 years’ service. As part of
this leadership transition, our Board
embarked on the development of
the new 2020 Strategic Plan for the
organisation. Working closely with our
staff, we will shape our future direction
and our influence in the MS community.
11
MS: the mystery disease
Despite significant advancements in research, there is much
we do not know about the disease multiple sclerosis. We have
identified parts of the puzzle, but there are pieces still missing.
By definition, multiple sclerosis means “many scars”. MS is best
described as a progressive neurological condition that affects
people differently, and no two examples of the disease are the
same.
The current hypothesis is that MS attacks myelin in the brain and
spinal cord, a protective coating around nerves that allows them
to transmit signals through the central nervous system.
The immune system of a person with MS appears to attack
myelin; causing scarring that disrupts these signals and can even
damage the nerves themselves.
The symptoms of MS are varied for each individual and can
include loss of balance, fatigue, vision impairment, cognitive
issues, abnormal speech and muscle weakness.
Cartoon image of myelin sheath
There is no known cure for MS.
The good news is that much is being done in MS research,
especially in Australia, into the causes of the disease in a global
effort to ultimately find a cure. Boxed off
The above image is a depiction of the protective myelin sheaths, that surround
the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord (a process called demyelination),
being attacked. This results in damaged areas that are unable to transmit
nerve impulses.
12
Top
5concerns for
people living
with MS in
Queensland
Maintaining their
independence in
order to live a full
and happy life for
as long as
possible.
Their capacity to
stay in employment
due to their MS
symptoms or lack of
understanding from
their employer
Access to
appropriate
services in their
local area;
particularly for
regional and rural
people with MS
The effect of MS
on family and
loved ones;
especially if
members of the
family and carers.
Lack of financial
means to cope with
the need for
equipment and
aides if their
condition
deteriorates.
As MS progresses a person’s reliance on, and need for, services and support from MS Queensland increases.
MS life cycle
Pre- Diagnosis
Newly diagnosed
Minimal impairment
Moderate impairment
Knowledge
Knowledge
Monitoring
Advocacy
Needs Analysis
Knowledge
Monitoring
Advocacy
Needs Analysis
Communication
Knowledge
Monitoring
Advocacy
Needs Analysis
Communication
Significant to severe
impairment
Knowledge
Monitoring
Advocacy
Needs Analysis
Communication
MS Prevalence in Australia
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------MS is the most common chronic neurological condition in
young adults in Australia.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------More than 23,000 Australians live with MS.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------Of these people, more than 3,300 reside in Queensland.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------More than 2.5 million people live with MS globally.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MS afffects almost twice as many women than men.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MS is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and
40 when people are in the prime of their lives.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The rate of diagnosis in Australia is climbing by approximately
4% each year.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The total cost of MS to individuals and the Australian community
is over $1 billion.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Source: MS Research Australia, 2012.
13
The world of MS research
Each MS Society in Australia works closely and
collaboratively with our national research arm, MS
Research Australia (MSRA), and provides funding
towards MSRA’s research agenda. In the 2011–12
financial year MS Queensland contributed a total
of $259,314 to MS research; 49.7% of this figure
to the MS Clinic in Brisbane and 50.3% to MSRA.
White text red background image
Meet our Queensland Researchers
Head shot of researcher
Head shot of researcher
Head shot of researcher
Dr Wajih Ul Hassan Bukhari
Dr Judith Greer
Nancy Moxey
Dr Wajih Ul Hassan Bukhari is a
Clinical Fellow in Neurology and is
studying for his PhD at the School of
Medicine, Griffith University. Dr
Bukhari qualified in medicine from the
National University of Science and
Technology, Pakistan in 2003 and
became a fellow of the Royal
Australasian College of Physicians
in 2010. He has worked as a registrar
in the Department of Neurology, Sir
Charles Gairdner Hospital, WA and
has worked in clinical and research
positions in the UK. His PhD studies
are focusing on the diagnosis and
clinical characteristics of the MS-sister
disease neuromyelitis optica (NMO).
Dr Judith Greer is an immunologist
with a strong interest in autoimmune
diseases affecting the nervous system.
Based at the University of
Queensland’s Centre for Clinical
Research, Dr Greer is identifying brain
components that are targeted by the
immune system in people with MS
and developing new ways to
specifically turn off the damaging
immune responses in the brain.
Nancy Moxey is a PhD student at
the University of Queensland. She is
researching the role of rare mutations
in myelin proteins in MS. Nancy was
awarded a Young Investigator Award
for her poster at the Progress in MS
Research Conference held in
Melbourne late last year. Nancy
receives an annual bursary from MS
Queensland to pursue her studies.
14
MS Queensland contributed $259,314 to MS research [image of telescope
Research strategy
MSRA implements an informed
scientific agenda to accelerate
advances that will prevent, better
treat and ultimately cure multiple
sclerosis. This agenda focuses
on funding research and facilitating
collaborations that will increase our
understanding of the biology of MS,
develop methods for preventing the
disease and uncover ways to repair
existing damage and reverse the
disability caused by MS. MSRA
focusses on the strengths of
Australian researchers to
contribute to the world-wide
endeavor to solve MS. This is a
medium to longterm
strategy.
Research projects in Australia
Each year MSRA funds high quality MS
research in universities and medical
research institutes across Australia
through project grants, scholarships
and fellowships. MSRA has increased
the amount of money available in the
annual funding round to over $3.7
million.
During 2012, 20 exciting new research
projects were funded including the
following three Queensland research
programs.
Head shot of researcher
Prof Michael Pender
Prof Pender is the Director of the
Neuroimmunology Research Centre
at the University of Queensland. Prof
Pender has a strong research interest
in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections
and his current research investigates
therole of impaired immunity to EBV
in the development of MS. This
research will lay the foundation for
possible prevention of MS by
controlling EBV infection.
Head shot of researcher
Prof Pamela McCombe
Prof Pamela McCombe is a neurologist
and researcher based at the Royal
Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and
the University of Queensland. Prof
McCombe is currently researching
why disease activity appears to be
reduced during pregnancy in many
patients with MS. Understanding the
causes of these changes during
pregnancy could lead to strategies to
reproduce these effects as
therapy for MS.
1 Antibody detection and genetic
2 Investigating antibodies in the
blood of people with MS: by
Dr Judith Greer, University of
Queensland. Total funding awarded:
$50,000. Duration: 2 years.
3 The prevalence of neuromyelitis
optica in Australia and New
Zealand and a blood test for its
diagnosis: by Wajih Ul Hassan
Bukhari, Griffith University
(scholarship). Total funding awarded:
$54,400. Duration: 2 years.
screening in neuromyelitis optica,
a rare variant of MS: by Prof Simon
Broadley, Griffith University. Total
funding awarded: $113,000.
Duration: 2 years.
----------------------------------------
Head shot of researcher
Prof Simon Broadley
Prof Broadley undertook his
undergraduate medical degree at
University of Manchester, United
Kingdom after completing a BSc in
experimental immunology and
oncology. Simon then completed his
PhD at the University of Cambridge.
Simon is currently a staff specialist
with the Gold Coast Hospital and
provides specialist services in
Neurology. His principal area
of research is genetics and MS looking
at “Identification of genes involved in
susceptibility to autoimmune
disorders”, “Migraine in MS”, “Impact
of community experience on social
attitudes in medical students”,
“ANZgene Study”, “AusLong
Study”, and “ANZ NMO
Collaborative”.
15
The changing nature of MS and the operating environment
We do not yet know
the causes of MS or fully
understand why some
people are susceptible to
MS and others are not.
Changes in our
understanding and
treatment of MS and of
the operating
environment have a direct
bearing on how MS
Queensland positions
itself for the future.
This section in a speech bubble
MS causes, treatment and cure
Whilst MS is still a puzzling disease,
we actually know more about it today
than ever before. As new information,
research findings and new treatments
are released, people with MS need
real-time and easy access to accurate
and validated information, education,
treatment, care and support. Changes
in MS drug treatments (such as new
oral therapies) will have implications
for existing injectable treatments.
Whilst the disease continues to be the
subject of intense, world-wide
research, a cure for MS remains
elusive. Some high quality research is
already happening in Queensland.
This needs to continue and expand
and we are committed to contributing
more funding to research.
The nature of the disease means that
the needs of people living with MS
vary almost as much as the disease
itself.
MS affects almost twice as many
women than men (3:2 ratio). No two
diagnoses of MS are exactly the same
and it is often a frustratingly
unpredictable disease. Episodes can
occur at varying time intervals
affecting different areas of the central
nervous system. It can be benign-– in
rare cases apparently disappearing
altogether after one or two episodes,
or it can progress steadily over many
years, bringing about a slow
deterioration in an individual’s
capabilities. As peoples’ needs change
with the symptoms and progression of
the disease, so too MS Queensland
must respond in innovative, flexible
and timely ways to these changing
needs.
Unique challenges of the Queensland
geography
With an MS prevalence rate of 71 per
100,000 people, Queensland has the
third highest number of people with
MS (3,318) spread over the largest
geographic distance in Australia*.
Nowhere else in Australia is the
challenge of distance for people living
with MS as great as it is in Queensland
given our significant population
centres in Central and North and Far
North Queensland, in addition to
those in the South-East Queensland
“corner”. Responding to the needs of
people living with MS across these
vast distances is an enormous
challenge.
Progressive Neurological Disease
(PND)
Some 19,000 people are living with
Progressive Neurological Disease
(PND) in Queensland (MS represents
15% or over 3,000 of these people).
Across the specific disease types,
common PND needs exist amongst
this large population (e.g. neurological
physiotherapy, fatigue management,
counselling and financial support, high
care support etc). MS Queensland is
well placed to lead a collaborative
PND approach in Queensland as well
as offering specialist services to the
wider PND group; this is planned for
establishment in the 2012–13
financial year.
Young people with MS in residential
aged care
Given that diagnosis of MS is generally
between the ages of 20 and 40 and
is the most common disease of the
central nervous system in young
adults, a number of young people
with the most debilitating form of MS
end up in aged care due to the lack of
suitable, available
*Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012
16 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
and affordable housing and care
options. MS Queensland will respond
through continued strong advocacy
for these young people, influencing
policy reform in this area, as well as
seeking to address the supply of age
appropriate care.
Advances in information and e-health
technology
Access to technology and information
for mainstream Australia is not the
barrier it once was and MS
information is a key stabiliser at the
time of a devastating MS diagnosis.
The need to ensure that the
information is up-to-date, validated,
high quality, accessible and helpful
will not change, but the delivery
methods will. To be the first choice
amongst the MS community for this
information, MS Queensland will need
to be at the forefront of future
changes in technology. Equally, the
way MS Queensland captures, stores
and uses client information needs to
also “keep up with the times” through
investments in clever systems and the
capability to make the most of our
business intelligence.
The changing nature of philanthropy
and fundraising
MS Queensland has always relied on
fundraising to complement
government funded services. The
changing “face” and nature of giving
towards non traditional vehicles such
as Private Ancillary Funds (PAF’s) and
investment orientated approaches
(e.g. Social Benefit Bonds) means that
MS Queensland will need to position
itself for this change. This will mean
diversifying the existing strong mix
of MS Queensland fundraising
products by expanding into new areas
such as corporate partnerships.
Sector reform – Australian Charities
and Non Profit Commission (ACNC)
The Australian Government has
established a new independent
statutory agency, the Australian
Charities and Non Profit Commission
(ACNC). Reporting directly to
Parliament, the ACNC will commence
operations from October 2012 and
will initially be responsible for
determining the legal status of groups
seeking charitable, public benevolent
institution, and other NFP benefits on
behalf of all Commonwealth agencies.
The ACNC will also implement a
‘report-once use-often’ reporting
framework for charities, provide
education and support to the sector
on technical matters, and establish a
public information
portal.
The transformation of disability
service provision in Australia
Of special note are the planned
changes to provision of disability
services in Australia through the
proposed National Disability Insurance
Scheme (NDIS). The proposed NDIS is
a national no-fault insurance scheme
that is designed to provide life-long
funding for people with a disability for
personal care and support, therapy,
aids and equipment, home
modifications, and employment
training.
Most importantly, the proposed
NDIS would assist everyone with a
permanent disability, no matter how
or when their disability was acquired.
carers and families through a
significantly increased and life-long
injection of funding, controlled
primarily by the service-user.
The implementation of the NDIS will
directly affect people diagnosed with
MS. In a world with an NDIS, service
users will be free to pick-and-choose
their provider(s) of choice. This
presents very clear risks and
opportunities for MS Queensland.
After months of lobbying and
advocacy from the disability sector,
including a series of NDIS Rallies held
in every capital city in Australia in
April 2012,the Gillard Government
announced on 8 May 2012 that $1
billion would be allocated over four
years towards the launch of the NDIS.
The budget allocation included $342.5
million over three years for
individualised funding packages for
people with a disability and their
families.
Note: At time of printing, official NDIS
trials have been confirmed for five
states (SA, TAS, ACT, NSW, VIC) with
WA, Qld and NT not participating at
this stage. The Queensland
Government has announced their own
trial of a key component of the NDIS
with the ‘Self-Directed Support
Initiative’ where 1,300 families will be
invited to take part in the trial. MS
Queensland is continuing to advocate
for an opportunity to participate
in this trial.
Currently 700,000 Australians with a
disability need daily personal support,
with only a small percentage of
people receiving the level of support
they require. The NDIS would
significantly change the lives of these
people, their
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 17
Orange section begins My Story (Photo of Jackie as the background of the page with text overlaid)
Jackie Richards
From the dream of being a police officer to finding her passion
working with animals, Jackie has been through a whirlwind of
emotions since being diagnosed with MS at the young age of
just 22.
Jackie was busy planning her 22nd birthday when she suffered
partial facial paralysis: “I was at work one day and the left side of
my face went numb and became paralysed; my lips, my eye all
dropped.” She underwent a series of tests before a neurologist
delivered the news that she had multiple sclerosis.
At the time she was looking forward to a career in the
Queensland Police Service, had just graduated from a
Diploma in Justice, was juggling full-time work and had an
active social life as any 21 year old would. “The diagnosis
came as a complete shock - I knew absolutely nothing about
MS and thought it was something that mainly affected older
people. I was scared my face and my eyes were going to be
like that forever.”
As she regained sight, Jackie was determined to not let MS
‘win’ and she continued to work and study. “I wanted to
prove to myself that this disease would not control my life
and that I could still work just as hard as anyone else.” And
she did, moving jobs to work in Human Resources (HR) for
a telecommunications company for another year and joining
MS Queensland’s volunteer program.
But there is more to Jackie. She has volunteered for the
RSPCA for years, which is where her true passion lies. This
year Jackie made the brave move to quit her well-paying job
to work as a dog groomer at ‘Passion for Pets’, a boutique
grooming salon around the corner from her home. The
move from the office to the dog bath has been interesting
but for Jackie, the “best thing” she’s ever done.
Jackie now baths and dries puppies and dogs all day and
while she becomes quite fatigued from the long days and
physical work, she said it’s all worth it. She’s also gone back
to the books and is studying a Certificate IV in Companion
Animal Services via correspondence in light of her next life
goal; to become a Veterinary Nurse.
And the MS? At times she suffers from dizziness, eyesight
problems, extreme heat sensitivity and fatigue. But it doesn’t
stop her every day.
“With the right attitude, I feel having MS pushes me to work
hard in everything I do. Living in uncertainty about my future
is definitely part of MS, but I won’t stop living my life just
because I have it.”
Quote in white writing with orange background
“I first received a visit from MS Queensland’s nurse
Bernie to learn how to inject which was hard for me.
But MS Queensland’s is great if you need and want
support with your MS. I decided to become
an MS volunteer to do something that was
Rewarding and lots of fun- and it allows me to see
from afar the different stages of MS and how it
affects people differently. It’s a huge eye opener.”
Strategic Evolution
“
The strategic review MS Queensland has
undertaken this year clearly defines our aspirations
and defines our responsibilities in our quest to
eradicate MS. We will never give up on our
vision of a world free from MS and its devastating
impact.”
Mr Jonathan Loraine, Chairman MS Queensland.
Contents
20 | Our focus
20 | Our strategic objectives
21 | Our new strategic plan
22 | Our new vision, mission and values
23 | Explaining our organizational values
24 | Measuring our performance
against the new plan
26 | Looking ahead to 2020
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 19
Our Focus
Our Strategic Objectives
In Queensland, nobody has a better knowledge of MS nor
assumes a greater role in education and raising awareness
of MS in the community than MS Queensland. Nobody
better understands the needs of people with MS than us.
We play a pivotal role in quality control and ensuring that
people with MS are having their needs met as well as
advocating on their behalf.
The 2010–12 plan had a number of key strategic
objectives,
which drove our performance during the year. They were:
Our renewed strategic focus
for people with MS throughout all stages of the MS
lifecycle, rather than the service of last resort.
Following a review of the Constitution in late 2009, during
2010–11 the Board and the Executive Director met with
an external consultant to review and set the direction of
MS Queensland for the next three years. Each member of
the Board was involved in facilitated discussions and met
with stakeholders to ensure our key objectives and
priorities were achievable and supported by the MS
community.
3 Service the state equitably.
4 Support clients in the community to lead independent
The 2010–12 Strategic Plan was made publicly available to
our clients, members, donors and external stakeholders
and reviewed annually by the Board. In the plan, our
mission was to “promote research to cure MS and to
facilitate equitable, high-quality and specialised services
for the benefit of people
with MS”.
This Annual Report serves as an accountable measure of
our achievements and challenges in meeting the objectives
of the
2010-12 plan.
20 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
1 Best practice performance in all core competency areas
including facilitating the delivery of services.
2 Promote MS Queensland as the service of first resort
and productive lives.
5 Effective use of technology to deliver services.
6 Provide an engaging, safe and positive workplace for
staff
through effective leadership, good systems, the right
structure and the necessary resources.
7 Support Multiple Sclerosis Australia (MSA) and Multiple
Sclerosis Research Australia (MSRA) national activities,
including research.
8 Maintain and grow the MS profile and brand in
Queensland.
9 Maintain and grow our financial capacity to fund our
activities. How we performed against these nine strategic
objectives is detailed on pages 30 to 32 of this report.
Our new Strategic Plan
In Queensland nobody has better
knowledge of MS than MS Queensland
The 2011–12 financial year marked the final year of the
existing strategic plan. During the year, our Board and
Executive Leadership Team worked closely to develop a
renewed, longer-term strategic plan for the organisation.
In reviewing the existing plan, it was apparent that MS
Queensland is in good shape and well positioned for the
future. The Board and Management are proud of what has
been achieved to date.
After much discussion, research, fine tuning and
preparation, the new MS Queensland 2020 Strategic Plan
was finalised and launched in late June 2012.
The MS Queensland 2020 Strategic Plan is a big, bold step
for our organisation; a continuation of years of excellent
work and a sound strategic direction but also a ‘line-in-thesand’ moment for MS Queensland. This plan with its new
vision, goals and strategies holds us accountable for
making life better for people living with MS. The clear
measures and outcomes of this plan mean that we’ll know
whether we have been successful. This plan will make a
definite, tangible and measureable difference to people
living with MS; to policy and sector reform; to advancing
the search for a cure; and to the strength of our
organisation.
Supporting the new plan through our people
The new 2020 Strategic Plan confirms the continuing
relevance to the organisation of the previous plan’s key
objectives for the near-term. As such it is evolutionary in
nature; a refresh rather than a replacement of the
previous strategic direction.
To support this Plan and our values, each staff member
undertakes an annual Performance Review and
Development Plan (PRD). The PRD system provides a
framework for reviewing and evaluating employee
performance against agreed
business objectives, and for facilitating constructive
discussion with employees to enhance their performance
on-the-job, both in the short-term and in the future. The
PRD process links each staff member’s roles and
responsibilities to the overarching
Strategic Plan and core competencies of the organisation.
The objectives of the PRD process are:
• to maximise organisational performance
• to link individual performance with business plans
• to promote a consistent framework in terms of
developing
and managing our people through the demonstration of
behaviours and competencies that help us achieve our
business objectives
• to align behaviours, competencies and corporate values;
and
• to facilitate individual and company development
strategies
which enhance performance in the short-term and in the
future.
These plans are conducted with each staff member, are
reviewed annually and are central to achieving our new
2020 Strategic Plan. For more information visit ‘Our
People’ on pages 59 to 69 of this report.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 21
Orange background white text
Our new vision, mission and values
During the strategic planning process, the Board took the opportunity to revisit key organisational statements. In doing
so, a vision statement for MS Queensland was created along with a new purpose statement. Our mission and values
were also updated during the year as part of this planning process to develop the new 2020 Strategic Plan.
Our (new) vision is:
a world free from MS and its devastating impact.
Our (new) purpose is:
to help people living with MS to get the best out of life; to advocate for change and to
search for a cure.
Our updated mission is:
to be the first choice for MS information, education, treatment, care and support
across Queensland.
Our updated values are:
respect, hope, commitment and collaboration.
The new organisational statements clearly reflect our aspirations and define our roles and responsibilities in the quest to
eradicate MS, as we continue to support all those affected by it (including families and carers) for as long as they want
our help. The statements also serve to hold us accountable to the people we aim to help, ensuring that our service
offerings, our advocacy and our role in research are the best available in the eyes of people living with MS.
22 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL report
Explaining our organizational values
During the year, the staff of MS Queensland collectively chose the following four values which they believe will best
enable the new vision, purpose and mission of MS Queensland. The new values listed below were generated by staff
through a number of engagement strategies including focus groups, workshops, team meeting discussions and CEO
presentations.
Our new values are:
Respect
People really matter to us and so we show respect in all our relationships and interactions with others.
Hope
We never give up offering real hope, no matter how long it takes or how challenging the situation.
Commitment
We always do our best for our clients, our organisation and for each other.
Collaboration
We believe the way to achieve great results is by working together.
A comprehensive internal list of behaviours have been created by our staff to help guide staff and volunteers to live-out
the new values of the organisation in the years to come.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 23
Measuring our performance against the new plan
Continuous improvement versus step-change initiatives
during 2012–15
What success looks like
The measures of success of the plan are:
In the new 2020 Strategic Plan not all activities have the
same weight or impact. Some initiatives through
incremental continuous improvement will just “polish” an
already acceptable level of performance. Some other
initiatives however, offer the organisation significant
“step-change” improvement opportunities.
As such, alongside our “business as usual” activities, the
following significant initiatives have been written into the
plan for the next three years.
1 Determining our role as a provider, a partner and/or a
facilitator under the NDIS arrangements.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Delivering MS-specific accommodation via successful
property development of a currently vacant block of
land.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Leading the establishment of an alliance partner
network of Progressive Neurological Disease (PND)
organisations in the State.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
4 The redevelopment of Granston Lodge to better meet
the needs of people living with MS in response to the
continuing deinstitutionalisation agenda of government.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Altering the revenue mix (the proportions of
fundraising, government and commercial) and increasing
our funding for MS research.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
24 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
1. The proportion of people living with MS/ Progressive
Neurological Disease (PND) in Queensland that can access
quality, timely and convenient service solutions.
2. The quality of life of people living with MS/PND in
society and the level of general community awareness of
disability issues.
3. The strength of our balance sheet, profitability,
diversified revenue, safe, skilled and engaged staff and
volunteers.
Honeycomb orange background 3 text boxes white with orange text
The following measures will check our progress:
Goal 1
cartoon image of Qld
Goal 2 cartoon image of person Goal 3 cartoon image of tree
state
High quality solutions for people
living with MS/PND in Queensland by
raising the access, quality and
geographic spread of service
solutions.
Measures
1. Access (availability, eligibility and
affordability of service provision)
Societal, policy and sector reform
that directly benefits our clients
through highly regarded and
influential advocacy.
A strong, developing and sustainable
organisation by having excellent
people, strong finances, efficient
processes and clever systems.
Measures
1.Self-reported quality of life of
people living with MS/PND
Measures
1.Balance sheet
2. Annual budget surpluses
2. The quality of service offering
(standard and satisfaction)
2. General community awareness of
disability issues
3. Timeliness of service provision
(response time and waiting period)
3. Alignment of government policy to
the needs of people living with MS/
PND in Queensland.
4. Convenience (proximity of service
provision to residential location)
3. Revenue mix (proportion of
fundraising/ government/
commercial)
4. Efficiency
5. Employee and volunteer skill,
safety and engagement.
5. The level of unmet need of people
with MS/PND in Queensland.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 25
Looking ahead to 2020
Looking ahead to 2020, our goals and
long-term strategies include:
Goal 1 *orange text box white writing
High quality solutions for people living with
MS/Progressive Neurological Disease (PND) in Queensland
by raising the access, quality and geographic spread of
service solutions.
Long-term strategies (2020)
----------------------------------------------------------------------1.1 Becoming the first choice in Queensland across the
MS/PND lifecycle
1.2 Servicing Queensland equitably
1.3 Investing in e-health client technology.
The next three years: 2012–15
--------------------------------------------------------------------------1.1.1 Accurately understand the met and unmet needs of
people living with MS/PND in Queensland
1.1.2 Clearly articulate and update our service offerings
and capabilities for
people living with MS/PND in Queensland
1.1.3 Develop a unique value proposition for our areas of
work with people living with MS/PND in Queensland
1.1.4 Ensure MS Queensland clinical services are delivered
to world’s best practice standards
1.1.5 Raise awareness of available clinical service offerings
in key areas of the state
1.2.1 Establish permanent physical service hubs in Gold
Coast, Brisbane South and Brisbane North, Sunshine Coast,
Toowoomba, Rockhampton and Townsville
1.2.2 Develop specific outreach and facilitation servicing
models
1.3.1 Have a client information management system that
directly supports our work, drives service excellence and
enables strong advocacy.
26 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
Goal 2 *orange text box white writing
Societal, policy and sector reform that directly benefits our
clients through highly regarded and influential advocacy.
Goal 3*orange text box white writing
A strong, developing and sustainable organisation by
having excellent people, strong finances, efficient
processes and clever systems.
Long-term strategies (2020)
Long-term strategies (2020)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------2.1 Supporting and promoting cutting-edge MS research
2.2 Becoming the lead advocate for people living with PND
in Queensland; shaping government policy, public opinion
and influencing social change
2.3 Credibly reporting the impact of our work
2.4 Having a dominant brand presence in Queensland
2.5 Being the preferred partner of clients, state and local
government and a top three partner for donors and the
business community
2.6 Successfully operating a Queensland PND alliance
partner network.
----------------------------------------------------------------------3.1 Maximising the benefits of MS Queensland’s assets,
including its property holdings
3.2 Operating financially sustainable activities
3.3 Fundraising for service innovation and MS research
3.4 Being the most effective and efficient not-for-profit in
Queensland
3.5 Being the best employer and volunteer placement
option in our sector
3.6 Investing in systems and technology that support our
work
3.7 Reducing our impact on the environment.
The next three years: 2012–15
-------------------------------------------------------------------------2.1.1 Continually increase our financial contribution to MS
Research Australia (MSRA)
2.2.1 Establish and build relationships with key
Queensland influencers
2.2.2 Add-value to local and national development of the
NDIS
2.2.3 Encourage, support and harness grass-roots
advocacy (e.g. pwMS support and volunteers groups)
2.2.4 Deliver audience-specific communication to
government, the general public, corporates, supporters,
members and people with MS/PND
2.3.1 Develop our business intelligence capability
2.4.1 Significantly increase our brand awareness
2.5.1 Deepen our relationship with government
2.5.2 Build strategic partnerships with other organisations
and the wider business community
2.5.3 Measure and improve our partnering record based
on regular external feedback
2.6.1 Get a Queensland PND alliance partner network offthe-ground.
The next three years: 2012-15
----------------------------------------------------------------------------3.1.1 Develop a strategy for disposing, retaining and
acquiring MS Queensland property
3.1.2 Complete the Coorparoo development
3.1.3 Resolve the Dutton Park site use
3.2.1 Diversify fundraising revenue mix and configuration
3.2.2 Increase our share of government funding
3.2.3 Position MS Queensland for client servicing via
individualised fee-for-service, commercial and NDIS
arrangements
3.3.1 Begin to reconfigure fundraising towards service
innovation and research, particularly focusing on individual
and corporate donors
3.4.1 Raise operating efficiencies (to industry standard) of
corporate overhead, fundraising and service offerings
3.5.1 Build a leadership culture
3.5.2 Develop and implement a strategy to up-skill the MS
Queensland workforce in both soft and hard skills
3.5.3 Create market leading employee and volunteer
practices including conditions, skills development, rewards
and recognition
3.5.4 Create a single Enterprise Bargaining Agreement for
staff
3.5.5 Measure and improve staff and volunteer
engagement
3.5.6 Improve our Workplace Health and Safety
performance
3.6.1 Invest in back office technologies, systems and
processes that drive organisation performance
3.7.1 Reduce MS Queensland’s environmental impact.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 27
Start of green section My Story Image of Wendy Lovelace as the background with white textbox set on top
My Story
“We recognise Wendy for her work in championing advocacy and accessibility issues in the MS sphere. Being an
architect by trade, Wendy influences the building industry and the wider community. Empowering others and
championing the MS cause, she combines professional knowledge with lived experience and has become a powerful
advocate for the MS Society.”
Chairman of MS Queensland, Jonathan Loraine.
Wendy Lovelace was awarded our
2012 MS Heroes MS Champion Award
by the Governor of Queensland at
Government House at the World MS
Day Reception on 29 May 2012.
Wendy is another fantastic example
of the outstanding work that people
with MS do to help others within
the community and was nominated
as an MS Hero by Spinal Injuries
Association, where Wendy works as
a Design Compliance Officer. Like
many, Wendy holds numerous roles
in her busy life: architect; Step-by-step
architecture for access and advocacy;
Convenor of the Queensland Action
for Universal Housing Design
(QAUHD); MS Queensland Board
Member; MS Ambassador; Design
Compliance Advisor - Access Solutions
for the Spinal Injuries Association;
Accessibility Reference Group for
Queensland Rail and professional
speaker at forums.
Wendy first got involved in
championing accessibility issues when
she saw she could apply her expertise
and passion as an architect to consult
on the modification of MS
Queensland’s townhouses in Annerley
for people with high care needs within
an inclusive community. This was a
landmark project for MS Queensland
which Wendy is very proud to have
been an integral part of.
Not a day goes by without Wendy
acknowledging other areas of life
which aren’t perhaps as inclusive as
they could be. She is making daily
impact in the community by writing to
Councils and members of Parliament
and consulting with the building
industry, organisations, and
government to help them address
accessibility issues that will make a
huge difference to the community as
a whole.
Wendy admits she is always wearing
her “accessibility and advocacy
goggles.”
She says there are many instances of
people being “shut out of life”
because different levels of assistance
may not be available to them. This
year, Wendy addressed this issue in
her local suburb when she enabled a
continuous footpath that is frequently
used by all members of the
community; including people with
prams, people walking their dog,
the elderly and people with various
mobility issues. Wendy wrote to her
local Council about this lack of access
and due to her proactive, yet fairly
simple action of communicating with
her Local Council Member there is
now a footpath allowing access for all.
Wendy is true inspiration for all that
she does on behalf of people living
with MS. As per Wendy’s advice,
“anyone can make a difference; you
just have to do it.”
Our Performance
“...the establishment of the North Queensland
Regional office...is a very major achievement for
MS Queensland...To have a presence in the North
– is a really significant move forward in realising its
ambition to build the Society’s services network,
“to provide for the needs of people with MS in
Queensland, wherever they live and whatever
their condition”... It brings new levels of support
and service; it brings ‘hope’ to the more than 200
people living with MS in Townsville and the near
region and it brings a new personalised service to
the region not previously available.”
Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley AC, Governor of Queensland and
Patron, MS Queensland.
North and Far North Queensland Regional Office Official Opening, Townsville, April 2012.
Contents
30 | Meeting our strategic objectives
33 | Awards and achievements
34 | Revenue activities
38 | Our reach and service delivery
43 | Future service demand
44 | Sustainability and our social impact
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL report 29
Meeting our strategic objectives
During 2011–12 MS Queensland worked across a number of key strategic objectives in order
to deliver our mission to ‘be the first choice for MS information, education, treatment, care
and support across Queensland’. We measured our performance against these strategic
objectives and improved the lives of people living with MS in the
following ways:
1 Best practice performance
2 Promote MS Queensland as the
3 Service the state equitably.
in all core competency areas
including facilitating the delivery
of services.
service of first resort for people
with MS throughout all stages of
the MS lifecycle, rather than the
service of last resort.
• We successfully opened the first MS
Queensland office in North and Far
North Queensland to support more
than 200 people living with MS in the
region. This Regional Coordination
service was originally conducted
from the home of the RSC and has
resulted in much improved
efficiencies and support to this group
of the MS community.
• We developed a continuous plan of
regional visits for our Regional Service
Coordination team to ensure our
staff could respond to all MS clients
requiring assistance in their region.
During the year our RSC team, made
up of only six staff, spent 135
days travelling to regional parts of
Queensland and visited clients in 20
centres and towns across the State.
• We expanded our communication
channels accessible to regional clients
during the year to enable them to
access the information on MS they
need, when they need it. As a result,
engagement with our e-newsletter,
website, Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube channels have all increased.
• We invested in our people to deliver
excellence in care services for those
clients living in-residence and respite.
During the year, several Independent
Living Assistants (ILAs) completed a
Cert III and Cert IV in Disability and
several team leaders, our head cook,
and an administration officer
completed a Diploma of Management.
• We informed our staff of the latest
research and developing
contemporary drug therapies in MS.
We also kept abreast of the progress
towards understanding what causes
MS. To achieve this, our clinical staff
attended regular educational events
locally, within Australia and
internationally;
primarily funded by external parties.
• We provided clinical physiotherapy
placements for students from the
University of Queensland, Bond
and Griffith Universities. The
understanding they gain of MS
is essential to their professional
development and increases
awareness of neurological
physiotherapy. Our physiotherapy
staff also attended neurological
physiotherapy conferences, Bobath
workshops and vestibular
rehabilitation courses to keep in-line
with current evidence based
best practice.
• We delivered a new ‘Employment
and MS’ workshop program to
help those newly diagnosed know
their rights and responsibilities as an
employee, of their employer, and
services available to help provide
a safe, productive and supportive
workplace. In its first year the
program was delivered in eight
locations, benefiting 74 people
with MS.
• We delivered a new ‘Fatigue
Selfmanagement’ workshop program
to assist those newly diagnosed with
strategies to recognise fatigue and
minimise its impact on their day-today
lives. In its first year the program
was delivered in seven locations,
benefiting 54 people with MS.
• We commenced new ‘After-hours’
exercise programs to support those in
full-time employment and coping with
MS to build strength, balance and
their capacity to manage stress.
During the year we held programs in
yoga, pilates and aquatic exercise
which were very popular with our
clients.
30 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
4 Support clients in the
5 Effective use of technology
6 Provide an engaging, safe and
community to lead independent
and productive lives.
to deliver services.
positive workplace for staff
through effective leadership,
good systems, the right structure
and the necessary resources.
• We built upon our educational
workshop program tailored to people
with MS who are newly diagnosed. All
of our new programs – Employment
and MS, Fatigue Self-management,
Newly Diagnosed Information
Workshops and yoga, pilates and
aquatic exercise classes – have
successfully equipped people with
MS with a full understanding of their
disease, symptom recognition and
management and coping strategies to
remain engaged in their community.
• We enhanced resident engagement
at our Annerley Apartments, offering
an excellent model of care for eight
young people with MS. During the
year, these clients were given the
freedom and independence to control
parts of their lives – like shopping,
meals, entertainment choices and
community outings – while being
provided with the highest quality,
24-hour care by our staff.
• We invested in improving the
relevance and content of our
corporate website with the intention
of gaining funding for an improved
site in the future. The website
improvements resulted in 35,355
unique visitors over the year (average
of 2,946 unique visitors a month);
64.27% of these visitors were new
visitors.
• We moved our existing paper-based
Resource Centre online to our
website; reducing the number of
resources printed and distributed by
more than 6,600 in five months. The
website now features ‘downloads for
health care professionals’ and ‘general
information on MS’ and averages
more than 1,300 downloads a month.
• Towards the end of the year, we
secured a funding grant for $196,100
from Perpetual Trustees to deliver
new IT infrastructure and systems
for our Services team. Once
implemented, this IT solution will use
innovative service delivery methods,
such as mobile technology, to create
efficiencies and better engage our
client base. We will commence the
rollout of this technology project
during 2012–13.
• We conducted the first ‘Engaging
our People’ survey to measure the
satisfaction and engagement levels of
our people. This achieved an 83%
response rate with 54% of our staff
who responded believing that MS
Queensland is a Truly Great Place
to Work.
• We conducted an external
Workplace
Health and Safety (WH&S) audit to
determine the degree to which MS
Queensland complies with WH&S
legislative requirements and to
identify
areas of improvement in order to
reduce the risk of workplace injuries
and illnesses. MS Queensland focused
on, and successfully actioned, all
recommended actions in the six
month time frame stated in the Audit
plan. The process confirmed that the
WH&S Committee was operating
effectively.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 31
7 Support Multiple Sclerosis
8 Maintain and grow the
9 Maintain and grow our financial
Australia and Multiple Sclerosis
Research Australia national
activities, including research.
MS profile and brand in
Queensland.
capacity to fund our activities.
• We broadened our media focus to
gain an increase in positive media
• We supported the annual MS
coverage across Queensland. As a
Awareness Month ‘Kiss Goodbye to
result of these efforts, we doubled
MS’ campaign in May coordinated
our media presence and value from
by MSRA. This achieved more than
$1.1 million in 2010–11 to $2.3
$600,000 in fundraising revenue
million in 2011–12.
nationally for MS research this year.
• We broadened our acquisition
• We engaged other MS Societies
strategies in social and mainstream
during the breakthrough ‘ANZgene
research study’ release to share media media for our events program. As
a result we experienced an 18%
and press conference opportunities.
increase in MS event participation
This resulted in more than $209,000
across the expanded program in publicity in Queensland alone in
growing from 7,331 participants in
just one day.
2010–11 to 8,647 in 2011–12.
• We continued to fund the MS
Clinic at the Royal Women and
Brisbane’s Hospital despite losing key
funding arrangements. This is now
partly funded by MS Queensland’s
fundraising and community support.
During the year, we contributed more
than $400,000 in support of national
activities, including MS research.
32 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
• We trialled a new lottery program,
a once-a-year special Black Edition
Lottery, drawn on World MS Day.
This lottery was highly successful, sold
out in its first year and raised more
than $143,000 for MS Queensland.
• We set an aspirational target to
raise $700,000 in funds for the 2012
MS Brissie to the Bay bike ride.
Through our acquisition and
participant engagement strategies we
exceeded this target, raising $907,740
for people with MS. These additional
funds raised will go towards providing
further physiotherapy, counselling
and RSC contact with those newly
diagnosed with MS.
• We increased the overall
contribution raised by our marketing
and fundraising activities by 3.6%
including donations and bequests;
from $1.94 million in 2010–11 to
$2.01 million in 2011–12. This
resulted in an overall gross revenue
increase of 17% on the previous year,
excluding bequests received. We have
budgeted for a further 12% growth for
marketing and fundraising activities in
2012–13, excluding bequests.
Awards and achievements
Excellence in reporting
MS Queensland was pleased to be recognised as one of 10
finalists in the revenue $5 million to $30 million category
in the 2011 PwC Transparency Awards for the quality and
transparency of our reporting during 2010–11.
MS Queensland was also awarded a Bronze Award and
Finalist
in the Special Award – Communication at the 2012
Australasian
Reporting Awards.
Fundraising achievements
The 20th MS Brissie to the Bay bike ride was the Winner of
the
Special Event category at the Fundraising Institute of
Australia
(FIA’s) National Awards for Excellence in Fundraising in
2012.
Staff achievements
In December each year we recognise and reward those staff
members who have been employed by MS Queensland for a
significant period of time. During 2011–12 we recognised
the
following staff for their service:
5 years service Arita Ronan
Michael Blake
10 years service Craig Rowley
Dorothy May
Lois Jack
Michael Howcroft
Sarah Munroe
15 years service Garry Eveleigh
30 years service Cherryl Thorne
Safety Awards
In addition to the long-service awards, during 2011–12 we
initiated our own Safety Awards as part of Safe Work Week
2011. The awards recognise and celebrate employees who
make a significant contribution to improving safety
performance at MS Queensland. Two staff members,
Cherryl Thorne and Generoso Salingay from our Granston
Lodge facility were awarded this year and our
congratulations go to them.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 33
Revenue activities
Image of a plant growing
Public fundraising
How we raised our funds from the community
We rely hugely on community support to fund our mission to be
the first choice for MS information, education, treatment, care
and support across Queensland.
Our overall fundraising strategy is to connect the needs of
people living with MS in Queensland with those who have the
ability to support our work. We use a combination of personal
stories of people who have benefited from our services, as well as
researched facts about the disease and metrics on how successful
our services are in supporting people with MS. This strategy is
relatively simple to implement in a direct mail appeal letter, but
this year we focused on ensuring that our message was also
comprehensively communicated across our major
events. For example in the MS Brissie to the Bay bike ride we
shifted the focus from a ‘100km bike ride’ message to the ‘ride to
fight MS’. We also told numerous stories from our clients which
had a very positive reaction with our event participants, and as
seen below, contributed to some remarkable fundraising results.
During the year our total fundraising donations raised were
$2,852,000. Our supporters donate to us through our
quarterly appeals and newsletters, regular giving, through our
major and community run events, and also directly to our cause
outside of our official fundraising programs.
Fundraising donations
$3,000,000
Appeals and newsletter
$2,5000,000
Appeals and Newsletter
$2,000,000
Event Donations
Event Donations
Community Fundraising
Regular Giving
Community Fundraising
Regular giving
Bequests and
Donations
$1,500,000
$1000,000
$500,000
Bequest and Donations
$0
2012
34 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
2011
Event fundraising
Big Dinner Party
Our MS Queensland-run events continued to increase in
popularity and success during 2011–12. On the whole, our
event fundraising surplus grew by 34% compared to last
year, performing better than our target of 25% growth.
In its first year the Big Dinner Party program raised
donations of $89,835. While it didn’t quite reach our
proposed target of $160,000 our fundraising team is
confident that this event’s low-cost ‘dinner host’ formula
will become a key fundraising program for MS Queensland
in years to come.
As seen in the graph on page 34, donations that come in
through events are a crucial part of our overall fundraising
revenue. We credit our success this year to continued
investment in new participants and events, a highly skilled
and experienced event fundraising team and outstanding
participant engagement through cause-related
communications.
MS Men’s Lunch
Our annual corporate MS Men’s Lunch was profitable,
however was 33% down on budget due to fewer prize
sponsors and no growth in attendee numbers from the
previous year.
MS Brissie to the Bay bike ride
Community fundraising
The MS Brissie to the Bay bike ride is one of Brisbane’s
most popular cycling events, with 4,800 cyclists taking part
in the 2012 ride. This year’s ride in its 21st year smashed
all records, with $907,740 raised in donations which was
up 52% on last year’s total.
Many extraordinarily dedicated fundraisers throughout
Queensland contributed to the $157,816 in donations
raised through community-run events. However, the
cyclical nature of some events meant that we did not
achieve budget in this area.
MS Queensland event donation at a glance
MS Moonlight Walk
Event
Donations
Target
Over
The annual MS Moonlight Walk took place again in
October 2011 and was another huge success. We had
2,000 walkers take part in the event who together raised
$194,924 in donations which was up 43% on last year’s
total.
MS Brissie
to the Bay
$907,740
$700,000
$207,740
MS
Moonlight
Walk
MS
Swimathons
$194,924
$150,000
$44,924
$164,467
$130,000
$34,467
Big Dinner
Party
MS Men’s
Lunch
Community
Fundraising
$89,835
$160,000
($70,165)
$38,922
$60,000
($21,078)
$157,816
$207,000
($49,184)
Total
$1,553,704
$1,407,000
$146,704
MS Swimathons
Our new MS Swimathon events have begun to significantly
contribute to funding our vital work, particularly in
regional areas. This year’s swims in Cairns, Jindalee,
Redcliffe, the Gold Coast and Townsville together raised
$164,467 in donations. Thank you to all of our brilliant
community groups and pools who worked tirelessly for
such an amazing result.
During the year 2011-2012
Cartoon image of a bike 21st MS Brissie to the Bay raised
$907,740. 52% more than the 2011 ride.
Cartoon image of cap and goggles Regional MS
Swimathons raised $164,467 in donations from
five events.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 35
Donations and appeals
MS Queensland again ran four appeals in 2011–12 seeking
public support for our many service programs. These direct
mail campaigns are sent to current donors, to lapsed donors
and to prospective donors. Each campaign focuses on an
aspect of our mission and features the story of a person
living with MS that we support and receives a direct benefit
from our services. These programs take place at Easter, Tax,
Spring and Christmas.
This year we also launched our new special donor
newsletter, ‘Momentum’ that shares with our supporters
how their donations have been spent.
Income generated from appeals
PIE CHART OF TAX APPEAL SPLIT
Lotteries (Art Unions)
The ‘MS Limited Edition’ Art Union has been running for over
23 years. It remains one of the main sources of income for
our organisation. We run eight draws a year with amazing
prizes of luxury Mercedes-Benz vehicles, luxurious holidays
and other money-can’t-buy experiences. With only 8,000
tickets in each draw, this is one of the best odds lotteries in
Australia. For loyal supporters we also have two invitationonly draws a year called the ‘MS 300 Club’.
A major challenge is sourcing new customers. We launched a
new acquisition program this year called the ‘MS Black
Edition’ lottery. The draw was a sell-out success and drawn
on World MS Day 2012.
Lotteries
Ticket Sales
Expenses
SURPLUS
Actual
$3,924,498
($3,339,854)
$584,644
IMAGE OF A CAR
36 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
Budget
$3,642,339
($3,060,857)
$581,482
Variance
7.8%
9.1%
0.5%
8,647 people participated in MS events
154 people held community fundraisers for MS
Effective measures of success
All of our fundraising programs at MS Queensland are
reviewed upon completion each year to ensure they are
meeting three key criteria:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Integrity: Are we acting with honesty and integrity in
dealing with our donors, supporters and clients? We
ensure that we can justify all marketing claims and that the
donor’s wishes are met. It is also important that each
program treats our clients living with MS with
dignity and value.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Viability: Is the program making enough profit to justify
our investment? We have a thorough accounting process
that equates all costs with each activity to give a realistic
view of the program’s success. We ensure that
administration, IT and organizational costs are allocated to
each activity, along with staff time and direct
program costs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Innovation: Are we being as effective as possible in using
new technology and new ideas to effectively minimise
costs and maximise supporter experience? The fast
changing and competitive nature of the charity fundraising
industry drives us to maintain our relevance to new
supporters by industry-leading online initiatives for both
new and established programs.
Fundraising principles and standards
Our fundraising management staff are all members of the
Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA). As such, MS
Queensland is committed to maintaining ‘The Principles
and Standards of Fundraising Practice’ which are:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Honesty: act honestly and truthfully so that public trust is
protected and donors and beneficiaries are not misled.
Respect: act with respect for the dignity of their profession
and their organisation and with respect for the dignity of
donors and beneficiaries.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Integrity: act openly and with regard to their responsibility
for public trust. They shall disclose all actual or potential
conflicts of interest and avoid any appearance of ethical,
personal or professional misconduct.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Empathy: work in a way that promotes their purpose and
encourages others to use the same professional standards
and engagement. They shall value individual privacy,
freedom of choice, and diversity in all its forms.’
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Transparency: stimulate clear reports, about the work
they do, the way donations are managed and disbursed,
and cost and expenses, in an accurate and clear manner.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Further details can be found on their website
www.fia.org.au
Complaints policy
Any complaints that arise through our fundraising activities are treated seriously and are investigated by
the Manager of the specific program. Our policy is to respond to complaints within five working days. MS
Queensland maintains a complaints register for all marketing activity and measure our number of complaints
monthly to ensure they are at an acceptable level.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 37
Our reach and
service delivery
photo frame image
As the only service provider for people living with MS in
Queensland, we deliver a number of core services to the
community. With more than 1,900 registered clients dispersed
geographically throughout the State, our services need to be
adaptable, diverse and increasingly accessible.
During the year, demand for services from MS Queensland was
stronger than ever. We continued to remain relevant by further
expanding our programs for people living with MS.
We have a Service Agreement with the Department of
Communities to provide a particular range of services to
people living with MS in Queensland. The service delivery
requirements to receive this funding are broken down into
different service streams including long-term accommodation,
respite, case management, therapy and information
dissemination. Spending requirements for each service stream is
specified in the Service Agreement.
Our services and their performance during 2011–12 are
contained on pages 39 to 42 of this report.
38 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
Total
registered
Clients
397 pwMS
Brisbane
North
417 pwMS
Brisbane
South
In Queensland
413 pwMS
Sunshine
Coast and
Central
Queensland
149 pwMS
Far North
Queensland,
Townsville
and Cairns
321 pwMS
Logan and
Gold Coast
228 pwMS
South West
Queensland
And
Toowoomba
1,925
During 2011–12 our Regional Service
Coordination team made 6,107 client
contacts to people with MS across
Queensland – this is an increase of 15%
from the previous year and the most
significant increase in client contact in
recent years. Speech bubble
diagram of Geographic distribution of MS clients by RSC
area
Regional service delivery
Our Regional Service Coordinators (RSCs) are the first point
of call for Queenslanders living with MS, often a time when
they are scared and overwhelmed about the long-term
effects of the incurable disease. We work one-on-one with
our clients across their MS journey to facilitate the support
necessary to be able to live, work, participate in and get
the best out of life. A major achievement this year was the
opening of the North and Far North Queensland Office in
Townsville. We are now based across six regions and have
a physical presence in four locations to assist people with
MS on an ‘as needs’ basis:
Dutton Park
Servicing Brisbane North, Brisbane South, Logan and the
Gold Coast areas.
Maroochydore
Servicing Sunshine Coast and Central Queensland.
Toowoomba
Servicing Toowoomba and South West Queensland.
Townsville
Servicing Townsville, Cairns and Far North Queensland.
These numbers exclude the people living with MS in Queensland
receiving only immunotherapy nursing and information services
from MS Queensland.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 39
“
The Fatigue Self-management course run by MS Queensland was a huge help to me and came at a time when I was
getting nowhere fast. I spent a lot of time fighting my fatigue and, by not giving in, I was wasting a lot of precious energy
and time causing me a lot more stress than I realised. It opened my eyes to how totally unachievably I was chasing my
tail. Like a lot of people I needed permission to slow down and take stock. This course, among other things, gave me this
power to be kind to myself which has made me a much easier person to be around.” From a Fatigue Self-management
course participant, Toowoomba 2012.
Physiotherapy services
For any stage of MS, a consultation with a MS specialist
physiotherapist provides advice and strategies to minimise
current and future impacts of MS on day-to-day living.
Although MS can be progressive, improvements in quality
of life and independence can be made through
physiotherapy. MS Queensland delivers a range of quality
programs guided by the latest research and evidence to
keep people with MS active.
During 2011–12 our staff spent a significant amount of
time in regional communities we don’t service, to identify
accessible physiotherapy and exercise therapy services for
people living with MS. Regions include Dalby and Oakey,
Gatton, Esk and Laidley, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Kingaroy and
South Burnett, Toowoomba and Warwick and Stanthorpe.
We advise of the availability of these services via our
website and encourage people with MS to access them
directly through the service provider. It is planned for
more services in regional Queensland to be listed and
made accessible to our clients in the future.
MS Queensland also provides in-house physiotherapy and
exercise therapy sessions, often at no charge to people
living with MS at Brisbane (Dutton Park), Brisbane North
(Chermside), Cairns, Gold Coast (Helensvale, Palm Beach
and Robina), Redcliffe and Toowoomba.
We attribute our 2012 physiotherapy and exercise
therapy figures to the following strategies:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Our new Adapted Physical Activity Program (APAP)
delivered at Dutton Park provided a further 1,200
occasions of service.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Our Open Gym program, where clients use our facilities
and equipment unaided, provided an additional 768
occasions of service.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------During the year we placed a strong focus on program
development and outcome measures development against
current evidence.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------We developed a number of new programs including those
for the newly diagnosed and after-hours classes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------We spent significant time on physiotherapy and exercise
therapy professional development for staff.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------We ensured our staff took appropriate levels of annual
leave which had not happened in previous years.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------We deployed our staff outside of Brisbane to develop the
regional/rural service provider identification program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------We undertook further physiotherapy student clinical
placement programs which required our staff supervision,
resources and time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Our regional physiotherapy and exercise therapy programs
were appropriately supervised by our staff to ensure
competency of practice and efficacy of the program
delivery.
During the year 2011-12
Cartoon image of people Our RSC team made 6,107
client contacts to people with MS – an
increase of 15% from the previous
year.
40 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
Cartoon image of two hands I Our Physiotherapy
Department: Delivered 4,922 occasions of
physiotherapy. Provided 3,506 occasions of
exercise therapy.
We answered 2,297 enquiries from the community
Immunotherapy nursing support
Most treatments for MS are given via an injection into the
body, often daily. Our specialist MS Nurses provide
instruction and advice to make this often difficult and
daunting experience easier for people living with MS. MS
Nurses now cover the entire state for training and support
of people’s prescribed immunotherapy medications and
travel often to deliver this personalised service.
During 2011–12 our immunotherapy nursing support
team:
• Provided immunotherapy training and support to 260
people
with MS across Queensland.
Info Line
We offer an Info Line (1800 177 591) where anyone can
access up-to-date, useful information on MS and can
conveniently find answers in one place; whether they are
newly diagnosed with MS, a carer, family member, or
someone from the public with an interest in the disease.
During 2011–12 our Info Line team:
• Answered 2,297 enquiries from the community.
• Distributed more than 20,000 resources on MS-related
information.
• Facilitated more than 1,300 downloads from our online
resource centre from our website each month.
Education and information sessions
When a person is diagnosed with MS there is a lot of
information to take in. Our education and information
programs arm people with MS and their families with the
information and tools to be able to participate in, and
enjoy life, as best they can. Sessions are held across the
State covering a range of topics including updates on
current research, treatments and disease management,
exercise and fatigue as well as information
specifically for people newly diagnosed with MS.
During 2011–12 our education and information team:
• Held sessions attended by 641 participants made up of
clients, family members and carers, health professionals
and community support professionals.
• Held 43 educational and information events around the
State for those newly diagnosed with MS.
• Held seven ‘Fatigue Self-management’ workshops in
Ipswich Gold Coast, Chermside, Toowoomba, Mount
Gravatt, Sunnybank Hills and Cairns.
• Held eight ‘Employment with MS’ workshops in Ipswich,
Springwood, Gold Coast, Bundaberg, Toowoomba,
Chermside, Sunshine Coast and Townsville.
Cartoon image of a house Our Granston Lodge team
provided long-term accommodation and respite
accommodation equating to 7,446
occupied bed days.
Our Annerley Apartments team
benefited 10 people living with MS with high-care
needs, providing 24-hour care equating to
2,044 occupied bed days.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 41
Accommodation services
For people developing severe MS symptoms, the idea of
becoming dependent on others or feeling isolated from
‘normal’ society can be very daunting. Often those
disabled due to their MS want to maintain their
independence as much as possible and be free to
participate In life as any other person would. To
support these individuals, we offer twoaccommodation
facilities.
Granston Lodge
Our primary care facility, Granston Lodge, was opened in 1974
by the then Deputy Premier and Treasurer of Queensland, Hon
Sir Gordon Chalk. In its early days
Granston Lodge accommodated 24 people living with MS and
provided an additional eight respite beds. Today, Granston
Lodge provides residential accommodation for
16 people with MS and has eight beds for planned or crisis
respite, which helps keep many Queenslanders out of nursing
homes.
Annerley Apartments
Annerley Apartments is a community-based living model of four
modern townhouses that caters up to eight people living with
MS requiring 24-hour care. Built in Annerley,
the Annerley Apartments encourages independence and
community involvement. Each townhouse accommodates two
people with MS and operates with its own individual routine and
life rhythm, thereby reducing the risk of institutional practices
developing.
Since its inception, the Annerley Apartments has been praised as
an outstanding
independent living initiative by the Department of Communities
and the National Alliance
of Young People in Nursing Homes. Facing a future with a
disability can often be a
devastating reality and the Annerley Apartments provides an
environment where people
with MS can live as independently as they please.
Respite services
Sometimes MS progresses in a person to the point where
they can no longer look after themselves and can become
totally dependent on others.We make sure that their
carers can sometimes get a break. We offer respite and
emergency respite at Granston Lodge and at a property on
the Gold Coast, McKinnon House.
Organisational services
McKinnon House
McKinnon House is a specially-modified property located in
Runaway Bay on the northern end of the Gold Coast. This
peaceful retreat is offered to people with MS
and other degenerative neurological conditions in need of
respite. The waterfront home has six-bedrooms and fourbathrooms, accommodating up to 10 people for
short stays. Whether fishing from the private jetty or watching
the sun rise over the Broadwater, this is an ideal spot for families
with a person living with MS to overcome
the stresses of living with a disability.
Dutton Park Headquarters
Our main service delivery centre, as well as our operations and
marketing teams, operate from our State Headquarters at
Dutton Park in Brisbane. On this site sits two Queenslander-style
properties, the MS Op Shop and the residential accommodation
facility Granston Lodge. Staff at our State Headquarters provide
management
and support services to our staff across the State including IT,
finance, media and
communications, human resources, marketing, donor relations,
advocacy and
administrative support.
Future service demand
Planning to fulfil MS Queensland’s future service demand was a key focus during 2011-12. We identified three
primary areas for future service demand for MS Queensland:
In-home respite
There is a growing need to provide
more residential respite
accommodation beyond where our
current service delivery capacity sits.
We envisage this will be a
combination of more respite
accommodation in MS Queensland
facilities (e.g. Granston Lodge) and
flexible in-home personal care. In
order to meet this demand, it will
require further funding and careful
planning and implementation.
Localised
physiotherapy
and exercise
programs
It is a reality that MS Queensland
cannot be in all places in Queensland
at one time. As highlighted on page 40
of this report, we feel it’s important
to further provide linkages of localised
physiotherapy and exercise therapy
programs across Queensland to our
clients. Unfortunately, MS
Queensland does not have the
financial backing or human resources
and staff capacity to provide these
essential services in all parts of the
State. In the future we must continue
to source appropriate,
skilled service providers that we feel
comfortable in referring our clients to
across Queensland.
Growing our
educational
events program
Our current education and
information programs have seen a
significant increasein the number of
events held in regional Queensland
locations during 2011–12. We
see that this need will further
increase; equipping people with MS
with the right information at the right
time in their MS journey, in order to
give them the power and
independence to better manage their
lives. We will achieve this by listening
to our clients and ensuring our
programs cover the community
and social aspects of their lives that
are critical to their emotional and
financial well-being and how to
remain active in employment with
MS.
MS Queensland will focus on these future service demand concerns and develop appropriate funding models in order to
provide these programs against our new 2020 Strategic Plan.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 43S
Sustainability and our social impact
MS Queensland is committed to meet
and exceed community expectations
and standards, through its management
and control of environmental issues.
We achieve this through the ongoing
development of systems, adoption of
new technology, and dissemination
of information as appropriate to all
employees, sub-contractors and
contractors.
MS Queensland’s environmental commitment
The 2020 Strategic Plan records MS Queensland’s
commitment to minimising our environmental footprint.
This commitment has been evident in 2011–12 through
the following initiatives:
1 The use of water tanks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Installation of solar panels to all buildings on the Dutton
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Park site, Annerley site and McKinnon House respite
accommodation on the Gold Coast.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 A default process to double-sided printing across the
organisation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Implementation of energy efficient printers and copiers
throughout the organisation and commencement of a
program to update all computer equipment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 An active recycling program to reduce paper and waste.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 Commencement of a program to replace our current
motor vehicle fleet with more fuel efficient vehicles.
Image of a plant in the background
44 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
3 photoframe images
Environmental policy and procedures
During 2011–12 MS Queensland developed a draft
environmental policy and procedures. Our commitment to
sustainability will be demonstrated by the:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Integration of environmental requirements within all aspects of MS
Queensland operations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Identification, assessment and monitoring of environmental
requirements.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Establishment, documentation and maintenance of procedures for the
management of environmental safeguards within the workplace.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dissemination of environmental information where appropriate.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Reporting of environmental incidents and the immediate and effective
responses to such incidents.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Provision of appropriate personal protective equipment along
with training in its use for timely deployment in the event of
incident.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We will achieve these goals in 2012–13 through continued
compliance with all relevant environmental legislation and in
conjunction with the ongoing development, implementation,
monitoring and review of environmental management systems.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 45
Yellow section My Story image in the background text overlay
“Steve, my husband first and my carer second,
provides me with the support I need to live
my life to the fullest. He reminds
me every day that I am a
special person to him and our children
and that my MS diagnosis has not changed that.
He truly is my hero.”
Stephen Rayward
2012 Carer of the Year and 2012 MS Hero Champion Award – Highly Commended
Carers for people with MS perform an
important, but often difficult role.
They face a variety of challenges and
issues, and often put their own
aspirations aside to better care for a
family member or loved one living
with MS. For MS Queensland,
celebrating the role of carers is an
important priority. Each year we
award a Carer of the Year to
acknowledge the contribution all
carers so selflessly make. This year
we recognise Stephen Rayward from
Cotswold Hills near Toowoomba, who
has been caring for his wife with MS,
Diana, full-time for the past six years.
for nearly 33 years. But when Diana
had a few falls while home alone in
2007, Stephen decided to give up his
work to become Diana’s full-time
carer.
When Stephen’s wife Diana was
diagnosed with relapsing-remitting
MS in 2006 after suffering balance,
fatigue and heat concerns, her life
changed completely. The couple have
been married for 31 years and at the
time of Diana’s diagnosis, Stephen had
been working for the Department of
Defence
In her six years living with MS, Diana
has had three MS ‘episodes’ where
she lost complete mobility in her arms
and legs; once for ten days. Stephen
cared for Diana 24-hours a day during
these times and was always there for
her. “Mornings with my MS are the
most difficult for me, but every
morning, without fail, my darling
husband brings
Diana said “it seemed like my world
had come to an end and I was forced
to take early retirement from my
high profile position as Executive
Assistant to the Mayor and CEO at
Jondaryan Council. Steve found that
more difficult to deal with than his
own early retirement, as he felt I had
been ‘robbed’ of the dream of finally
reaching the height of my profession.”
me a cup of tea – sometimes two –
before I get up and shower … I am
always grateful for his patience and
perseverance with me,” Diana said.
As it does with everyone, MS has
made a large impact on Diana’s life,
but Stephen has made each day easier
for her. Diana takes part in a weekly
sewing group to keep her fine motor
skills and memory up, and the couple
travel to a Queensland homestead,
Nairana, for four to six weeks each
year for a much deserved break
together.
To further support the MS community
Stephen has spent two years as
the Treasurer of the People with
MS (pwMS) Support Group in
Toowoomba. Stephen sees the group
as “another thing he can do” for his
wife and a way to give back to others
also living with the disease. “MS does
change your life but you just need to
learn to adapt and overcome.”
Meeting the Need
“
… MS Queensland has been at the forefront of
advocacy and awareness efforts world-wide, leading
the way with a host of imaginative, well-targeted
initiatives, campaigns and strategies as it has done in
all the other key areas that preoccupy its members,
and are the focus of the society’s activities: the
provision of accurate and timely information for
people with MS, their family, friends and healthcare
providers; the facilitation of provision of equitable,
high-quality and specialised services for the benefit
of people with MS; the promotion of research and,
of course, the perennial challenge for all non-profit
organisations – fundraising!”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley AC,
Governor of Queensland and Patron, MS Queensland.
Contents
48 | Communicating our work
50 | Our stakeholders
53 | Advocacy
54 | Strategic alliances
55 | Our volunteers
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL report 47
Communicating our work
During the year we achieved a larger
media presence than ever before by
refreshing the ways we communicate our
work and the MS cause in the media and
broader community. The introduction
of a new CEO to MS Queensland
brought with it an increased focus on staff
engagement and communication.
Communication
Whatever stage of the disease a person living with MS is
experiencing, they have many questions. A key area of
focus for MS Queensland during 2011–12 was the delivery
of accurate and up-to-date information about the disease,
treatments, management of symptoms and available
support services. We achieved this successfully in a
number of ways; from empowering our staff with the
information they need through our staff Intranet and
internal communication initiatives to using
our public website and social media channels to help
spread information on MS throughout the wider
community.
The MS Queensland website www.msqld.org continued to
serve as a central portal for people seeking to learn more
about MS. Whether newly diagnosed, a person or friend of
someone with MS, or a member of the general public,
there is a wealth of information available via this website.
In 2011–12 this site saw 35,355 unique visitors (average
2,946 visitors a month) which is an increase from the
previous year. During 2011–12 we also moved our
resources for ‘General Information on MS’ and ‘Health
Professionals’ online via the website and saw a large
increase in the number of resources downloads as a result.
Our premier magazine ‘MS Life’ acts as an important
communications tool to allow our organisation to
distribute relevant content to people living with MS and
their families and carers. The MS Life publication facilitates
MS Queensland’s overall objective of information sharing.
MS Life is distributed to more than 3,200 readers each
quarter by mail. The publication is also sent electronically
to a further
48 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
1,000 readers and is available for download via our
website. The publication covers a diverse range of topics
from MS Queensland news and upcoming MS events to
lifestyle and latest developments in MS research.
Traditionally targeting a wide audience, during 2011–12
we made the decision to split the readership of MS Life in
two; one publication for clients ‘MS Life’ and one
publication solely for donors and corporate supporters
called ‘Momentum’. This move was received very well by
all stakeholders and allows MS Queensland to more
specifically target our donor group about the impacts of
MS without affecting those who are newly diagnosed with
the disease.
Additional initiatives like our free monthly e-newsletter
‘MS Insight’ which provides information on the latest
research and studies on MS from around the world, has
enabled us to reach more people across the state, more
regularly. During 2011–12 more than 170 people
subscribed to this e-newsletter via our website, taking the
total distribution to more than 2,200 people.
Effectively communicating the activities and achievements
of the organisation is a key priority. MS Queensland is
committed to remaining open, transparent and inclusive.
In late 2012 we are planning to hold our first Annual
Conference to further enhance communication with our
supporters and stakeholders.
456 Mentions in the media
$2.3 Million achieved in publicity
Media
Media, like people with MS, have many questions. While
MS Australia nationally enjoys strong brand recognition in
the community, the extent of knowledge about multiple
sclerosis itself is still low. Newspoll testing showed unaided
awareness of MS Queensland as 6.5% (an increase from
6.1% the previous year). Nationally however, MS Australia
ranked fourth in the not-for-profit sector ahead of World
Vision and the Leukaemia Foundation.
To improve our brand recognition in the community,
engagement with the media is a key focus. During the past
year MS Queensland spent time reviewing its strategy for
public relations. By sharing the experiences and personal
stories of people with MS in the media, we were more
effective in raising awareness of MS and what it means to
live with this mystery condition. This strategy was targeted
at particular media outlets and proved very successful.
Over 2011–12 more than $2.3 million worth of positive
publicity for MS Queensland was achieved by our
dedicated Media and Communications Manager - reaching
more than 46 million potential readers (an increase of
99.8% from the previous year). A number of important
issues were highlighted in media outlets across the state –
and indeed, across Australia. More than $242,000 in media
coverage alone was achieved for MS Awareness Month
and World MS Day in May across metropolitan and
regional newspapers, radio and national television. Other
positive media coverage highlighted MS and Vitamin D
studies, the MS Moonlight Walk, MS Brissie to the
Bay bike ride, MS Swimathons, new programs like Big
Dinner Party and the announcement of the ANZgene MS
research study results during the year.
MS Queensland is committed to servicing the state
equitably and this also rings true for our media reach. We
focused heavily on distributing information through
regional and rural media particularly for the MS
Swimathon program held in Cairns and Townsville this
year. During 2011–12, media outlets from Cairns to the
Sunshine Coast and west to Warwick have profiled issues
relating to MS. Overall, the organisation achieved more
than $665,000 in ‘general awareness’ media and featured
in 155 stories across Queensland.
Media Results
Total media hits
Frequency of
media hits
Total television
Total radio
Total
print/magazine
Total online
Publicity value
FY 2011-12
456
Every 0.9 days
FY 2010-11
227
Every 3.8 days
59
97
244
21
34
155
56
$2,362,153.47
17
$1,182,164.35
The result of this media presence is far-reaching. As well as
educating the public, it has potential to encourage
donations and wider support of the organisation. This in
turn allows MS Queensland to be able to maintain and
grow the services we provide for people with MS.
Social media
During the year we dedicated a lot of time and resources
into our social media strategy through the use of
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Across our Facebook
pages we had 10,525 likes from the MS community and
engaged them through sharing relevant research updates,
MS Queensland information and education events,
symptom surveys and details on our publications. Due to
the nature of Twitter, our following has had less of an
impact than Facebook but saw some growth, with
more than 550 followers as of 30 June 2012.
Our greatest success this year was through our YouTube
channel. Our strategy was to generate greater awareness
about MS worldwide and how it affects each person
differently. During the year we released six ‘MS Stories’
videos featuring people living with MS at different ages
and stages of the disease. The result of this campaign was
more than 15,000 hits in the first six months; an
unprecedented result when compared to our previous
campaigns. During 2012–13 we plan to release up
to four more MS Stories videos focusing on how our
services directly improve people’s lives.
To join our online social community, visit our social media
sites:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/msqld
Twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/msqld
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/MSAustraliaQ
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 49
Our stakeholders
MS Queensland relies on the generous support of a number of external stakeholder groups in order to help
support people living with MS. Broadly our stakeholders groups include:
Private donors
Volunteers
Corporate donors
Corporate partners
Local, State and Federal government
Suppliers
Disability Services Queensland
Consultants
Bequest donors
Auditors
Personal and corporate fundraisers
Lottery customers
Unions
Volunteer Directors
Other charitable organisations
Universities
Staff
Media
It is because of this support that we are able to fund important client programs and operate fundraising events that
raise money to deliver MS services that nobody else in Queensland currently provides.
50 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
“I don’t have a personal connection to MS but I just know it is a very worthy cause
and one I am happy to support in any way I can. I was stoked every time I received a
donation! I enjoyed the ride immensely and the sense of achievement in what you’re
doing for MS sufferers is amazing. Will definitely be back next year...perhaps dressed
up so that I can get more sponsors.” Michael DeMarco, MS Brissy to the Bay participant.
Top Fundraisers
We thank the following fundraisers who raised in excess of $1,000 for MS Queensland during 2011–12:
Freya Aaskov
Stephan Adams
George Ahlatis
Gary Allen
Reid Arkinstall
Al Armstrong
Katelyn Aslett
Phil Atherton
Susan Austin
Matt Baird
Michael Baker
Lucielle Barletta
Adam Barrett
Alan Bartlett
Steve Bayliss
Jeannine Bayne
Tony Bedford
Sina Beiraghi
Michael Bell
Angela Bellas
Paul Bertsos
Alexandra Betheras
Daniel Billiau
Luke Billiau
Mads Bladt
Phil Blair
Anthony Bonser
Anthony Bourke
Lorraine Bradley
Stevie Brady
Simon Broadley
Cheryl Brodribb
Nathan Brown
Paul Brunnen
Tania Burchill
Adrian Burgess
Rebekah Busstra
Isabel Byrne
Andrew Caesar
Bernie Caffery
Kelly Candelaria
Hamish Carlyle
Lily Carlyle
Cheryl Cartwright
Bernadette Chapman
Monica Chilcott
Peter Choy
Gordon Collison
Tim Coltzau
Anthony Conias
Megan Conlon
Peter Connor
Jacob Cooney
Martin Corkery
Joe Cox
Kimberley Crebbin
Brian Cronin
Lawrence Daniels
Andrew Davies
Dean Davies
Aidan Davis
Sarah De Luca
Michael De Marco
Terry Dennehy
Nicole Dewing
Mike Dibble
Rod Dixon
Alicia Dolan
Gillie Donovan
Thomas Dowden
Kim Dowling
Brett Doyle
Amalia Drakos
Guy Dugdale
Darren Dunbar
Mark Dutton
Matt Eastman
Roberta Edmeades
Brett Elder
Scott Ellis
Trevor Emerson
Kerry Evans
Sophie Evans
Don Farquharson
Emily Farrell
David Fearn
Sheree Feldman
Shaun Ferris
Malcolm Fisher
Paul Flanders
Lee Forrest
Neil Forsyth
David Foullie
Michael Fovakis
Michael Fritschi
Joanne Frost
Luke Frost
Sally Fuller
Nicole Gallagher
Michael Gangemi
Georgie Gardener
Paul Gatrell
Lawrence Gibbs
Nicole Gibson
Edwina Gilbert
Madeline Glegg
Robert Gordon
Adrian Gornall
Dean Gradidge
Frank Grainer
Paul Guard
James Gudgin
Peter Gurr
Jack Hare
Shayli Harris
David Harrison
Tracey Hart
David Hauville
Wendy Hayden
Greg Hefferan
Margaret Hegarty
Chris Herford
Matthew Hickey
Elizabeth Hipwell
David Hodgson
Maria Hosking
Eloise Houghton
Kevin Howard
Brenton Huxham
Mark James
Peter Jamieson
Steve Kavanagh
Wayne Keath
Caren Kennewell
Patrica Kerr
Siobhan Ketter
Mike Kidwell
Brydie King-Foullie
Alison Kunz
Sascha Kurz
Thomas Lamb
Tommy Laskaris
Sarah Leuenberger
Vernon Lewis
Giovanni Lobartolo
Jonathan Loraine
Wendy Lovelace
Craig Lowndes
Graham J Lubach
Orlando Lucchesi
Matthew Mackelden
Donald Mackenzie
Bob Magee
Graham Maher
Dan Mallah
Russell Mann
Alyssa Martin
Alison Martineau
Anthony Masselos
Peter Mathews
Rachel Matthews
Sashi Maturu
Kate McCaffrey
Graham McCallum
Lara McDonald
Michelle McDonaugh
Phillip McKee
Gordon McKenna
Graham McKenzie
Kate McQueeney
Alexandra McVay
Christy Mellifont
Evie Metcalfe
Nicki Milios
Disco Miller
Nigel Miller
Kyron Mills
Tim Mills
Guy Mitchell
James Mitchell
Jane Moharich
Samantha Monroe
David Moody
Catherine Moon
Cassie Moore
Philip Moore
Dimitrios Morfoulis
Magda Mossop
Paul Mountney
Chris Murfin
Michaela Murray
Peta Murray
Paul Myers
Phillip Nearhos
Janine Nicolson
Steve Nielsen
Chris Nothling
Heather Nucifora
John O’Dempsey
Bruce Ollason
Tim O’Maley
Josh Paffey
Vaughn Pappin
Eileen Paterson
Stephen Peach
Sarah-Jane Peake
Jenny Pearson
Matthew Pegg
Robert Phillimore
Simon Phillips
Alastair Pinkard
John Piper
Troy Pitt
Andy Platt
Neil Pond
Josie Potter
Keith Pringle
Sylvia Pringle
Scott Pye
Nadine Rabu
Kylie Rayner
Bianca Richmond
Leiza Richmond
Paul Roberson
Steve Robertson
Rebecca Rooney
Peter Rose
Des Sakkas
Alan Savin
Geoff Scahill
Brian Schech
Lauren Scott
Geoff Sharpe
Nicole Shenko
Nicole Sims
Tim Skipper
Taso Skourmallas
Hayden Small
Scott Smith
Tim Smith
Ben Smith-Stubbs
Kerry Stewart
Brendan Stone
Rosemary Symonds
Kathryn Tassell
Rebecca Tassell
Matt Taylor
Michael Taylor
Wbd Team
John Terry
Nathan Tessmann
Karen Thorburn
Dean Tierney
Michael Trott
Peter Turnbull
Penny Turner
Sophie Walsh
Stephen Walsh
Jessica Welch
Hannah West
Michelle West
Jamie Whincup
Christine White
Krystin Whitten
Pieter Wilken
Emma Williams
Tony Williams
Campbell Willis
Rebecca Willox
Chris Wilson
David Wilson
Ian Wilson
Jenny Wilson
Khylie Wood
Richard Woolford
Ian Wright
Brian Yep
Michael Youl
Alicia Young
Stevie Zakos
Nick Zervos
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 51
$2.8 M was donated by our supporters cartoon image of a hand reaching out
Top Donors
We acknowledge the following top
donors, trusts and foundations who
have given over the last year.
Corporate partners and organisations
The following organisations have
provided support and/or sponsorship
to MS Queensland during the year.
Ms Ebony Allum
Mr R Barber
Mr Don Battams
Ms Jan Beardsau
John & Marie Bergin Charitable Trust
Ms P K Bird
Gladys Myrtle Brown Charitable Trust
Bruce Thomas Lawyers
Dr G P Bryant
Mr Kenneth N Chadwick
Coopers Brewery Foundation
J & T Daley Charitable Trust
R V & D E Davies
Mr Jack Eernisse
Mrs J M Ellwood
C W & J A Farmer
Flannery Foundation Pty Ltd
Fraser Foundation
Gambling Community Benefit Fund
Mr Joe Gatto
Mrs Deborah Gill
Mr S Greedy
Mr D R Harwood
Ms Kay Hawley
Mr Lincoln Hopper
Ms A M Jones
Mr D & Mrs J Jones
James N Kirby Foundation
Mr Rohan McCaul
Dr Mark Musgrave
Ms Jennifer M Muspratt
Mr Michael Paris
J C Pascoe
Mr H W Petrie
Miss I Petrie
Reuben Pelerman Benevolent Foundation
Mrs Norma Robertson
Shorebrook Pty Ltd
Mr Neil Skinner
Ms H M Stabler
Mr D A Stanton
The Hart Family Perpetual Trust
The James N Kirby Foundation Ltd
The John Villiers Trust
The Vinia Buchanan Memorial Trust
The Walter & Eliza Hall Trust
Dr E G Truscott
Mr Arthur Waring
Miss C A White
Youngcare Limited
Dr Felice Zaccari
AIQS
Baulderstone Pty Ltd Qld
Australian Bananas
Carman’s
Coorparoo State School
Designbylook
Enerflex Ltd
Evans & Peck
Goldcross Cycles
Gu Energy Gel
Hastings Deering (Aust) Ltd
J J Richards & Sons Pty Ltd
J2 Ideas and Events
KPMG
Lyndhurst Early Learning Centre
Macquarie Group Foundation
Master Engravers
McCullough Robertson
McNeilage and Associates
Mercedes-Benz Gold Coast
Merthyr Bowls Club
Monadelphous
Neuchatel Partners
Perpetual Trustees
Pradella Group
PwC Australia
Queensland Academy for Creative Industries
Quest Newspapers
Radio 4BH
Radio 97.3FM
Scody
Screen Offset Printing
Smart Comm
Solaris Investment Management Limited
St Margarets Anglican Girls School
St Philips Girls Boarding
Sunsuper
Switch Creative
The Combined Kingaroy Choirs
Thiess
Thomas Direct
Vodafone
Wow Sight And Sound
XLX
Xstrata Queensland Limited
52 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
Bequests
A Will gives people the opportunity to
leave a very special gift to
organisations they admire, or which
have played an important part in their
life. This type of gift, known as a
bequest, is the ultimate expression of
generosity. We acknowledge the kind
support of the following estates.
Estate of Kenneth G & Edith Anderson
Estate of H J Baker
Estate of Catherine E Carter
Estate of A & P E M Coulson
Estate of Peter David Ferguson
Estate of Edgar B C Harding
Estate of James Hugh Hoey
Estate of Ruby Norma Mahaffey
Estate of Maureen Marsh
Estate of Florence Agnes Todd
Estate of Fay Howard Ussher
Estate of Anthony L R Weston
Estate of Edward Thomas Wootton
“This year was the second year we
partnered with MS Queensland for
their annual MS Brissie to the Bay
event. Our experience of working
together has been nothing short of
fantastic and the team are extremely
professional. The passion that MS
Queensland has displayed for their
cause, the sport of cycling, and the
enjoyment of all participants is first
class.”
Josh Weier, Senior Marketing
Coordinator, Goldcross Cycles.
Advocacy *yellow background white text
During the year we saw a growth in advocacy, continuing
to work with MS Australia across Federal Policy issues. In
Queensland, significant changes took place in State
politics. Maintaining bipartisan relationships across all
levels of Government, we continued to work with the
Labor Government and new LNP Government after the
Queensland State election in March 2012, followed by
local Council elections in April 2012.
At a grassroots level, we have been working with the MS
community and in partnership with other disability groups
particularly, to achieve a National Disability Insurance
Scheme (NDIS) in Queensland; detailed further on page 17
of this report.
MS Queensland has also continued to share information
on high energy use, for people living with MS and other
medical conditions, due to an inability to control their
body temperature. Ongoing advocacy and engagement
with the new Energy Minister has continued and we were
represented at the Energy Ministers Consumer and
Retailer Reference Group meeting. In this role we ensured
key issues were tabled and acknowledged by the
Government regarding increasing energy prices and their
impact on people living with MS.
Our advocacy role not only exists to improve policy
outcomes for people with MS, but also to look holistically
at how their needs can be met, how they can live
positively, and how they can self-advocate for issues that
affect their lives. Indeed we understand the strong
relationships held with elected members of Government,
particularly for people living in regional Queensland,
and the fantastic results that have been achieved in
showing how Government decisions directly impact upon
people’s lives.
We work to raise awareness of the key issues facing
people with MS. Our goal is to advocate, educate and
provide information to all levels of Government, the
community, corporations and stakeholders; providing
both systemic advocacy and individual advocacy on
behalf of people living with MS.
with MS to identify information and services needed to
enable them to live, work, participate in, and enjoy life.
Our RSCs have extensive knowledge of services available in
the community, and if necessary, advocate for our clients
on their behalf to ensure their needs are met. These
include issues relating to maintaining independence,
employment concerns and the effect of MS on
family and loved ones.
If a person’s MS needs are not known, nothing can be
done to assist. This is why gathering as ‘one voice’ on
shared issues is so important; as we’ve achieved with the
Medical Heating and Cooling Electricity Rebate, raising
employment retention issues
with all levels of Government and stakeholders, joining
with the disability community at the NDIS Rally, and
participating in disability conferences and meetings to
ensure people with MS are heard.
We look forward to continuing to make a difference on
behalf of people with MS in 2012–13 and having the
community join us to achieve our goals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
“... 80% of persons diagnosed with MS become
unemployed within ten years of diagnosis, a
deeply troubling figure considering the age of many of
those diagnosed, the reserve of skills they represent in a
community plagued by skills shortages, and the fact, that
with understanding and adjustments in workplaces and
on the part of employers, many could continue to be
highly productive members of our workforce.”
Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley AC, Governor of
Queensland and Patron, MS Queensland.
Our Regional Service Coordinators (RSCs) are another
valuable source of advocacy support for people living with
MS. As the first point of contact for our clients, our RSCs
support people
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 53
Strategic alliances
In addition to our important stakeholders,
MS Queensland develops strategic
alliances to help achieve our mission
and values. In 2011–12 we aimed to
strengthen and further develop these
strategic relationships and build further
strategic alliances with like-minded
organisations. As a result, we currently
have strong alliances with the following
organisations:
MS Australia
MS Australia is the national body for MS in Australia and
strives for a world without multiple sclerosis through
quality research and for service excellence to people with
MS and their carers. We work closely with MS Australia to
enhance the quality of life of people with MS and reduce
the impact of MS on the families and carers of those with
MS. We also assist in enabling MS Australia increase its
role as a leading not-for-profit organization and a
preferred charity in Australia for community and corporate
support. We do this by supporting national activities and
media campaigns at a Queensland level. In addition, our
Chairman and Deputy Chairman of our Board also act as
Directors on the MS Australia Board.
MS Research Australia
MS Research Australia aims to accelerate progress towards
finding a cause and cure for multiple sclerosis. This body
was established by state MS Societies to fund and
coordinate Australian research on behalf of the
organisations. This arrangement ensures the best value by
eliminating duplication and red tape. In Queensland,
several promising studies are underway. MS Queensland
contributes funding to MSRA particularly as part of the
annual Kiss Goodbye to MS campaign during May, which in
turn supports these important research projects. We also
support national activities and media campaigns at a
Queensland level to ensure cut-through with
media at a local level.
54 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
MS International Federation
The Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) was
established in 1967 as an international body linking the
activities of national MS Societies around the world. Their
mission is to lead the global MS movement and to improve
the quality of life of people affected by MS. They work
hard to support a better understanding and treatment of
MS and facilitate international cooperation between MS
societies. MSIF manages World MS Day activities
internationally and we support them by sharing and
promoting international research, exchanging information,
and providing advocacy support for people living with MS
stemming from the annual World MS Day themes.
Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability
Services
The Queensland Government Department of
Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services
(Disability Services) provides subsidy funding to MS
Queensland in order for us to provide essential services to
people with MS including long-term accommodation,
respite, case management, therapy and information
services.
McCullough Robertson
McCullough Robertson is a commercial law firm who take
a team approach with clients throughout Australia,
developing strategies founded in an understanding of
industry dynamics, to deliver valuable, commercially sound
and results-driven outcomes. McCullough Robertson offers
a depth of knowledge that transcends the basic tenets of
the law to encompass innovative thinking, a commitment
to continual improvement and accountability, successfully
integrating legal expertise with business acumen. During
2011–12 McCullough Robertson assisted MS Queensland
by offering pro bono work on our tax status eligibility and
best practice governance procedures through their
Community Partnership program.
Evans & Peck
We also acknowledge our strong partnership with David
Hodgson, Evans & Peck, who has been responsible for the
recruitment of our Chief Executive Officer and Director
of Operations positions and assisted the CEO with the
development of the 2020 Strategic Plan.
YELLOW BACKGROUND
“As always I am proud to be volunteering for MS and look
forward to upcoming events. The MS events team have done
a great job in organising MS fundraising events. I always love
to help and thanks for the opportunity to volunteer and will
look to work further on helping fundraising through my bank’s
connection going forward.”
From Xin Xiang, MS Moonlight Walk and MS Brissie to the Bay
volunteer.
Our volunteers
Image of volunteer
Volunteers play a significant role in supporting MS Queensland’s
strategic goals and objectives. Those who donate their time as
volunteers to assist MS Queensland to carry out its work are the
lifeblood of the organisation. Dozens of committed individuals
spend thousands of hours volunteering, and perform a range of
tasks from administration duties to social support.
From Services to Marketing and Operations; our volunteers
provide respite and residential care at MS Queensland’s
facilities, event support and fundraising, onsite and community
based service delivery, and project work and administrative
support.
Given their continual presence and irreplaceable nature, MS
Queensland takes the safety of those that contribute to its
Volunteer Program very seriously. As such all volunteers are
covered by MS Queensland’s WH&S policy and are extended
the same training on induction as any other MS Queensland
employee. We additionally take out insurance to protect
our volunteers from financial costs or loss of income in the
unfortunate event that an accident should occur.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 55
Volunteering opportunities
During the end of 2011–12
MS Queensland repositioned how
our volunteers are managed and
commenced the recruitment of a new
staff position for a ‘Volunteer and HR
Coordinator’. This repositioning has
opened up our Volunteer Program to
a range of new opportunities that will
see a consolidation of the program
coordination, review and clarification
of the program policies and processes
as well as the expansion of
volunteering opportunities,
commencing in 2012–13.
We would like to acknowledge and
thank all of our volunteers particularly
National Australia Bank, Suncorp,
ANZ, Volunteering Australia,
Volunteer Queensland, Volunteer
Gold Coast, Far North Queensland
Volunteering, Bond University, The
University of Queensland (UQ),
Griffith University, Queensland
University of Technology (QUT) and
a number of local school groups for
their assistance and the support of
their staff that chose to volunteer for
MS Queensland during the year.
Special thanks is reserved for our
Physiotherapy students from Bond
University and UQ who collectively
contributed more than 950 hours of
service as part of their studies,
assisting clients through physio and
exercise therapy as well as open gym
exercise support.
How our volunteers are utilized
Traditionally our volunteers have
focused on service provision
associated with specific requirements
identified by MS Queensland clients.
Such roles have typically included
social support positions responsible
for providing basic support,
assistance and companionship. Other
roles include assisting and performing
tasks on the person’s behalf such as
gardening, shopping and helping keep
appointments (medical, personal etc).
In addition, our events volunteers
assist with a range of duties for our
events program include on-course
marshalling, managing registrations
and merchandise, team leader and
support at drinks stations and preevent help such as packing and
collating materials.
In this same period, MS Queensland
trialled what we hope will be the first
of many volunteer project positions.
This project, proposed by our 2012
Volunteer of the Year, Peter Coy,
looked at the development and
implementation of an online peer
support network. Using Skype as a
supporting platform, this project was
designed to improve the accessibility
of support by all MS Queensland
clients around the state at the
smallest possible cost to the client.
Such an initiative highlights the
potential benefit to the organisation
successfully engaged and utilised
volunteersrepresent.
We hope to continue to develop this
role for volunteers and expand the
number and scope of the associated
projects.
During 2011–12 MS Queensland
trialled a different approach from
this traditional ‘use of volunteers’ to
design skilled volunteer roles aimed at
addressing objectives within our new
2020 Strategic Plan. For example, the
physiotherapy team developed and
implemented exercise support
programs where volunteers could be
trained to provide community based
support to MS Queensland
physiotherapy clients. This program
aimed to aid people with MS with
exercise and stretching activities,
designed to prolong physical capacity
of our clients.
During the year 2011-12
Approximately 132 community services cvolunteers Our volunteers performed approximately 7,663 hours of
including 15 physiotherapy student placements, have volunteering work
provided some support to people living with MS during the
year
56 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
Skill requirements
To be eligible to volunteer with MS
Queensland we require a ‘positive
notice’ from the Department of
Communities and completion of a
screening interview and referee
checks.
To ensure the quality and
sustainability
of service provision, MS Queensland
seeks motivated individuals capable of
committing to our mission and values
of
supporting people living with MS.
Thank you for having me volunteer
again – it’s always a pleasure
helping out such lovely people and
such a fantastic cause so close to
my heart.”
From Amina Kerr, MS Brissie to the
Bay volunteer.
Our events volunteers performed
993 hours of volunteering
at our MS Brissie to the Bay, MS
Moonlight Walk and MS Swimathons
in local communities of the State.
7,663 given by our volunteers
and students
Training needs
The training a volunteer needs is
dependent on the positions’ duties
and responsibilities. Due to the nature
of many of the volunteer positions
(e.g. helping with gardening or
providing social support) many of our
volunteers only require limited
training and direction to perform their
role. However, as the range of
positions expand within the program,
our volunteers are assuming positions
of increased autonomy and technical
competency. Exercise Support
volunteers for instance are required
to complete client specific training
programs in conjunction with our
Physiotherapy Department to ensure
they are capable of providing safe and
appropriate support to our clients.
Once this training is complete, the
volunteer works almost exclusively to
support the client and enhance the
service level of MS Queensland.
This model of utilising volunteers, one
that has been active for the past 18
months, represents a snapshot of
where we see the MS Queensland
Volunteer Program in the future.
Subsequently, volunteer training will
take a far more central role in the
management and engagement of
volunteers as their scope for
involvement increases.
Through our volunteers,
MS Queensland received $137,167.70 in
in-kind support (as per Volunteering
Queensland’s standard of $17.90/hr).
$137K in-kind value
provided by our volunteers
The future of our volunteers
While we were unable to conduct
a volunteer survey during 2011–12
due to lack of resources and staffing,
MS Queensland plans to survey our
volunteers in the coming year to
assess their engagement with the MS
Queensland Volunteer Program and
seek their feedback on which aspects
of the program they would like to see
expanded and improved.
As we move towards a more
sustainable model of regional service
provision, the range and scope of
different volunteering services and
programs is expected to change. A
significant amount of work needs to
occur for this vision to become a
reality and as a first step we have
recently commenced a systematic
review of the Volunteer Program’s
policies and procedures to support
this vision.
During the coming year, MS
Queensland intends to grow and
expand our Volunteer Program into
regional areas of Queensland. We also
plan to formalize and launch our
‘Skilled Volunteer Program’ to ensure
that we can provide increasingly
diverse opportunities for people to
volunteer for MS Queensland.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12
ANNUAL REPORT 5
My Story- Light Green Section begins (Meeting the need)
“You can’t put a value on the reward
you get from volunteering with MS
Queensland; it’s priceless. It’s the
confirmation I think all of us need –
that if we’re prepared to invest just a
little bit of our time into someone
else’s life; imagine the difference you
can make.” *Image of Peter as
background
Peter Coy
2012 Volunteer of the year
All of the volunteers who dedicate
their time to assist MS Queensland
deserve to be celebrated. Thanks to
their incredible efforts we are able to
reach a greater number of people
living with MS. One person who has
helped more than 80 people connect
with others through the use of
technology is Peter Coy from
Brisbane.
Peter began volunteering with MS
Queensland in December 2011
managing the MS Skype Community.
In this role, he takes people with MS
through setting up Skype in their own
homes, one-on-one and in his own
time. “I prefer to work with people
face-to-face. It makes the entire
process of helping a person with MS
so much easier; it is more effective
and more interesting to put a face to
the name of
the person you are assisting,” Peter
said.
“Volunteering at people’s homes has
taught me something that I wasn’t
expecting – the realisation that along
with important community services
like Meals on Wheels, I was one of
only a small number of people that
actually visited MS clients at home,”
he said.
Social isolation and losing connection
with family and friends is a common
concern for people with a health
challenge such as MS. As their ability
to access their community becomes
increasingly limited, it has never been
more important to find ways to
connect them with their loved ones.
I’ve received in return from these
clients with MS is multiple of
whatever I’ve given to them.”
Peter’s vision for the MS Skype
Community is for other volunteers
with skill sets similar to his to deploy
themselves with their local MS
Support Group, offering local
technical support for people living in
the same area.
“My background is computers; I
developed computer software, built a
software business and delivered
In the past 18 months, Peter has made millions of dollars of value to
more than 80 home visits to people
companies around the world. But in
living with MS to set up Skype and
all of that time, I don’t recall one
travelled extensively; south to Tweed, occasion when I received a
out to the Granite Belt, Toowoomba
spontaneous thank you call; it was a
and further west and north towards
commercial transaction, that’s it. But
Hervey Bay.
here I have people call me just to say
‘thank you’.”
For most of Peter’s home visits it
wasn’t just about addressing the
We thank Peter for the countless
person’s technology problems: “it
hours he has donated and the
became more about spending time
difference he has made for people
with the client and having a cup of tea living with MS and their families.
and a chat. What
Our People
“MS Queensland was my lifeline. The whole
three years that Bruce (my son) was sick, they
were there for me. They supported me. In more
ways than anyone could think of. They were just
wonderful – they helped every way they could
possibly help. And they were real people – not
just doing a job, and going to work and getting
paid. They put everything into it.”
Judy Carey, mother to son Bruce that lived with MS in Granston Lodge until he passed
away after a three year battle with a very rare and aggressive form of MS.
From the 2012 MS Stories video campaign.
Contents
60 | Management structure
62 | Our Executive Leadership Team
64 | Our staff
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL report 59
Management structure
Our people are extremely important in achieving our mission of providing equitable,
high-quality and specialised services for the benefit of people with MS and we strive to
continue to build a high performance culture.
At MS Queensland, the communication channels between staff are fluid and the
organisation’s structure is designed to ensure the right people are in the right roles to
improve efficiencies across all Departments.
MS Queensland operates through three core Departments; Services, Marketing
and Operations. Each Department has a Director and small management team that
oversee the roles and responsibilities of the day-to-day operations of the Department.
The Executive Leadership Team (ELT), comprising of the three Department Directors
and the CEO, meet on a fortnightly basis to discuss the strategy, planning, safety and
Hr functions of the organisation. Operations staff including media and communications,
Hr, administration, finance, IT and advocacy also attend Departmental meetings to
leverage upon opportunities and develop strong relationships with staff across the
organisation.
During 2011–12 a number of internal staff communication initiatives were introduced
and improved. We engaged our people in the following ways:
• MS Inside Word monthly e-newsletter
• Staff Intranet portal
• CEO phone broadcasts
• ELT meeting updates
• Staff values workshops and values unveiling presentation
• CEO addresses; and
• regular CEO email updates.
Of particular note, MS Inside Word is designed to keep staff up-to-date with the latest
happenings around MS Queensland including new staff, fundraising projects, service
delivery highlights and significant achievements of staff. Our Intranet also serves as a
place of information and news for all staff. We promote the Intranet as the ‘first port
of call’ for staff seeking details on our policies and procedures, organisational news and
updates from Executive Leadership Team meetings.
During 2011–12 we conducted our first “Engaging our People” survey using an
external research company, Best Practice Australia (BPA). Some of the major findings
measuring staff satisfaction and engagement from the survey are detailed on page 67 of
this report.
60 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
“I am genuinely thrilled to be leading the team here at MS Queensland – an amazing group of highly skilled, passionate
and committed people who achieve incredible outcomes for others.”
Lincoln Hopper, Chief Executive Officer.
Lincoln Hopper
(CEO)
Karen Quaile (Services Director)
Photo frame image
Photo frame
image
Dan Sweetman (Marketing
Director)
Photo frame image
Nigel Flett (Director Of
Operations)
-
Physiotherapy Services
Education Services
Community Services
Residential Services
Counselling Services
Volunteers
Donor Development
Fundraising and Events
Lotteries
-
-
Administration
Finance
Human Resources &
WH&S
Media and
Communications
Information Technology
-
Advocacy
-
*this page is set out as a flowchart with CEO being linked to the other three major parties.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 61
Our Executive Leadership Team
*background light green colour and image of Lincoln, Nigel, Karen and Dan 2 page spread
Image
Lincoln Hopper
Image
Nigel Flett
Image
Karen Quaile
62 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
Lincoln Hopper
Chief Executive Officer
Starting out in the finance industry as a licensed stockbroker, Lincoln
soon moved into the health and community services sector where he
has worked for 21 years. He commenced working with the Sydney City
Mission in 1990, firstly in Kings Cross with disadvantaged and homeless
young people and then in a diverse range of frontline service delivery
roles in New South Wales and Queensland. In his most recent role as
National Executive Leader of Community Services, Lincoln led the 2,000
staff, $180m division to provide care and support to more than 250,000
disadvantaged Australians each year across every State and Territory of
Australia. With more than 15 years management experience, Lincoln
holds post graduate qualifications in Commerce and is a non-graduate
member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nigel Flett
Director of Operations
Nigel has extensive financial, corporate service and general
management experience within large and small teams across diverse
industries and settings including community services, heavy industry
and collaborative research. Most recently, Nigel worked with Aged Care
Queensland as General Manager Business and Corporate Services. Nigel
holds tertiary qualifications in business and professional accreditation as
a Certified Practicing Accountant and is a graduate member of the AICD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Karen Quaile
Director of Services
Karen commenced in September 2009 with more than 20 years’
experience working in the not-for-profit sector and has held positions at
senior management and deputy CEO level. Karen is dedicated to NFP
work because of the added focus on community involvement and
excellence in service provision. She has a Bachelor of Business in
Accountancy, and is a graduate member of the AICD.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Sweetman
Director of Marketing
Dan studied at Queensland Institute of Technology and upon graduation
with a Bachelor of Creative Industries he entered the television industry
with Network Ten as host of their national morning children’s program.
After four years in television, a connection with the MS readathon led to
Dan joining the Marketing and Fundraising team in 2008. Under his
leadership the net income for MS Queensland’s fundraising activities
has increased by 40% since 2010 when Dan took on the Director of
Marketing position.
Dan Sweetman image
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 63
Our staff
Our staff are the key to MS Queensland’s
success and influence. It is crucial we have
the right people, in the right roles, doing
the right work. MS Queensland’s values
drive our day-to-day behaviour.
Working together to achieve the strategic plan
Our 2010–12 Strategic Plan focuses on providing an
engaging, safe and positive workplace for staff. This year it
has never been more important for the Hr activities of the
organisation to align with the organisation’s goals. We
recognise that every person plays a vital role in the success
of MS Queensland operations. We take the time to
recognise the dedication and contribution
made by our employees and volunteers in improving the
lives of people affected by MS through personal
acknowledgement and recognition.
As a charity, every dollar we spend must deliver value for
money. To achieve this, our staff need to understand the
services we deliver, the environment we operate in and
recognise that “everything we do is therefore about
adding value to the MS community.” Our staff
Performance review and Development (PrD) process,
which links each individual role back to the Strategic Plan
and objectives of the organisation, is a crucial part of
reinforcing this value-add.
The PrD inspires and motivates our people to maximise
their performance in the workplace. MS Queensland
achieves this by creating a direct link between each
employee’s career objectives, the department business
plans and the organisation’s overarching Strategic Plan.
This will occur even more so with the introduction of the
new 2020 Strategic Plan.
The flow on effect for MS Queensland is better staff
retention, greater ownership of staff roles and a better
understanding of how each person fits into the bigger
picture.
During the year 2011-12:
Pie Chart: Our headcount was 125 staff; 100 employees for
our Services Department, 14 employees in Operations and
11 in the Marketing Department.
64 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
Cartoon Image of People:
Our male to female staff ratio was
73% female and
27% male.
I first started at MS Queensland as a temp but over the past four
years, they have provided me with the opportunity to grow, learn
and develop my skills. I am now heading up some
of the biggest digital fundraising campaigns and I love it!”
Sarah Yang, Marketing Coordinator: working with MS Queensland for
four years.
Photo frame image of Sarah
Code of Conduct
Attraction and retention of staff
MS Queensland’s Code of Conduct is based on legislative
and regulatory requirements, absolute respect for all
people, and the provision of quality service. All MS
Queensland employees, contractors, volunteers and other
representatives are obliged to conduct themselves in a
professional and respectful manner at all times towards all
persons, and considering all means of communication.
To help us attract the right people and retain the right
people, we offer our staff a number of flexible working
arrangements including part-time, casual, shift work,
educational leave and family leave depending on their
circumstances.
MS Queensland’s Code of Conduct encapsulates the
professional ethics and behaviours expected of
management, staff and volunteers. The Code of Conduct is
a main subject of training for all new employees and
volunteers during their induction process.
Our Client Service Handbook also contains a Code of
Conduct for clients and visitors to ensure a respectful
environment. We recognise that people with a disability
have the same human rights as others. The Disability
Services Act 2006 specifically acknowledges the rights of
people with a disability and requires MS Queensland to
ensure that all services provided are safe, accountable and
respond to the needs of people with a disability.
Fair treatment of staff
MS Queensland provides a work environment where
employees and others in the workplace are treated fairly
and with respect. We aim to ensure that when
employment decisions are made, they are based on merit.
125 employees are employed by MS Queensland (a
majority of these are care staff). During 2011–12 our staff
turnover was 27.2%. This figure includes all terminations
including voluntary terminations (e.g. gaining employment
elsewhere and retirement) and involuntary terminations
(e.g. dismissal and end of contract).
Flexible workplace arrangements
To further support and retain staff in their roles we
implemented two new policies during 2011–12; a Study
Assistance policy and Flexible Workplace policy. In addition
we also introduced new ‘working from home guidelines’.
MS Queensland strives to provide flexible working
initiatives for employees, where it is fair and reasonable to
do so. The aim is to improve morale, reduce stress,
increase staff retention and increase employee
productivity as employees manage their work and
personal priorities.
MS Queensland is committed to providing a work
environment that is free from discrimination, harassment
and bullying. Any form of discrimination, harassment or
bullying is unacceptable and not be tolerated under any
circumstances. We strive to create a work environment
which promotes good working relationships and where
people are not subjected to unacceptable behaviour that
makes them feel uncomfortable.
Our supervisor and manager count was 21 people; two
thirds of our managers and supervisors are female.
Of our staff 79% were employed in a full-time or
part-time capacity; the remaining 21% were casual or on a
contract.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 65
I recently had the best experience at
physio. Everyone was happy, helpful and
communicative…it’s the small things in life that
make a difference.”
From an MS Queensland physiotherapy client, 2012.
Photoframe image board on a green background
“Gary said his time at Granston Lodge was great, the
staff and residents were all excellent…he enjoyed the
opportunity to access the respite service. Gary said he
wished he’d started accessing the service a long time ago.
respite stays are extremely important in order to support
his 80 year old mother who is his primary carer.”
From the relative of an MS Queensland respite client, 2012.
66 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
TOP
5 Issues that
We retain quality
staff
We address
communication
issues
We ensure
management
listen to staff
We provide a
climate of
honesty and trust
We ensure high
standards of
leadership
matter to staff
Training and development
MS Queensland is committed to providing training and
development opportunities for all employees in order to
increase our capacity to achieve our business objectives,
while at the same time ensuring individuals are able to
perform and achieve in their current role, and where
appropriate meet their career development needs. The
Performance review and Development (PrD) framework
provides an opportunity for staff and managers to review
and propose development activities to enhance employee
performance over the year.
During 2011–12 our staff undertook more than $88,000
paid external professional development. In addition many
of our staff attended complimentary courses and seminars
off-site to further their personal development. Study
assistance is also available to staff to support and
encourage individual development and education by
assisting employees in job and career related studies.
Study Assistance policy
MS Queensland supports and encourages individual
development and education by assisting employees in job
and career related studies. Training courses (internal and
external) that are mandatory qualifications for an
employee’s current position and may be a requirement for
continued employment do not fall within the scope of this
procedure.
Pie chart image: 26% of staff have been employed for
longer than 6 years, 6% of staff have
been with MS Queensland for 4–5
years, 37% of staff for 1–3 years and
31% for less than a year.
Employee satisfaction
Employee surveys are an invaluable tool to help
understand employee engagement, opinions about the
organisation and to gather employee ideas for
organisational improvement. During 2011–12 MS
Queensland conducted its own “Engaging our People”
2012 survey using an external research company,
Best Practice Australia (BPA). The overall response rate
was 83% which put MS Queensland close to the top 10% of
organisations in our sector. Some of the major findings
from the staff survey include:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------50% of respondents are engaged with MS Queensland,
15% are disengaged, and 35% are in-between.
These results compare favourably to the average of
the Health, Communities and Social Services sector.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------54% of respondents believe MS Queensland is a Truly
Great Place to Work.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------60% of respondents want to improve the way things work
in the organisation, 5% disagreed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------There were many comments provided by our staff as to
why they said ‘yes’ MS Queensland is a ‘Truly Great Place
to Work’, including:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------“Working with like-minded caring, compassionate,
dedicated people.”
“The passionate and genuine belief in the support MS
Queensland provides to people with MS.”
“Supportive, flexible, client focused and progressive.”
“Good peer support, supportive management and
flexibility with work.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------From July 2012 we will implement our Employee Survey
Action Plan to further improve employee satisfaction and
continue to make MS Queensland a great place to work.
The plan is based on the framework that organisational
culture comprises three inter-twined elements: values;
leadership; and engagement. In 2013 a second “Engaging
our People” survey will be conducted and benchmarked
against the 2012 survey.
Workplace Health & Safety
The safety of our staff is paramount and working safely is
everyone’s responsibility. “Safety first” is our motto. At MS
Queensland we have an established Workplace Health &
Safety (WH&S) Policy and an active Safety Committee with
WH&S representatives for each work area.
Proactive risk management is seen as the core activity in
successful WH&S management and is managed by our
WH&S Committee who meet monthly. We encourage
employees to report hazards as soon as they identify them
so we can implement corrective actions to avoid, and
hopefully mitigate, future risks.
As part of our WH&S Policy, MS Queensland strives to
achieve exceptional health and safety performance
through our commitment to the following objectives:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------Compliance with all relevant health and safety laws,
regulations and standards.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Ensuring all managers are responsible and accountable for
the health and safety of their employees, volunteers and
contractors.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ensuring all employees, volunteers, contractors and visitors
are informed, understand and fulfill their health and safety
responsibilities.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Implementation and maintenance of relevant systems,
policies, procedures and processes to support effective
health and safety practices.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Maintenance of an active risk management program to
heighten awareness, and identify, assess, control and
review risk factors.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Provision of information, instruction, training and
supervision to ensure the health and safety of employees,
volunteers and contractors.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------Effective communication and consultation with employees
and employee representatives on matters relating to
health and safety.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Ensuring the early and safe return to work of injured staff,
in accordance with legislative obligations.
68 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
Workplace Health & Safety highlights:
Our Safety
Committee have
developed and
implemented
better reporting
processes and
forms around
WH&S.
A range of risk
assessments
have
been
undertaken
including
personal
protective
equipment (PPE)
requirements
and Work
Station
Ergonomic
Assessments.
The preferred
method of
communication
for safety
matters
has been
through
regular staff
meetings and
articles written
in the staff
newsletter MS
Inside Word.
This year we also participated in Safe Work Week and
introduced an internal Safe Work Week Awards. The
awards recognise and celebrate employees who make a
significant contribution to improving safety
performance at MS Queensland. With 23 hazards
submitted, the Safety Awards panel considered how
effective the solution was to either eliminating or
minimising the risk of injury, how original and
innovative the solution, and the overall impact on MS
Queensland’s health and safety performance. The
awards went to staff members, Cherryl Thorne and
Generoso Salingay, from our Granston Lodge
accommodation facility.
2 Lost time injuries were recorded
Asbestos
management has
been undertaken
which provides
MS Queensland
a workable
documented plan
as per legislative
requirements for
all the property at
Dutton Park.
We are
investigating
ways to ensure
compliance
is met for the
Granston Lodge
hydrotherapy
pool that will
eliminate the
hazard of
chemical
management in
the workplace.
67 hazards were reported
Training
workshops have
been scheduled
for July 2012
to assist Safety
Committee
members and
other key staff in
identifying hazards
and then assessing
the risks.
Internal auditing
In February 2012, Personalised Business Coaching & Solutions
(PBC&S) conducted an audit of MS Queensland’s safety
management system against the Queensland Workplace Health
& Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act 2011) introduced 1 January 2012.
This inspection focused on assessing the effectiveness of our
health and safety management system and aimed to identify
areas for improvement to help better manage health and
safety in the workplace. As part of the inspection process, the
inspector worked through a checklist to assign a rating to each
safety system element.
In consultation with PBC&S, MS Queensland focused on
and successfully actioned all recommended actions in the six
month time frame stated in the Audit plan. During 2012–13
we will allow for six months of “monitoring” and review of the
processes before the follow up Annual Audit.
Testing of the
Emergency
Preparedness is
mapped for all
areas including
the MS
Queensland
Op Shop and
the Annerley
Apartments.
Increase in reporting
During 2011–12 we saw a
significant increase in the
reporting levels of both hazards
and WH&S incidents.
Total
Hazards
reported
Total
WH&S
Incidents
Employees
Clients
Total
Medical
Treatment
(MTI)
Lost Time
Injuries
(LTI)
FY
201112
67
FY
201011
27
126
56
41
85
8
32
24
3
2
1
The 2011–12 performance is
due to the following factors:
• improved reporting on
incidents and hazards
• increased communication
amongst staff about the
reporting
processes
• the introduction of flowcharts
and systems to improve
reporting
• the introduction of WH&S
issues on each team meeting
agenda
• an increased focus of
identifying incidents and
hazards in
WH&S meetings; and
• the education of what hazards
are to staff in our MS Inside
Word monthly newsletter.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 69
Start of the blue section My Story Louisa Ogden Image of her and her baby as the background with text overlay
Louisa Ogden
I was living in England in 2003 at the age of 22 when I
experienced my first symptoms of MS. As a runner, I felt pins and
needles in my feet and then numbness all up my legs and part of
my back. I eventually had an MRI scan, which showed
inflammation of the spinal cord, however nothing further was
done by my doctors at that stage.
I became a school teacher and travelled to India and South
Africa to teach, returning home to run the London and New York
Marathons and several half marathons. During this time I also
visited Australia to see my brother, where I met and fell in love
with not only the country, but my husband-to-be Ben. I decided
to immigrate to Australia and in 2007 I moved to the Gold Coast. I
felt great.
That was until July 2007 when I was running along the beach at
Surfers Paradise and started to feel tingling in my legs and an
‘electric shock’ feeling in my feet. After several doctors’
appointments I was sent for an MRI in September 2008 and that
is a day I will never forget. It was MS.
“I found reading about other people’s
experiences and gaining knowledge
about MS made me feel less alone and
more positive that I still had a wonderful
future ahead and could still achieve my
goals.”
They were two letters I had never uttered in my life, but in
a blink of an eye they became the centre of my world and
changed my life. At first I was relieved that they had found a
reason for my symptoms, but incredibly worried about what lay
ahead. It was the unknown that scared me the most, the not
knowing of how my MS would progress.
I read as much as I possibly could about the disease and
I found MS Queensland website a great help to me. I
continued to work as a teacher and decided to walk in the
MS Moonlight Walk in 2009. I found it overwhelming to be
surrounded by so many people and walking to raise money
for one thing – people with MS.
Ben and I then married and after some difficulties had a baby boy
Archie, who is the light of my life. I have loved every minute of
motherhood and luckily I continue to be free of many of my
symptoms of MS. I firmly believe that keeping healthy, happy and
positive enables me to live a full life and achieve my dreams,
despite having MS.
Over the years I have raised money for MS Queensland
through fun runs and walks and will continue to do so. Even
though I don’t need the support at the moment, there may come
a time that I do and I want MS Queensland to be there for me.
Governance and Compliance
The audit team had the opportunity to review
the systems and processes in place to support
a robust Quality Management System. The
documented processes are impressive and
reflective of an organisation that is committed
to ongoing excellence to benefit people with
multiple sclerosis. At each step in the quality
cycle, formal and informal opportunities are in
place to maximise the input and evaluation from
all stakeholders to provide for corrective action
should it be required.”
Disability Services Queensland audit, held April 2012.
Contents
72 | Governance
74 | Our Board
76 | Compliance
78 | Risk management
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL report 71
Governance
Our governance structure
Structured like a flowchart
Board
Risk and Audit
Committee
Services Committee
Development
& financecommittee
CEO
Marketing Director
Services director
Operations
The MS Queensland Board, formally known as the
Executive Committee, performs an important function;
overseeing the organisation’s direction and ensuring the
objectives outlined in our Strategic Plan are met. Members
of our Board come from a variety of backgrounds,
including business, finance and property, each bringing
value to the group. We are proud to have a number of
people living with MS sitting on the Board, offering unique
insight into the issues faced by the wider MS community.
The Board has appointed three specialist sub-committees;
Risk and Audit, Services, and Development and Finance.
The function of each sub-committee is summarised below.
Risk and Audit Committee (RAC)
The Risk and Audit Committee (RAC) oversees the
financial affairs, risk and statutory/regulatory
compliance of MS Queensland including the external
audit and annual budget processes. The committee sets
internal audit priorities and ensures the effectiveness of
the internal audit function.
Services Committee
The Services Committee monitors the performance and
compliance of MS Queensland client services and
provides counsel to the Board in relation to services
policy development and the strategic focus of client
services.
Development and Finance Committee
The Development and Finance Committee monitors the
performance of MS Queensland’s marketing and
fundraising activities, provides advice to management
on the enhancement of these activities, and assists in
the development of new fundraising opportunities. It
monitors the financial performance of the organisation
between Board meetings and ensures compliance with
major contractual, legal and statutory reporting
obligations.
72 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
During 2011–12 the Board bid farewell to its long serving
Executive Director and Secretary, Trevor Farrell, who provided
outstanding service to MS Queensland and the Board over a
period of 27 years. The Board sincerely thanks Trevor for his
significant contribution to the work of MS Queensland and wishes
him the very best for his future endeavours. In November 2011,
Lincoln Hopper, was appointed in the roles of Chief Executive
Officer and Board Secretary.” *photoframe image of him
Board report
The information that follows is an extract from the Board report. The Board report
including the financial statements of the consolidated entity for the year ended 30 June
2012 and the independent auditor’s report are available online at www.msqld.org
Board meetings
The number of Board meetings (including meetings of sub-committees) held during the
year and the number of meetings attended by each Board Member were as follows
(see table below). These positions are in an honorary capacity except for the roles held
by Trevor Farrell and Lincoln Hopper.
Where:
A is the number of meetings the Board Member was entitled to attend
B is the number of meetings the Board Member attended.
Board
Jonathan Loraine
Roger Burrell
Johanna Roche
Lincoln Hopper
John Dempsey
Trevor Farrell
Simon Keyser
Wendy Lovelace
Rachel Matthews
Simon McNeilage
John O’Dempsey
Tracey Parker
A
8
8
8
5
8
3
8
8
8
8
8
8
B
7
6
7
5
4
3
5
7
6
6
5
8
Developme
nt
& Finance
A
B
4
4
2
4
2
4
4
4
3
4
2
1
2
3
4
Risk &
Audit
Services
A
3
B
3
3
2
3
1
3
3
2
2
1
1
A
4
B
3
2
2
2
2
4
4
4
4
3
3
4
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 73
Two page spread of board members. Blue background with an image of each person and description of their role
Our Board
The following persons were members of the Board during or since the end of the financial year 2011–12.
Rachel
Matthews
John
Dempsey
Simon
Keyser
Lincoln
Hopper
Trevor
Farrell
Jonathan Loraine
Member Board Member since 2007
Former medical secretary, journalist and instrumental music teacher. Long-time community,
arts and disability activist in Mt Isa, Townsville, Roma and Brisbane.
Person with MS.
Member Board Member since 2011
Previous Chairman of Energex Limited (2006 – 2012), Non-Executive Director dual listed
Company, Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited. Graduate Member of AICD, Ambassador Queensland
Museum.
Member Board Member since 2005 Director of resources and energy investment firm XLX.
Extensive experience in corporate finance. Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
(ICA).
Secretary (appointed 9 November 2011)
Chief Executive Officer of MS Queensland Held
previous Directorships of ACOSS, Mission Australia Early Learning Services, Mission Australia
Housing Ltd and Many Rivers Microfinance. Holds post graduate qualifications in
Commerce. Nongraduate member of AICD.
Secretary (resigned 9 November 2011)
Board Member since 1981 Executive Director of MS Queensland (1984 – 2011), Chairman of
the Pacific Cluster of pwMS International and member of Persons with MS International
Committee.
Chairman Board Member since 2002
Partner in corporate advisory firm Neuchatel Partners, Chairman and founder of resources
services company Core Resources Pty Ltd and Chairman of the Cooperative Research Centre for
Optimising Resource Extraction based at the University of Queensland. Director of MS
Australia. Member of AICD.
74 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
Our Board continued
Roger
Burrell
Tracey
Parker
Simon
McNeilage
John
O’Dempsey
Johanna
Roche
Wendy
Lovelace
Deputy Chairman
Board Member since 1996
Director of MS Australia, solicitor, Director of Access Funds Management Limited,
consultant to QM Properties and Property Solutions, former partner of Clayton Utz (1987 –
2000) and Phillips Fox (2000 – 2006) and Fellow of AICD.
Member
Board Member since 2011
Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of the Pradella Group, a large private builder
and developer of residential, commercial and industrial properties in South East
Queensland. Member of ICA.
Member
Board Member since 2011
Director of project management, facilitation and environmental firm McNeilage and
Associates. Extensive experience in corporate management, university
advisory committees and industry associations.
Member
Board Member since 2009
MS Ambassador and convenor of the Gold Coast People with MS Support Group. Retired
Business Development Manager in the automotive and industrial industries. Person with
MS.
Treasurer
Board Member since 2010
Partner at professional services firm PwC Australia. Extensive experience in domestic and
international tax issues. Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and Member of
AICD.
Member
Board Member since 2008
MS Ambassador and advocate. Architect and universal access consultant. Convenor of
Queensland Action for Universal Housing Design. Person with MS.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 75
Compliance
MS Queensland works to operate at a high level of
efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability,
having regard for all legal and financial requirements and
commitments, ethics and other relevant standards to our
organisation.
Disability Services Queensland Audit
In April 2012 MS Queensland undertook the second annual
surveillance audit under the Queensland Disability Service
Standards (QDSS). The audit team reviewed our services at
Dutton Park and Annerley and were particularly impressed
There is a diverse range of compliance requirements
with the organisation’s governance approach including risk
across all sectors that we work in. Some of these include
management, strategic planning, quality and service
the requirements for Disability Services Queensland (DSQ), delivery. This feedback reflects the commitment of MS
WH&S, fundraising and tax legislative requirements. The
Queensland staff to high standards of service and respect
Risk and Audit Committee (RAC) is responsible for regularly for our clients.
assessing new developments in policy and legislation and
creating strategies to comply and mitigate any potential
Key initiatives for the year leading up to April 2012
risks in compliance. Our Executive Leadership Team also
presented to the auditors included:
liaises with industry bodies on a regular basis to stay
---------------------------------------------------------------------------abreast of changes in legislative requirements.
New appointment to the senior roles of CEO and Director
At an internal level and working in a health provider
environment, MS Queensland has stringent maintenance
schedules for monitoring medical equipment and aids, lifts
and fire safety equipment to ensure we maintain a safe
environment for staff, clients and visitors visiting our
premises. We also conduct regular staff training sessions
on manual handling, people handling, safe use of
equipment, first aid training, and fire evacuation drills.
These initiatives ensure our staff are equipped with the
best knowledge to perform their job within the often
complex environment in which they work.
Both our Governance Policy and Constitution outline the
election and induction procedures for members of the MS
Queensland Board. Operational responsibilities for
managers and staff underpinning the governance policy is
documented in a range of departmental procedures
contained on the staff intranet and work instructions
information.
of Operations commencing late 2011.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Strategic planning focus in the first half of 2012 leading to
a comprehensive and aspirational 2020 Strategic Plan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Direct management of service provision at the Annerley
Apartments from May 2011.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Ongoing review of services provided directly to clients by
MS Queensland.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Review of all MS Queensland policies, approved at Board
level.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------The audit report recognised the strengths, opportunities
and challenges that MS Queensland faces in going forward
to meet the demands across the state for tangible support
across all areas of service delivery. These challenges and
opportunities are now clearly reflected in the new 2020
Strategic Plan.
Accountability and governance is also important to our
organisation within our lotteries area; the MS Limited
Edition Art Union. To conduct these lotteries we own a
gaming licence with the Queensland Office of Gaming
Regulation which is renewed annually.
We took on the direct management of service
provision at the Annerley Apartments, which was
previously outsourced.
76 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
We conducted a review of services provided directly to all
clients by MS Queensland.
Annerley Apartments
WorkCover performance
We are very proud of the work done to develop the
Annerley Apartments facility into independent
accommodation for people with MS; despite the significant
learnings in the first 12 months of operation. When the
Annerley Apartments first opened it was managed by an
external agency but the inconsistency in service standards
led to MS Queensland resuming direct management
of the service. The planned, systematic implementation
and embedding of work practices, protocols, procedures
and culture consistent with MS Queensland’s expectations
has been achieved as service provision continued
seamlessly. Annerley Apartments now reflects the same
high level of service delivery associated with the MS
Queensland brand, consistency of approach as well
as excellence of staff and support.
Our WorkCover scorecard places MS Queensland equal to
or better than the industry in terms of workers
compensation premium rates. We are continually working
to improve our safety performance and it is pleasing to see
this reflected in the level of claims and premium rates. This
is as a result of a substantial amount of work over a
number of years and we acknowledge the contribution of
all staff for their efforts in ensuring that MS Queensland is
a safe place to work.
Insert table of Premium rate comparison
Insert table of workcover claims
In 2012–13 MS Queensland will require a recertification
audit for the organisation under a new framework recently
implemented by the Queensland Government; the Human
Services Quality Framework (HSQF). A new approach
to self-assessment at MS Queensland will be undertaken
prior to the comprehensive external audit expected in
April 2013. In addition to, and following the significant
work in the governance area, the focus of internal
activities will be on updating documentation such as
departmental procedures and operational manuals.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 77
Risk management
As part of MS Queensland’s commitment to good
practice governance, the Risk and Audit
Committee (RAC) oversaw the process to update
the organisation’s risk assessment and
management plans for 2011–12. During the year
the RAC also reviewed its Charter and Annual
Calendar and revised the organisation’s Risk
Framework to align with good practice standards.
*background of this page blue with white text overlay
In August 2011 with the assistance of an external facilitator,
the Executive Leadership Team and key managers across the
organisation came together to:
• identify and assess risks facing MS Queensland
• determine MS Queensland’s risk profile
• consider options for remedial action; and
• develop a risk management action plan for critical risks.
Risks were considered within the context of five overarching
strategic themes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Government funding and advocacy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------People and culture
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fundraising
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Service provision
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Property assets
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------78 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
The following specific risks and mitigations were identified for action during 2011–12.
Risk
Mitigation/response strategy
Responsibility
1 Acquiring
and retaining
staff (direct
care area)
Develop strategy to position MS Queensland to
attract and retain direct care staff.
-----------------------------------------------------------Develop a strategy to ensure MS is positioned as
an employer of choice.
----------------------------------------------------------Recruitment toolkit for managers.
Scope, develop and implement a system
----------------------------------------------------------------Develop policies for use to ensure part of
everyday use
CEO
2 No
Customer
Relationship
Management
(CRM)
system
3Maintaining
our
relevance
4 Regulatory
and
tax reform
5 Financial
sustainability
6 Impact of
CEO change
Status as of June 2012
>Strategic plan addressing
Queensland these matters
Director of
Marketing
> Oracle CRM system in
place for fundraising
Ongoing review to ensure strategic objectives
keep pace with changing environment.
-------------------------------------------------------------Ensure networks and connections in the sector.
-------------------------------------------------------------Maintain profile and reputation.
-------------------------------------------------------------Ensure staff actions achieve strategic objectives.
Ensuring access to changes in public policy
through relevant connections and networks
(peak bodies).
----------------------------------------------------------------Understand demographic of donors to
understand impact of tax reform.
----------------------------------------------------------------MSA (through their Public Policy branch) and
MS Queensland Executive Leadership Team.
Early warning signs through management
reporting, forecasting and budgeting.
---------------------------------------------------------------Scaleable service delivery.
---------------------------------------------------------------Strong balance sheet – Board commitment to
improve cash position.
----------------------------------------------------------------New income generation programs.
Board, CEO
and Executive
Leadership Team
>Strategic plan addressing
these matters
Director of
Marketing
>In progress
Executive
Leadership Team
Robust recruitment process to secure right
person; shortlist of candidates, structured
induction, Executive Leadership Team in place.
Board, Executive
Leadership Team,
CEO and HR
Manager
>Improved reporting now
in place. ELT focus through
monthly meeting dedicated
to finance matters.
---------------------------------->Service unit costing
analysis underway as first
step
---------------------------------Continued focus
---------------------------------Big Dinner Party; Black
Edition deployed. Now
exploring individual major
gift strategy
>Completed
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 79
*beginning of the purple section my story background image of Mayor Paul with text overlay
My Story
Mayor Paul Pisasale
Mayor of the City of Ipswich
Paul is a true champion for his home town of Ipswich;
particularly during the most challenging of times in the 2011
floods where he stood side-by-side with his community. He is
greatly respected by the wider community and particularly by
the MS community.
Paul feels that everyone has a positive side to their life with MS
and everyone has a story to share. This year Mayor Pisasale
collaborated with MS Queensland on a new ‘Living Positively
with MS’ advocacy campaign and produced a video, answering
questions from people with MS about how he achieves all that
he does, while living with an unpredictable disease like multiple
sclerosis.
Like most people when diagnosed with MS in 1999, Paul’s
initial reaction was shock. With Paul’s amazingly resolute nature
he has faced his diagnosis head on. “Living with MS does not
affect your heart or your spirit inside. You wonder, ‘why me?’
but I worked through that and I am enjoying life and my role
now is letting people know [I am]. Don’t be frightened of it, or
try to fight it, accept the fact and live your life. Whether you
have MS or any problem, having a support network and having
people around you to make your life happy is the best cure for
anything. You just need to be yourself,” he said.
Although the Mayor leads an extremely busy life with a
demanding career, he makes sure he maintains a healthy
lifestyle, and makes time for his passion of golf to keep himself
active. Paul also, so very generously, makes time to meet with
members of his local community. His commitment has resulted
in him receiving the National Economic Development Award for
Leadership in October 2007 in recognition of his experience and
leadership in regional development and tourism; announced as
Queensland’s Local Hero for 2010 at the Australian of the Year
Awards; and awarded a Queensland Civil Justice Award by the
Australian Lawyers Alliance in February 2012 for his tireless
efforts promoting the rights of victims of the 2011 floods, and in
particular, advocating on their behalf to the insurance industry
and Government.
Achieving all that he does, Paul still finds time to invite anyone
to have a coffee with him to chat about how they live with MS.
MS Queensland is honoured to have Mayor Pisasale as a MS
Ambassador and we thank him for all that he does to live
positively with MS, and continues to do so to inspire our
community.
Mayor Paul Pisasale is a MS Ambassador living
with MS who inspires others and achieves
great things in his role as Mayor of the City of
Ipswich. This year Mayor Pisasale celebrated
20 years in local government, and was elected
by his City for the third time as Mayor with
88% of the primary vote.
Our Financial Performance
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The excellent financial result in 2011–12, following on the back of the strong result in 2010–
11, has restored MS Queensland’s balance sheet to pre-GFC levels. MS Queensland is in good
Financial shape and well placed to meet future opportunities and challenges.”
Ms Johanna Roche, Treasurer MS Queensland.
Contents
82 | Our five-year performance
84 | Financial summary
84 | Where our money came from
85 | Where our money was spent
86 | Financial position
86 | Investment policy
87 | Independent Auditor’s
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 81
Our Five-Year performance
Our financial performance over the past year has once again shown a surplus figure; attributed
to the hard work of everyone involved with MS Queensland and its services and activities. To
ensure this result, our overall performance is regularly reviewed by the Operations
Department and the Development and Finance Committee to ensure we are tracking to
budget.
*inset five years at a glance- Consolidated Entity
Financial Highlights
The Group recorded a surplus for the current financial
year of $630,530 (2010–11: $600,541) an increase of 5.0%.
This was an excellent result in a difficult operating
environment.
Total revenue in 2011–12 increased by 10.3%; on the
back of increased event fundraising income, the
implementation of a new Black Edition lottery program
which was an outstanding success, and significant
donations to our bequests program.
82 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
total surplus
total revenue
$13,385,000 for the $631,000 for
2011–12 financial year
*table continued
The Group continues to be reliant on State Government
funding to provide residential care and other client
services to people living with MS, and their families and
carers. Government subsidies provide 74% of funding for
client services (2010–11: 78%).
the 2011–12 financial
year
Total expenditure in 2011-12 increased by 10.6%;
with an increase of $340,000 (5.3%) in spending on client
services, and investment to expand fundraising capacity
(23.8%) to ensure continued growth in fundraising revenue
to meet future client needs.
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 83
Financial summary
------------------------The consolidated annual financial statements of the Group for the financial year ended 30 June 2012 comprise the
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Queensland (“the Society”) and its controlled entity, the Multiple Sclerosis Research and
Development Foundation of Queensland Inc., referred to collectively as (“the Group”). A summary of the Group’s annual
financial statements is presented in the following pages.
Financial Performance Summary
*insert table
84 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
*insert where out money came from pie graph
$7.7M net assets at 30 June 2012
Where our money was spent
*insert total expenditure 2011-12: $12,754Kpie chart
The graphs below show the breakdown of client services
expenditure for the 2011–12 and 2010–11 financial years. The growth
area has been in regional services which includes the opening of a new
MS Queensland office in Townsville for our North and Far North client
base during the year.
*insert pie chart of total clients services 2011-12: $7,090K
*insert pie chart of total client services 2010-11: $5,743K
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 85
Financial Position
The Group’s financial position has continued to improve
with net assets at 30 June 2012 of $7.7 million (2011: $7.1
million) and an improving current ratio (a key indicator of
liquidity) of 1.54 (2011: 1.23). A significant contributor to
the stronger net assets position has been the increase in
our cash reserves following the success of our bequest
program. MS Queensland’s policy on cash reserves is to
maintain adequate reserves to fund at least three
months’ operating expenditure.
The Group’s assets are recorded at historic cost and there
are no liens over the assets.
Net Assets
*insert net assets table
Auditors report
The summary financial report included in this Annual
Report is an extract from the audited annual financial
report. Our auditors are Grant Thornton Australia. Our
Special Purpose Financial Report for the 2011–12 financial
year is available in full from our website www.msqld.org
86 MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT
Investment Policy
MS Queensland’s investment policy is set by the Board and
is implemented by the MS Executive. MS Queensland
invests its cash reserves in short-to-medium term high
interest-bearing deposits with Australia’s leading banks.
MS Queensland actively manages its cash reserves through
a robust cash-flow forecasting and reporting process.
Interest revenue for the Group increased by 24.2% in
2011–12. The MS Queensland Board is committed to
maintaining cash reserves at a level equivalent to threemonths unfunded operating expenses.
The MS Queensland Board as part of the approval of the
Annual Plan of Activities and Budget approves an annual
capital expenditure program. A summary of capital
investments for 2011–12 is provided on page 84 of this
report. Investment in capital projects is funded through a
combination of grant funding and MS Queensland
reserves.
The MS Queensland investment policy supports the
Board’s strategic goal to develop a strong, developing and
sustainable organisation.
*insert auditors report
MS QUEENSLAND | 2011–12 ANNUAL report 87
Glossary
Index
AC Companion of the Order of
Australia
ACNC Australian Charities and Non
Profit Commission
AO Officer of the Order of
Australia
APAP Adapted physical activity
program
CEO Chief Executive Office
COAG Council of Australian
Governments
ELT Executive Leadership Team
FIA Fundraising Institute Australia
HSQF Human Services Quality
Framework
ICA Institute of Chartered
Accountants
MS Multiple Sclerosis
MSA Multiple Sclerosis Australia
MSIF Multiple Sclerosis
International Federation
MSRA Multiple Sclerosis Research
Australia
MSQ Multiple Sclerosis
Queensland
NDIS National Disability Insurance
Scheme
NFP Not-For-Profit
NMO Neuromyelitis optica
PAF Private Ancillary Funds
PND Progressive Neurological
Disease
pwMS People with Multiple
Sclerosis
QDSS Queensland Disability
Services Standards
QUT Queensland University of
Technology
RAC Risk and Audit Committee
UQ University of Queensland
WH&S Workplace Health and
Safety
A 42 Accommodation services
53 Advocacy
77 Annerley Apartments
65 Attraction and retention of staff
33 Awards and achievements
------------------------------------------------B 73 Board report
-----------------------------------------------C 09 CEO’S report
09 Chairman’s report
65 Code of Conduct
48 Communication our work
48 Communication
76 Compliance
24 Continuous improvement versus
step-change initiatives during 2012-2015
------------------------------------------------D 76 Disability Services Queensland Audit
36 Donations and appeals
-------------------------------------------------E 41 Education and information sessions
67 Employee satisfaction
35 Event fundraising
33 Excellence in reporting
23 Explaining our organizational values
-------------------------------------------------F 84 Financial Summary
33 Fundraising achievements
37 Fundraising principles and standards
43 Future service demand
--------------------------------------------------G 72 Governance
------------------------------------------------H 56 How our volunteers are utilized
06 How we performed
---------------------------------------------------I 41 Immunotherapy nursing support
87 Independent Auditor’s Assertion
Statement
41 Info Line
86 Investment policy
-----------------------------------------------L 26 Looking ahead to 2020
36 Lotteries (Art Unions)
------------------------------------------------M 60 Management structure
24 Measuring our performance against
the new plan
49 Media
14 Meet our Queensland researchers
30 Meeting our strategic objectives
13 MS prevalence in Australia
02 MS Stories
12 MS: the mystery disease
-------------------------------------------------O 42 Organisational services
74 Our Board
62 Our Eexcutive Leadership Team
82 Our five-year performance
20 Our focus
11 Our history
21 Our new Strategic Plan
22 Our new vision, mission and values
10 Our Patron
38 Our reach and service delivery
64 Our staff
50 Our stakeholders
20 Our strategic objectives
55 Our volunteers
04 Our year in review
-------------------------------------------------P 40 Physiotheraphy services
34 Public Fundraising
R 39 Regional services
15 Research projects in Australia
15 Research strategy
42 Respite services
34 Revenue activities
78 Risk management
--------------------------------------------------S 33 Safety Awards
57 Skill requirements of our volunteers
33 Staff achievements
54 Strategic alliances
44 Sustainability and our social impact
-------------------------------------------------T 16 The changing nature of MS and the
operating environment
57 The future of our volunteers
14 The world of MS Research
67 Training and development
57 Training needs of our volunteers
--------------------------------------------------V 56 Volunteering opportunities
--------------------------------------------------W 24 What success looks like
84 Where our money came from
85 Where our money was spent
77 Workcover performance
64 Working together to achieve the
strategic plan
68 Workplace Health and Safety
Print sponsor
MS Queensland wishes to recognise
and thank Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Australia Pty Ltd for their support in
sponsoring the printing of this 2011–
12 Annual Report.
Paper and print
Eco-Star paper supplied by
BJ Ball
Printed by
Fergies Print and Mail
Editing and design
Written and edited by Melanie Mead,
Media and Communications Manager,
MS Queensland. Designed by Skye
Dutson, Senior Graphic Designer,
Skyelark Designs.
Thank you
There are many ways you can help MS Queensland continue our work in achieving a world free from multiple sclerosis
and its devastating impact.
Donate
You can help us continue to deliver our services with a donation, no matter how large or small, or by becoming a regular
giver.
Call 1800 CURE MS (1800 287 367)
Online www.msqld.org/donate
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Make a bequest
You can leave a lasting legacy by including a bequest to MS Queensland in your will.
Call 07 3840 0888
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fundraise
You can organise and run your own fundraising event for MS Queensland.
Call 07 3840 0887
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Volunteer
Contact our Volunteer Coordinator to find out how you can make a difference in your community or email us.
Call 07 3840 0870
Email volunteer@msqld.org.au
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Become a corporate partner
Help us find a cure for the most common neurological condition in young Australian adults by becoming a corporate
partner. You can provide MS Queensland with financial support, through in-kind contributions or pro bono work. Call 07
3840 0864
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thank you to everyone who contributed to this 2011–12 Annual Report.
*back cover black with white text
MS Australia logo
© 2012 Multiple Sclerosis Society of Queensland
ABN 56 731 473 412
286 Gladstone Road, Dutton Park Q 4102
Locked Bag 370, Coorparoo DC Q 4151
Phone: 07 3840 0888
Fax: 07 3840 0813
Info Line: 1800 177 591
Email: mssociety@msqld.org.au
Website: www.msqld.org
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/msqld
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/#!/msqld
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/MSAustraliaQ