After five years of leading National Seniors Australia with distinction, CEO Professor John McCallum has retired. His last day was on Friday 13 January 2023.
Professor McCallum joined National Seniors as Research Director in December 2016 and was appointed CEO in April 2018. During this time, he successfully led our organisation through internal radical organisational change, a royal commission and a global pandemic. His commitment to improving the lives of older Australians is unwavering and highly regarded.
Under Professor McCallum's astute leadership, National Senior achieved many successes and made a significant difference to the day-to-day lives of our members, supporters, and older Australians. Some of these include:
- Presented eight submissions to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and was a significant contributor to the recommendations in the Royal Commission's Final Report in 2021, with National Seniors Australia referenced in 50 instances.
- Influenced government from the first day of the Royal Commission to reduce the home care wait list by 25 per cent in twelve months by releasing tens of thousands of home care packages in September 2021, to help ease an unacceptable wait time for 41,000 older Australians.
- Influenced retirement income policy with National Seniors consumer research reports being referred to 10 times in the Report of the Treasury Retirement Income Review.
- Launching a successful Older Persons COVID-19 Support Line to reach out to older Australians particularly those living in the most isolated communities and people in COVID-19 'hot spots' during the many lockdowns and restrictions.
- National Seniors was one of 142 participants invited to the Jobs and Skills Summit in September 2022 at the Great Hall of Parliament, and the only organisation representing older Australians, resulting in the announcement of the $4,000 income credit - an important first step in addressing jobs and skills shortages in the workforce.
- Achieved wins with the advocacy team to improve the lives of older Australians including extending eligibility for concessions, freezing deeming rates for two years, extending the Pension Loan Scheme, opposing the scraping of franking credits.
- Appointed by the Prime Minister to the new 14-member, independent Council of Elders to advise the Minister and Government on aged care reform.
Former National Seniors General Manager, Chris Grice has been appointed to the role of Chief Operating Officer. He has been with National Seniors Australia for ten years, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the organisation, including membership, commercial, services, and business operations.
Chris is deeply passionate about National Seniors Australia and our mission to support the contribution of older Australians. Many members will have met Chris at events and branch meetings across Australia.
"One of the great pleasures of working with the team at National Seniors, along with its branch leaders and members, is being able to promote the positive contribution that older Australians make towards the broader community. Being a senior should be acknowledged and respected - a long life of learning and experience should be genuinely celebrated.
"The contribution and general value to society that older Australians make both caring and or volunteering - the physical, emotional, and economic contribution that older Australians make in this space is immense and should not go unnoticed by government, industry, and the broader community," he said.
In considering the broad scope of National Seniors members and their experiences, Chris expressed an interest in better supporting members aged over 50 who can feel 'sandwiched' by competing pressures on their lives (and finances) as they are often still actively engaged in raising their children, while also offering support to their ageing parents.
Chris has been instrumental in supporting the Policy team with its advocacy work, notably with the recent Let Pensioners Work campaign. "The work over the past year on the campaign was extraordinary. Our Chief Advocate Ian Henschke, supported by policy manager Brendon Radford, exceeded expectations in raising awareness of the economic benefits of letting older Australians have fairer access to ongoing work.
"I don't remember a day where Ian wasn't on the radio or TV fighting to keep the issue in the media. It has been great for the campaign and really kept up awareness of National Seniors."
In taking on the role of Chief Operating Officer, Chris is adamant that the success of National Seniors is built on community support: "There is outstanding work happening every day within the organisation.
"Our work fighting for older Australians advocating on your behalf is vital and doesn't just happen without the community backing us. Join as a member, use one of our products or services, or donate to our cause - everything you do to support us in this area helps us maintain our independence, and importantly creates better outcomes for older Australians now and in the future."
