Welcome to the second edition of the LSS News for 2024.
We marked the 2024-2025 financial year with a series of events and initiatives to recognise the Scheme’s 10-year anniversary. We released a new video highlighting the LSA’s journey which you can watch on the LSA’s YouTube channel.
In September, the LSA hosted a special 10-year anniversary event to acknowledge this milestone. I was pleased to see many high profile current and former ministers, key service providers and peak industry bodies in the room as we reflected on the economic and social benefits of the Scheme. You can read more about this exclusive event in this edition of the LSS News.
The milestone has also been an opportunity to reflect on the lifechanging piece of legislation that established the Scheme and consider how the LSA has grown over the past decade. In its first year of operation, the LSA employed 12 staff (FTE) and supported 38 LSS participants at a treatment, care and support cost of $2.2 million. In its 10th year of operation, the LSA employed 95 staff (FTE) and supported 371 participants at a treatment, care and support cost of $50 million. These significant changes also prompt us to look forward and consider what the Scheme will look like in the future. Strategic projects are already underway to consider how our Service Delivery Model will function with 600, 900 or 1200 participants.
Road safety initiatives that reduce the incidence or severity of motor vehicle accidents can have an important contribution in reducing the number of people requiring the LSA’s support or reducing the amount of support required. The LSA continues to support road safety initiatives with four LSS participants speaking in the Advertiser’s Arrive Alive road safety campaign. It is inspiring to see the resilience of participants sharing their experiences of road trauma in the hopes of making South Australian roads a safer place. You can read about this campaign and more in this edition of the LSS News.
Regards,
Rick Howe
Chief Executive, Lifetime Support Authority
LSA staff at the Adelaide White Ribbon Breakfast.
