As a sponsor of the Brisbane Disability Expo, we are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with Queensland’s disability community in a time of real change. Achieve Australia’s footprint in the state is growing, but it isn’t growth for growth’s sake. It’s about building sustainable quality services around what people with disability, families and communities need.
In Ipswich that commitment is already there. The recent transition of Focal Community Services to Achieve Australia is proof.
For many people, the move from Focal to Achieve has felt reassuringly familiar. The supports they know; the relationships they trust; routines that work for them have stayed where possible, so they know what will continue.
“I really want to keep up with my friends and hopefully nothing changes” was one person’s response. Another wants to continue to “play basketball”; others are looking forward to making new friends, joining new groups, and exploring interests.
For many staff, the move to Achieve feels like a continuation of the work they’re passionate about. Team member Patty Hitchenor said, “My passion has always been creating opportunities, building meaningful connections, and championing inclusion for people with disability. I’m excited to continue living that purpose with Achieve Australia and to be part of an organisation that shares those same values.”
Familiarity matters in any transition. It allows people to look ahead without feeling like everything they know is being taken away. For some people, it has also given them the opportunity to think about what they would like their future to have.
The voices of the people we support are at the heart of how Sarah Archer, Achieve’s Chief Strategy Officer, thinks about change.
“People have been able to hang on to the supports they trust,” Sarah says. “Service continuity, staffing continuity and familiar relationships have been leading every decision.”
But continuity isn’t standing still. It’s giving people space to say what they want next, trying a new activity, meeting new people, or more opportunities to take part in the community. The clients’ ideas show us what purposeful growth can look like when it starts with those receiving support.
Transition also means respecting where the community has come from. Focal has been supporting Ipswich since 1974, so there are decades of local knowledge and relationships. Achieve was chosen through an expression of interest process based on cultural fit, capability and service continuity, an opportunity to keep that legacy alive while strengthening local services.
The move has further opened Achieve’s South-East Queensland footprint. Our Independent Living and Community Participation services already exist in Brisbane. The people we support in Ipswich still get in-home supports, community participation, capacity building programs and short-term accommodation; over time they may connect with other Achieve services or purpose-built SDA housing through our partners.
Sustainability is not separable from quality for Sarah.
“It’s about making sure people with disability get the funding and support they need from capable, registered providers; that they feel safe and engaged; that our employees are trained well and supported.”
Achieve’s Queensland journey started with Mercy Community transition in 2024 and continues through the Independent Living services expansion planned and new housing opportunities with Inclusive Housing Australia.
The Brisbane Disability Expo gives us an opportunity to share that journey with Queenslanders. More importantly it gives us an opportunity to listen.
Because for Achieve, purposeful growth starts with a question: what do clients want their future to look like?