Governance – Central Coast Voice for Health
The central ‘Regional Steering Group’ and what was ultimately called ‘Central Coast Voice for Health’ made the final decisions about expenditure of Action Plan Funds. This group was formed through an Expression of Interest process and including the following representatives:
Libby Burton Eddie Roberts Jenny Rowden Maggie Aldhamland Lyndon O’Neil Lisa Kelly (from July 2024)
Once this Steering Group was formed an expression of interest went out to community again to get involved with the working groups to support each area of the Action Plan and get initiatives going.
The committed Steering Group worked with the working groups to make decisions about how to get the most from the funding in pursuit of achieving the goals on the Action Plan.
Below, Steering Group Member, Libby Burton, talks about why it’s so important for community to be leading health and wellbeing actions in communities.
Central Coast Voice for Health – Workshop March 2024
The Central Coast Voice for Health Gathering on 14th March 2024 brought together community members, working group participants and partners to reflect on what has been achieved and explore opportunities for the future. Participants highlighted the power of community connection, collaboration and local leadership, recognising that meaningful change happens when solutions are shaped by the people who live, work and volunteer in the community.
The discussions revealed a strong sense of pride in the relationships, partnerships and initiatives that have grown through the project. Participants reflected on the value of listening to community voices, building on existing strengths, and creating opportunities for different groups to work together toward shared goals. There was also a clear commitment to ensuring future activities remain inclusive, sustainable and responsive to local needs.
Looking ahead, success was seen as a connected and engaged community where people feel heard, working groups continue to thrive, and local knowledge and leadership are supported to drive lasting improvements in health and wellbeing. See a summary of the key themes from the day below.
Key Themes: Central Coast Voice for Health Workshop March 2024
1. Community Connection is the Foundation
Participants consistently highlighted the value of bringing people together, building relationships, and creating opportunities for honest conversations. The project has helped people connect across different backgrounds, organisations, and community groups, increasing awareness of both community strengths and challenges. Many participants reflected on how important it has been to learn from local stories and experiences and to recognise the contribution of volunteers and community members.
2. Collaboration Creates Better Outcomes
A strong theme was the benefit of collaboration between working groups. Participants identified numerous areas where groups share common goals, particularly around mental health, social connection, intergenerational activities, and community wellbeing. There was enthusiasm for greater information sharing, joint projects, networking opportunities, and learning from one another while maintaining each group’s unique focus.
3. Local Solutions Work Best
Participants emphasised that “one size does not fit all” and that the most meaningful actions have been those shaped by local needs and community voices. The project has reinforced the importance of grassroots knowledge, lived experience, and community-led action in identifying priorities and designing responses that are relevant to the Central Coast community.
4. Building on Existing Strengths
Rather than starting from scratch, participants recognised the value in connecting and strengthening activities already happening in the community. Many reflected on discovering just how much work was already occurring and the importance of linking people, organisations, and initiatives together to achieve greater impact.
5. Sustainability and Long-Term Impact Matter
Looking to the future, participants spoke about the importance of sustaining community-led initiatives, maintaining momentum, and ensuring support continues beyond the life of the project. Success was described not only in terms of funding and measurable outcomes, but also through increased participation, stronger community connections, local leadership, and the ability of groups to continue independently over time.
6. Inclusion and Reaching Missing Voices
Participants identified opportunities to engage groups who may be underrepresented, including young adults, multicultural communities, foster and kinship families, and others who may not currently be connected to community activities. The need to amplify youth voices and address gaps in services and opportunities for younger people emerged as a particularly important priority.
7. Strong Community Leadership and Capacity
A recurring message was that community members themselves are capable leaders and change-makers. Participants valued the shared ownership of the project, the commitment shown by volunteers, and the role of initiatives such as the Community Connector in building local capacity and supporting ongoing action from within the community.
Collaboration with Other Regions
“There is a strong appetite for bringing groups together throughout the state and having collective voices heard, networking and opportunities for action.”
Participant
In 2024 HCT brought together representatives from many regions involved in community-led local health projects, including:
- Central Coast Voice for Health
- Better Health 4 Dorset
- Tasman Voice for Health
- Huon Valley Voice for Health
- Health Action Team Central Highlands
- Bicheno Community Health Group
Opportunities to connect in this way have been highly valued by those involved in this important work as an opportunity to connect, share the innovative solutions and learn from each other. This was also an important opportunity to discuss how groups could influence change on a systemic level in health and how collaboration is key in creating the change that is required to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for Tasmanians. The reflections regarding that strength in working together were powerful in both creating change locally, and in the long-term sustainability of consumers and community leading that change.
“We are stronger as combined groups rather than as individual ones and can learn from each other.” Participant
“With dedication, focus and a clarity of ethos we can create an independent island of health and wellbeing for all.” Participant
Check out this video that features people from across the state sharing what they have valued in coming together and why it is important for them to be in the room, making the decisions.
Below you can hear from Libby Burton, from the Central Coast Voice for Health talking about the importance of community voice and opportunities to connect and share the solutions to local issues in health and wellbeing.
Voice for Health event in 2025
In June 2025 HCT brought together over 100 health consumers, community members, council representatives and service providers to have the opportunity to connect and look at community-led preventive health and influencing change.
The Next Steps for the Central Coast Voice
While the Central Coast Voice for Health hasn’t continued beyond the HWN project, key aspects of the CCVH work have continued or continues to have impact, including the establishment of a Central Coast Council Mental Health Committee, which was born from the Healthy Minds Working Group. A great deal of the information gathered from people on the Central Coast has informed key pieces of advocacy for HCT and Central Coast people have gone on to have influence across other areas of health too. See more details about this below.
Central Coast Informing Health Statewide
Through the network formed and HCT’s links to services, organisations and groups, several opportunities for Central Coast people to influence key health consultations presented themselves. Including:
- Tasmanian Department of Health – Virtual Care Consultation
- Primary Health Tasmania – After-hours Access Consultation
- Tasmanian Department of Health – Preventive Health Strategy Consultation
Informing HCT’s advocacy through consultation data collected at KTC’s and collaboration with individuals and groups in the region influencing:
- HCT Submission – ADHD Inquiry
- HCT Submission – Gender Bias in Healthcare Inquiry
- HCT Submission – Maternity and Paediatric Care Inquiry
Central Coast Community Influencing in Other Areas of Health
The networks and information sharing that occurred through the work on the Central Coast resulted in a number of community members becoming interested in and ultimately pursuing different consumer engagement opportunities. Local people from the Central Coast have shared their learnings with politicians, as guests at the Tasmanian Health Senate, become involved in health research, joined the Tasmanian Health Senate, and engaged in a variety of other consumer opportunities to influence change on state and national levels alongside the significant local influence they have had.