ANNUAL REPORTS 2016 CONTENTS 2 Vision and Mission 51 ENGAGEMENT 3 Council President’s Address 52 Victorian Eyecare Service Practices and 5 Chief Executive Officer’s Report Victorian Aboriginal Spectacle Subsidy Scheme Practices 8 ACO Year Highlights 53 Outreach Sites 10 Who We Are 54 Certificate of Ocular Therapeutics Graduates 2016 11 CLINICAL SERVICES 12 Director’s Report 55 FUNDERS, SUPPORTERS & DONORS 13 Clinical Services Network 56 Government, Trusts & Foundations, 16 Victorian Eyecare service Industry, Community Organisations, 18 Year Highlights (clinic) Donors & Bequests 56 Clinical Services 57 Education 23 RESEARCH 58 Research – National Vision Research 24 Chair’s Report Institute 25 Director’s Report 59 Professor Nathan Efron AC 28 Neurotechnology Research 59 L.E.W. Carty Charitable Fund and the 29 Clinical Optometry Research Victorian Lions Foundation Fellowship 60 Donors 61 Nicola Family Fund 31 PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS 62 CORPORATE SERVICES & 35 EDUCATION GOVERNANCE 36 General Manager’s Report 63 Executive General Manager’s Report 38 New Post Graduate Level Courses 2016 65 Council & Committees 40 ACO National Conference 2016 68 Organisation Chart 41 Clinical Teaching 69 Members ACO 74 Members NVRI 42 MEMBERSHIP 43 Membership 2016 75 AUDITED CONCISE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 44 Membership Benefits 91 Consolidated Detailed Income Statement 45 Cyril W Kett Optometry Museum 92 Trust Funds Financial Position 45 Nathan Library And Members Lounge 46 In Memorium 47 AWARDS 48 Research Awards 48 Student Awards 49 Staff Awards 49 Member Awards Vision and Mission Our Values To be a world leading institution in the Accountability & Transparency science, education and practice of optometry We are responsible and accountable for our through promoting the visual health and work and services and open and transparent quality of life of the communities we serve by in the discussions we make. leading the profession to build its’ knowledge Integrity and Honesty base, attain and advance clinical skills and We act with integrity and honesty and avoid deliver the best possible optometric care. conflicts of interest and improper behaviour. Leadership and Innovations We foster and support professional leadership and encourage innovation in our work. Respect and Care Objectives We treat others and ourselves with respect Preservation of sight and prevention of and care and our workplace is free from blindness by: discrimination, harassment and bullying. Leading clinical best practice Teamwork and Partnership To promote and demonstrate leading practice We foster and support teamwork and work in the provision of clinical eye care services and collaboratively with partners to promote service delivery models. service excellence. Valued public health eye care services Knowledge and Excellence To improve patients’ lives by providing We continuously improve our professional exceptional general and specialised optometric knowledge and strive for excellence in all care to communities most in need. areas of work. World class research To undertake research seeking discoveries and advancing knowledge in vision sciences and the diseases and disorders that impact on vision to Chief Executive Officer improve patient care and health outcomes. Maureen O’Keefe BSc (Hons) DipEd MBA WCLP GAICD Education To develop the knowledge and skills of Company Secretary optometry students and optometrists in Clare Escott practice by providing the best possible clinical BSc (Hons) CA GAICD teaching and education. Director Clinical Services A strong, effective and sustainable Associate Professor Sharon Bentley organisation BScOptom MOptom PhD MPH GAICD To continuously improve and develop FAAO FACO our people, resources and infrastructure and effectively communicate and build Director National Vision Research relationships with our stakeholders. Institute Professor Michael Ibbotson BSc (Hons) PhD Executive General Manager Finance & Corporate Services Clare Escott We acknowledge the BSc (Hons) CA GAICD traditional owners and custodians of the land on General Manager Professional which our facilities are located Development & Membership and pay our respects to their Jolanda de Jong elders past and present BCom B Ed PRESIDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS 2016 HAS BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL YEAR for the ACO. The College continues to be in a strong financial position. A series of successful funding bids provide wonderful opportunities to deliver services and conduct research. While the CEO, Maureen O’Keefe, details these in her report, I cannot help but express my admiration for her and her team’s role in securing as part of a consortium $4.8million for indigenous eye health equipment and training, $1 million NHMRC Development Grant for a research collaboration to further develop a bionic eye device, $200,000 for the col- laborative glaucoma clinic and $360,000 philanthropic from 2 significant philanthropic organisations to establish a new research fellowship. These are extraor- dinary achievements which should be celebrated and reflect the quality of the team operating the ACO. Professor Konrad Pesudovs Council President Australian College of Optometry One of the most important reforms to college governance in recent years has been essential to make these changes so that the ACO and the opening up of Council to skills-based NVRI constitutions meet best practice and are appro- appointments. This is not simply governance priately aligned with the Corporations Act (2001) and the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission best practice, but improves council Act (2012). Perhaps more importantly the constitutions need to reflect the governance of the organisation. performance in strategy, decision making, In recent years, the administrative load on the NVRI risk management and so forth. Director has been minimised, and handled by the ACO, so that the NVRI Director can focus on conducting research. This is reflected in the recent high level of productivity by Prof Michael Ibbotson and his team. While this may not be the most exciting reform to At Council level, our role is to set the strategic the majority of members, I am particularly proud of it direction and to try to create the opportunity for the because I know how difficult it was. I tilt my hat to the organisation to be as successful as it can be. One College Executive, Maureen O’Keefe and Clare Escott, important change in 2016 was to the investment Prof Alex Gentle and the entire Board of Administration policy of the organisation. The current low interest of the NVRI and Prof Michael Ibbotson for getting this rate environment is challenging. The ACO’s investment done. The benefits in terms of productivity are already policy has always been, and remains, conservative. there to see and we look forward to continued research However a change in policy to allow a small holding performance. in hybrid securities improves our returns. The term One of the most important reforms to college hybrid security is not self-evident but these include governance in recent years has been the opening subordinated notes, capital notes and convertible up of Council to skills-based appointments. This is preference shares. These instruments have both not simply governance best practice, but improves equity and fixed interest characteristics and when well council performance in strategy, decision making, risk chosen, by our advisors Perpetual, improve our overall management and so forth. We have enjoyed strong investment returns. This is important for the long-term contributions from The Honorable Paul Lucas who success of the ACO and in particular, the NVRI. is a former Queensland Health Minister providing Speaking of the NVRI, it gives me tremendous government relations, political and legal advice and pleasure to report that we have changed and Sarah Byrne who brings legal expertise. We have modernised the NVRI constitution. This has been a also had a financial / accounting expert perform process that has taken years of hard work. It was the role of Honorary Treasurer. Mark O’Sullivan held AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY — ANNUAL REPORT 2016 3 PRESIDENT this role from 2015 but departed in early 2017 due to was one of the greatest Australian Optometrists and his family commitments. He has been replaced by Denise loss is sad indeed. Gronow who has been serving on the Finance and Risk As we move into 2017 and beyond, I see the Committee for a number of years and is now making a important challenge for the ACO is to make the strong contribution at Council. These roles are valuable “A” meaningful. That is we want a visible national and important and we seek at the 2017 AGM to alter the footprint. The ACO is the acknowledged leader in ACO constitution to expand the number of skills-based public health optometry / ophthalmology partnerships. roles from 2 to 3 so that we can have financial, legal Opportunities exist throughout Australia to fill a gap in and political skills on council without requiring one of service delivery to the underprivileged, to partner with these positions to be filled via the election process. This ophthalmology on improving access to eye care in the will leave the Council elections free to be contended by public hospital system and to deliver education and optometrist members only. This will be an important perform research. We need to identify the opportunities step forward. and engage in collaborative efforts to deliver our new A sad note was the passing of Dr David Cockburn. vision “To achieve world-leading eye health outcomes David was a profoundly influential optometrist. for all”. He was an inspiring and passionate teacher who brought competence in the diagnosis of eye disease to generations of University of Melbourne graduates. Without question, he laid the foundation on which the therapeutic era of optometry has been built. He certainly inspired me to further my ophthalmic disease education which I did in Ophthalmology and now Professor Konrad Pesudovs students at Flinders University benefit from this. He BScOptom PhD PGDipAdvClinOptom MCOptom FACO FAAO was also instrumental in the foundation of the NVRI FCCLSA FAICD FARVO and tireless contributor to the ACO.