Connecting What Matters: Meridia's Strategic Direction

This episode of GET REAL is introducing that our podcast is now brought to you by Meridia, which brings together the service organisations of ermha365, The Disability Trust, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc, which collectively support thousands of people in Australia across disability, mental health, employment, social enterprises and complex services.

Meridia is the overarching parent brand of these services, created from the understanding that people's lives don't fit neatly into systems or service categories, so support should be connected, coordinated and centred around each person. 

In this episode, we’ll unpack Meridia's Strategic Direction plan and what means for the future, at a time when demand is growing, needs are becoming more complex, and the social services sector is changing rapidly.

Guests:

Dr Peter Langkamp OAM, group Board Chair, who brings extensive leadership experience across the private, public and community sectors, as well as lived experience as the primary carer for his eldest son who has a disability. 

Deputy Board Chair Carol Heijo, a passionate disability advocate and leader whose lived experience has shaped her commitment to inclusion, accessibility and self-determination. 

Meridia represents the next evolution of a group of long-standing and trusted social service organisations working across disability, mental health, employment, community inclusion, social enterprise, allied health and clinical services.

Together, we bring organisations including The Disability Trust, ermha365, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc into a more connected and future-focused structure.

Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline  13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467

Meridia acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.

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Speaker: 0:00

Get Real is recorded on the unceded lands of the Boonwurong and Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge and pay our respects to their elders, past and present. We also acknowledge that the first peoples of Australia are first storytellers, the first artists and the first creators culture, and we celebrate their enduring connections to knowledge and stories.

Speaker 3: 0:27

We recognise people with lived experience of mental ill and disability, as well as their families and carers. We recognise their strength, courage and unique as a vital contribution to this podcast so we can learn, and achieve better outcomes together.

Emily Webb: 0:47

Welcome to this special episode of Get Real. And it's a perfect topic to introduce that our podcast is now brought to you by Meridia, which brings together the organisations of ermha 365, the Disability Trust, OC Marriott Support Services, Bedford and Embarc, which support thousands of people in Australia across mental health, employment, social enterprises and Meridia is the overarching parent brand, which was from the understanding that people's lives don't fit neatly into systems or service categories. So support should be connected, coordinated, and centred each person. That's the vision behind Meridia's strategic direction. And in this episode, we'll unpack what this plan means the future. At a time when demand is growing, needs are becoming more and the social services sector is changing rapidly. Joining me are two people who helped shape the Dr. Peter Langkamp, OAM, is group board chair, and he brings leadership experience across the private, public, and sectors, as well as lived experience as the primary his eldest son who has a disability. Also joining us is Deputy Chair Carol Heijo, a advocate and leader whose lived experience has shaped to inclusion, accessibility, and Peter and Carol, welcome to the podcast.

Carol Heijo: 2:30

Hello, thank you.

Peter Langkamp: 2:32

Look, it's great to be here with you, Emily. Certainly a privilege and an honour to be given to speak.

Emily Webb: 2:37

I'll start with you, Peter. You've been at the helm of the direction and creation of we now know as Meridia. There's been the service organizations coming together over the past few years and the development of and now the of an overarching group brand. It's been a big piece of work. So what's the big idea that sits at the heart of what is and the strategy and why?

Peter Langkamp: 3:05

Perhaps just taking one step back, and I recognise that the conversation has taken many years to get to this and that there have been so many people involved. But sitting behind all of this has been a view that we really did want to grow and take advantage for our of a world in which there are many, many services that they get access or have requirements for, but are not accessible. And so a number of the organizations that now form part of the group start to fill in the jigs or the blanks, you like, of services that are so important that will want to use them as part of their plans. Now, of course, it's not as simple as that, because these services are provided through different funding They're provided under different circumstances to people. And from our perspective, it was important to of connecting all of these things together. Many organizations, of course, have run down the road of actually putting one particular brand in, but we decided that it was better, in fact, important to leverage the history of that all these organizations have. Not everyone will be familiar with all the brands that are now part of our group, but everyone will be familiar with at least one or two of them. In my particular case, my son actually has received services from OC Connections. And I hadn't used OC Connections prevail to, but here we are, you know, and the opportunity is there to take of this from everyone's perspective. I do want to say that one of the important roles that have as a board is not just, of course, the financial of the organization or the overall accountability for that are operational that the board takes on, but oversight. And we felt that we really did need some glue to bring it all together. And so that's why it was important that it took some not only in conversations between directors, but staff and senior staff within the organization and to actually see what it was and where we should go. Because make no mistake, the sector is undergoing a of change at the moment. And so finding your way through that, it's not just an individual that has an idea. It's about the organization ensuring that it best that everyone has to offer and then bringing it which we've done through this branding change to

Emily Webb: 5:45

Yeah, and it's certainly been a really big piece of work that obviously culminated recently with the public launch of brand. I'm going to ask your question now, Carol. You bring a lived experience perspective to the board We have several members on the board who have lived of disability, of accessing services, of being a This strategy talks extensively about belonging, and designing services around people's lives rather than boundaries. I wonder what you'd like to say about this.

Carol Heijo: 6:19

Yeah, thanks for that question, Emily. And I'll just pick up on something that Peter just right at the end there, which was about the board having and oversight and you know legal requirements around the performance of the organization and the viability and But going to your question, we do all of that, but our focus is around delivering services so people can life they choose to live. That's our vision statement, that's our mission And in making all of those decisions around financial sustainability, viability in an ever-changing where our funds are restricted, our primary focus is to have the participant at the center of everything we do and to make sure that people receive the services that want, that they need, that is going to make their life the life they want to live. And so I think it's really important to recognize that the work that we do as a board on an ongoing basis and the work that we do in developing a strategy like this. So that's sort of where I'll pick up on that. I think our board has grown in terms of its skills and in terms of its maturity, in terms of strategic maturity and performance, but it has also grown, as you mentioned, in of the representation of people with lived experience and expertise of either having disability or caring for with disability. And I think that with the voices of the people on the our participants through the Lived and Living Committee and the advocacy groups within the other has really helped to form and shape this strategy to that it delivers first and foremost for people with who use our services.

Emily Webb: 8:18

That actually leads nicely into what I was going to ask You both mentioned like the decisions that you have to make when you're on a board. There's a lot. There's not just financial, there's the there's the strategic questions, there's the what is best the people that we support. And we know that the sector is in a lot of change at the There's the changes that are coming for the NDIS and just the growing need for people with the kind of services they So, Peter, what are the most important principles that the board uses when you're going to have to make difficult about balancing social impact, financial sustainability, you know, sticking true to the one of the priorities, which is strengthen what works. And that includes reviewing all the things that the service brands that we have under Meridia do.

Peter Langkamp: 9:19

I have to say, this is not an easy question to answer. It is absolutely true that from a financial the sector is under stress at the moment, and quite frankly, are also under stress. We all have cost of living considerations to take into account. What we've been looking at is how can we uh deliver what is needed for people in a safe and effective way meets their needs, that helps them meet and live their lives to the best that they can. And we wanted to try and get a message out there, not to make it complex. So when you see in our strategic plan words like what works, what we're really saying is let's look at things that are delivering the outcomes that people where quality and safety and consistency at the where we have frontline teams that working with and getting the capability and the leadership that want, and working closely with all of our communities. Now that sounds simple at one level, but when you that against what people have got in their plans, what their expectations might be, the question is how you knit all of that together. So strength and what works sort of says these are the we're doing well, these are the things that we think should build on. The second leg of the strategic plan really talks building a sustainable and diverse future. And what we're talking about there is that not just funding, but exploring other surface service we might be able to deliver services against, but that also add an increasingly important dimension for our clients, to get satisfaction in the services that are seeking as part of their plans. And I guess one of the things that's important in this context is we don't all know what the future is going to bring. We've got an NDIS review, which has been extended. We have planning and funding arrangements which are both for providers and for individuals. So we need to be, I don't know, to user management we need to be a little bit agile. We certainly don't have all the answers, but we are mindful about building a sustainable and diverse The final leg of our strategic plan relates to and innovation. And what we're really saying here is in support of other two objectives, how can we be as can in improving coordination of services across the How can we make the connections? How can we provide services that are integrated and 2026 in terms of the way which they present not only to our clients, but also to our staff? Because they're the ones that were at the front line supporting the clients, it's not the board in that operational sense, it's all of our staff. So these three pillars relating to strengthening, building a sustainable and diverse future, and innovating and enabling, things that we can work And we have specific goals, of course, associated with them. But in terms of communicating where we're going and able to be responsive to whatever the future a government perspective or from a client needs we think these are the three areas that we can build brand around and quite frankly get those economies of and skill and scope for all of our clients.

Emily Webb: 13:14

You're both speaking about the decisions and the of Meridia that talks about a future where, you know, it's more of a seamless organization of respected, service providers who have each got different histories, cultures and systems. So I'm keen to know, I guess, what do you see is the challenge and the greatest opportunity in trying to that level of integration? And I will note that I was reading the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's report, Australia's Health 2026. And so much of what it found from its uh surveys and data actually about the frustration of the fragmentation of and the fact that people are increasingly needing many all at once. So, Carol, I'll start with you. You've got lived experience utilizing services, but you're on the board, you've got your professional What do you think is the biggest challenge and the greatest opportunity? And why do you want to see that kind of level of

Carol Heijo: 14:22

Yeah, I think that's a really great question. I think, you know, being optimistic and thinking into future, what I'd like to see is that we take the best from each of the organizations that have come So the best in service delivery, the best in staff, the in quality and safeguarding, the best in terms of and that we have a type of one-stop shop with the best provided to people with disability across the country and even, you know, the world in another sense, that we the high-quality services that each of the together and that we deliver that for our participants. I mean, people with disability, we deserve the very best terms of the service provision. And it's sometimes difficult to find that. Yes, there will be, of course, some teething issues, and of course, there'll be some areas where we learn, but the work that Irma did, OC Connections, Bedford, Marriott, and the Disability Trust, knowing the work that we all and that our overarching vision in the delivery services across all the organizations was so that people disability, we truly got the very best service. Bringing that together, I think, will then deliver that for people with disability.

Peter Langkamp: 15:48

And we've said it in the strategic plan, we just connect what matters. We listen to people, we join the dots, we try to make plans come to life. And it means that we're responsive. And we're not having an aggregation of brands just for the sake of it. We're doing it because these organizations have got a strong history and connection with communities, with our clients, and connections with staff. So it's all about people in the end. It's easily said in a sentence, but actually doing it a strong bit of leadership from the most senior in the organization in conversation with the board and with so many other stakeholders. That's so important that we actually try and pull all of that together. And the way that we've been able to do that is to bring it together under a brand, which is a first And secondly, that we then start to leverage all of the great work that these organizations represent way from their history, some 50 and 60 years ago, some even longer. We get the best of all of that, we bring it all And we say, look, this is what we've got, this is who are, this is what we represent, and this is our strength. And we bring that to the table for your consideration. And we really want to make that a success. And so far, it's looking good.

Emily Webb: 17:01

You know, another key focus of the strategy and what the is for Meridia is, you know, the need to reduce reliance say, any single funding stream and expanding into areas we know and that it's predicted that people are going to more of. So mental health, it could be housing-related supports, health, social enterprises, employment. And we know that across the group, each of the organizations has its kind of specialty, I guess. So, Peter, what from a board perspective, and also just knowing the sector, your your son has access services, how important is diversification at this current well, not only Meridias group remains strong and but really it's a story for the sector at the moment, isn't it?

Peter Langkamp: 17:53

Definitely right. 60% of the sector loses money at the moment, and just one measure. So there will be further rationalization in the What we want to do is to ensure that the organizations that have delivered fantastic services over many years continue to do so, and we can do that under the one brand. The second point I want to make is that the branding opportunity for a more connected engagement. So if I take my son as an example, he might and is using SEAL services and day services. And as some Allied Health specialties brought in, else might have a need for SIL services, but would like to move into perhaps supported employment or further over time into open employment. We would like to encourage that. A person might be using some NDIS services, but needs a certain point input from the mental health skill that we have because of the complex nature of their And so we're able to make those referrals within the Now, not everything, of course, is everywhere because is large. But what we want to do is to say that from a leadership perspective, we want to in the knowledge that the sector is under, you know, substantial pressure, how can we organizations together that build on their shared and their shared purpose that reflect the the that they've all had over time to deliver a sort of a outcome that's better. We believe that not only will that deliver better for people through the connection, they won't see the as fragmented, and that we will be able to look at the the financial strength and the productivity come out of that. And I'm not just talking about shared services, which often talked about in the sector, and that but that is one of our things that we want to do more of. We're talking about how do we get financial how do we get productivity and engagement with our be that government or our clients. How do we get engagement with the businesses group that do logistics? These are all very important matters, and we think a conversation around how to do things better everyone's skill sets in a way that is a benefit to

Emily Webb: 20:35

Thanks, Peter. Carol, what about you? I mean, you know, what do you feel is most important going forward for the future of, I guess we call them community you know, the social services sector. I mean, where we're at currently with the challenges that have, but also where you think that they need to go in the future and to meet people's needs.

Carol Heijo: 21:00

I think that I'm going to leverage a little bit of what said before about creating opportunities. So I think the way I see it is we're heavily reliant on service provision or disability employment services, that sort of financial stream. But if we look at it and expand it out a little bit I think not only do we want to minimize or expand the for growth in order to be financially sustainable, but also to create those opportunities for people with We don't just want to be people with disability who use services or disability employment services or Australian enterprises and have a sort of subsidized existence. We want opportunities for ourselves to become small owners or, you know, have meaningful and purposeful Or have independence in the way we live. We want to own our own homes. You know, we want access to all of those things. And I think by creating an organization that doesn't just focus in one direction on, you know, either a charitable or an NDIS model or a government-funded model, and we look for other opportunities, not only will that for the organization, but it will mean more open for people with disability.

Peter Langkamp: 22:35

I tend to agree completely what you're saying, And I would add to that in saying that whether it be internal growth, whether it be through mergers, which done several of over the past few years, or whether it be through partnerships with other to provide the full suite of opportunity for people to make the connections they need to live the lives that want to lead. And I'm not saying that that's easy for everyone, but we put a stake in the ground and say that's what we to achieve, we sort of won't get there in the end. Now, it's also true that there are some conditions to doing all of this, whether that be in the great that the committee is doing on quality and safeguards, whether it be community input, we need to listen of our stakeholders in this regard. We also need to ensure that the way in which these are funded is sustainable. Nobody will forgive us for saying if we tried hard and we just didn't, in the end we failed. We need to find a way of ensuring that these are organizations, that they deliver the best outcomes, and that happens through having a solid base with diversity built into it. And it leverages all of the great brands in the sector that really do want to form part and deliver the that we see as a vision.

Emily Webb: 24:04

Yeah, I was gonna ask about the thought that there are areas that people need, you know, at various times of their life. You know, there's early childhood education, there's age and we we know that there's a lot of intersectional that happen with people, whether they have a disability or a mental health condition. There's a lot of things that intersect with that in complex needs, like you might need family violence services, housing, there's a housing crisis, people don't have accommodation or they may become homeless. I mean, there's so many things. People go to prison. You know, we know that Irma 365 is one of our organizations that works with a lot of people who have had experience of prison and homelessness. So this could be a bit of a cheeky question, but have there been conversations or is there thoughts about maybe doing wraparound services or how we could do that?

Carol Heijo: 24:59

Yeah, absolutely. Those conversations have occurred. I mean, I remember going down to Melbourne when we talking about merging with Irma, the Disability Trust was talking about that, and uh we were exploring what that might look like. And I think it was those opportunities in coming to strengthen our ability to deliver those services every aspect of the two organizations and how we could have that wraparound service was one of the major talking points and decision-making points around the merger. Because we know that yes, the services are similar, yes, funding streams might be similar, but at the end of the what we want to do is really create an opportunity where who require the support, people with disability, mental health conditions, people who may be most people who are experiencing homelessness, people release from prison and may also have disability with that, that we could come together and strengthen the power of service that we can deliver to enable people to live the they choose and have their own opportunities. Yeah, and that's still part of our conversation today at board, and I know for the C-suite and the staff at the

Emily Webb: 26:41

Peter, do you want to add anything about that?

Peter Langkamp: 26:44

Yeah, we're talking sort of about growth areas to a extent, or if you want to call it another word, areas we can actually have greater impact through diversity. And there are a number of human service areas that participate strongly in at the moment, whether that be aged care or childcare or youth services. I mean, in aged care is an interesting one in the sense that many of our staff will also work for aged care Many of the skill sets are the same. And it's how we choose to engage with organizations get the best outcomes, in that particular skill sets that are transferable within the group and even outside the group. There are certainly community infrastructure and sort of property considerations in all of this. Housing is obviously one consideration in that regard, but also like the community centres and how we engage with people in a in a community setting that sense for them. There's social enterprises. We've talked a little bit about Bedford, but organization that delivers support employment to 1,300 people, that uh delivers environmental recycling, eight B doubles a day going in and being sorted. We've got mattress recycling, we've got Green Inc., is doing commercial scale landscaping works, we have businesses, and the list goes on, and I think we ourselves. It's almost like it was kept secret, all these things. How do we bring it out to the open? Because I'm sure people will say, I'd like to do like that. And there's actually nothing stopping us from actually delivering those sorts of experiences for people, they want to take advantage of it. So innovation, if you want to use that word in that is something that we're continually looking at. And uh we'd hope to leverage that well into the future.

Emily Webb: 28:45

Yeah, it's uh it sounds like it's probably a both a daunting and exciting time. And I know certainly from the role that I do and and you keeping up with what's happening and the various government inquiries and and where we think things are heading, it does certainly feel like people really need help. And it's like they don't necessarily know how to access it. And yeah, I guess broadening out the opportunities for to access stuff they need that isn't necessarily NDIS, we know not everyone's eligible for that, or often with health, it's like you need to be in a crisis to actually care. So it's like, how do we do preventative stuff as well? And I I find that a pretty interesting space. So we're sort of heading to the end of our chat, but for both of you, I personally, but also as representatives of this and all these organizations, what would you most from this vision for Meridian, the strategy that we're get the strategic direction rocking along soon? So, Peter, what would you like to be able to see in 10 So if we're sitting here in 10 years' time, it's like, well, what would you love to see achieved?

Peter Langkamp: 30:07

I wish I had a crystal ball that could see that far the future when I'm barely struggling to see what the gonna respond with in the next 12 months. Very true. Success for me is uh engaging with the community. It's about providing uh an understood and easily range of services, it's about ensuring that people see in a safe environment that they can access the that they need to to deliver what they're seeking to in their lives, that we can operate financially in a safe way, that we provide leadership that is trusted both by individuals and quite frankly by government. At the end of the day, we do that most of the funding from government, that we can be a voice for advocacy people where we think it's needed, and quite something we haven't mentioned in this conversation, and one which we've taken up the challenge on, is to that there is a diversity of skill sets on the board reflects the range or an increasing range of disability because everybody has a voice. And you know, we have somebody who has as in Carol is legally blind, we have somebody who's in a wheelchair, we have somebody who has a cognitive impairment. We find that the diversity of opinions that they to the table is very much a part of what we want to see as uh delivering leadership uh into the sector. So if I could leave you with that, I think that's a very important part of what we're seeking to do. There's there's no one answer to everything. It doesn't just pop out, but we think we've got a story and we want to run with it. And in 10 years' time we want to be able to measure as against what we've delivered.

Emily Webb: 32:00

Well, it is very exciting when you consider the groups do. I'm personally learning what each group does every day when I interact with people. I started at Irma 365, and I thought I had a pretty good on what Irma does, but then I've met so many colleagues the other organizations, and it's it blows my mind actually, all the things that are on offer. Carol, what about you? What would be your hope for Meridia and and our services in 10 years' time? Like what's most important to you?

Carol Heijo: 32:33

Yeah, I mean, I guess in order to look forward, we need to look back a bit. And the fact that we're even having this conversation today in 2026, when, you know, I'm in my mid-50s, and these around service delivery for people with disability haven't always existed. So we're here now, we're having this conversation, and is for me, it's groundbreaking that we are thinking My hope is that we leave the sector in 10 years, if I'm on the board, um, that we've made huge changes in the that mean that people with disability, we get the services that we deserve, you know, that we are entitled to, that have rights to access so that we can fully participate in the world like everybody else. You know, I often talk about my own privilege and luck in having employment, meaningful, purposeful employment, has enabled me to have fabulous relationships, access to means, my own home, education. And I would hope that our organization removes the need privilege, removes the need for luck in terms of people disability being able to access stable, ongoing, even own homes, owning their own homes, having meaningful, employment, interacting socially, you know, having access to everything that the able world has access to, and that our organization is able to deliver that and make it for people to live the life they choose.

Emily Webb: 34:16

Yeah, that's a really good way to end this conversation. But I'm sure we'll be talking again, just to each of you. Have you got any final thoughts before we sign off for this episode?

Peter Langkamp: 34:29

I'm very excited about the future. I am very keen to meet all of our stakeholders, our our clients. I'm keen to meet more staff. We are all energized, and we're all here for a And we want to see ourselves get the runs on the board. And that's for me uh the motivating factor.

Carol Heijo: 34:55

Just thank you for the opportunity to talk to you, Emily, and to be on the podcast and to share our thoughts listeners and our community. Thank you so much for the opportunity and thank you, for being such an amazing leader.

Emily Webb: 35:13

It is a really energizing time to actually be and working in this space. It's hard. Like it's a it can be pretty tough at times, this sector. I can't lie, I've uh come off the back of a few weeks of grant applications and tenders, and yeah, a lot. So, but you know what? It's for like something that's purposeful and that means a lot.

Peter Langkamp: 35:36

Look, I think we've taken a really different path than than a number of other organizations. That's not to say ours is any better than theirs, but trying to put our mark in the way in which we see the evolving. And I think our collection of brands will be an proposition for everybody. And I would include in that the way in which the sector sees itself because we do see, you know, Meridia as a experienced brand as well. And so working together with other organizations in that we're not present, you know, it becomes a when you've got a bigger and bolder vision than what might otherwise have been able to achieve if we just had a single branded opportunity.

Emily Webb: 36:21

I agree, and I can tell you as someone who like has to tell the story of you know, organization, it actually makes a of sense and it makes it a bit easier to do it, and it's a very powerful story. So if people want to find out more about what we in this episode, you can go to meridia.au. There will also be more information in the show notes. And to our listeners, be sure to subscribe and share GetReal podcast with your colleagues and networks because it more people hear these conversations. So thanks for listening, and again, thank you to Peter and Carol. Thanks so much, Emily.

Carol Heijo: 36:57

Thanks, Emily, and I'm gonna go to the house.