About this event
WEAAD 2025 Online Forum – "Rights First: Preventing Elder Abuse in a Changing Aged Care Landscape"
Date: Wednesday, 11 June 2025 | Time: 10am ACST
Register here
Join ARAS for our 18th annual WEAAD Online Forum on 11 June 2025. This year's theme, "Rights First: Preventing Elder Abuse in a Changing Aged Care Landscape", places older people's rights at the heart of aged care reform, while spotlighting the vital importance of elder abuse prevention.
The forum will be officially opened by the Hon. Nat Cook MP, Minister for Human Services and Minister for Seniors and Ageing Well in South Australia, via a recorded video message. Minister Cook has long championed the rights and wellbeing of vulnerable South Australians and plays a key role in supporting elder abuse prevention initiatives.
We're excited to welcome the following speakers:
Carolanne Barkla
Chief Executive, Aged Rights Advocacy Service (ARAS)
Presentation topic: Reflections and Impact: ARAS in 2024–25
Time: 10.10am
Carolanne Barkla will open the speaker program with a reflection on the work and achievements of ARAS over the past year. Her update will highlight key developments in elder abuse prevention, advocacy, education, and systemic reform—setting the scene for the conversations to follow.
Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner Andrea Kelly
Leading the way in ensuring culturally safe, inclusive aged care for First Nations Elders
Presentation topic: Transforming Aged Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Time: 10.30am
Andrea Kelly is a proud Warumungu and Larrakia woman with over 33 years of dedicated service in the Australia Public Service. Her career has been distinguished by her commitment to advancing the rights of First Nations peoples through influential roles, including her position as Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Reconciliation Australia. Notably, she played a pivotal role in establishing the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme, a landmark initiative addressing historical injustices faced by Indigenous communities.
Currently serving as the Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner, Andrea Kelly leads efforts to advocate for culturally safe aged care services for First Nations communities across Australia. Andrea's extensive experience and deep cultural insights drive her ongoing work to influence public policy and achieve meaningful change for First Nations peoples.
Daniella Greenwood
International dementia and human rights consultant, aged care reform advocate, and thought leader.
Presentation topic: Rights First - Every Time
Time: 11.05am
Daniella Greenwood is an international consultant, advisor, keynote speaker and published author specialising in human rights and citizenship policy and practice in aged care.
She is regularly engaged in a range of expert advisory roles including with the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), Meaningful Ageing Australia, Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care and the Australian Recreational Therapy Association (where she is a board member). In 2020 Daniella was invited to provide expert witness testimony for the Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
In her previous role as National Strategy and Innovation Manager, Daniella was responsible for developing and implementing an award-winning relational approach nationally.
Why attend?
- Be part of a nationally recognised forum — our last online event welcomed over 800 registrants.
- Hear from thought leaders and changemakers across aged care, health, community services, and research.
- Join a diverse audience from across Australia and beyond.
Since 1990, ARAS has been empowering older South Australians to uphold their aged care and human rights. As the SA member of the Commonwealth-funded Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), ARAS continues to lead the conversation on elder abuse prevention.
Let's come together to champion the rights of older people and build a safer, more respectful aged care system.
Register here
See it. Stop it. Prevent it. There's no excuse for abuse
