Community Matters

In this heartfelt episode of Community Matters , Nicky Sloan is joined by Christine Wilde, an experienced Foster Carer with CareSouth, a community-based organisation that provides a range of services including Aunties & Uncles, Family Connections and youth and disability support services that support children, young people and families.  Drawing on her experience caring for 19 children over th...

At just 26 years old, Rebecca Schmidt Lachlan woke up from a stroke able to do only one thing: blink her eyes. What followed was a remarkable journey of reinvention, resilience, and purpose. In this episode, Nicky sits down with Bec, stroke survivor, author, radio host, inclusion advocate, and volunteer board director, for a conversation that is as practical as it is inspiring. Bec's story is...

What if the solutions being built for tomorrow's world are only designed for half the people in it? That's the provocative question at the heart of this week's Community Matters , featuring Tamantha Stutchbury the Director of iAccelerate at the University of Wollongong and the 2026 Wollongong Local Woman of the Year. Tamantha brings a rare combination of scientific rigour and entrep...

On this inspiring episode of Community Matters, Nicky sits down with local legend Susan Wallis, Head of Government and Philanthropy at Good360 , a remarkable charity tackling one of Australia's most overlooked issues, the $4.5 billion worth of brand new goods going to landfill every year. Susan explains how overproduction is baked into capitalism, you need surplus to meet demand, but that sur...

The community sector talks a lot about lived experience but what does it really mean, and how can a lived reality of disability become a form of expertise every bit as hard earned, powerful and valuable as any doctorate? In this eye-opening episode, host Nicky sits down with someone who is themself a doctor (but would prefer to be called Shane) - Dr Shane Clifton, the Director of the Centre for Di...

Getting a regular paid gig in the performing arts is no easy feat, but Ethan Arnold has done exactly that. In this enjoyable and thought-provoking episode of Community Matters, Nicky sits down with Ethan to hear his remarkable story. Ethan is a Performer, Writer and Creator with The Strangeways Ensemble — a local theatre group of seven professional actors, all performers with an intellectual disab...

What does it mean to be one of the wealthiest nations on earth, yet leave one in six children living in poverty? In Australia, that contradiction is stark — and for nearly 40% of sole parent families, poverty isn't a risk on the horizon, it's the daily reality. In this episode, Nicky sits down with Melissa Andrews, Program Manager for Barnardos Communities for Children in Shellharbour, t...

What does it look like when someone who has spent their career fighting for communities steps into parliament where decisions actually get made? On this episode of Community Matters, host Nicky Sloan sits down with Katelin McInerney, the newly elected Member for Kiama in the NSW State Government, to find out. Katelin brings something rare to the halls of parliament - a background rooted in communi...

Aboriginal Australians make up just 4% of the population — yet account for 36% of the prison population. And that number is still rising. This week, Nicky sits down with Aunty Barb Nicholson to ask the question Aunty Barb herself calls " the million-dollar question ": why is this happening, and what do we need to do differently? Aunty Barb is a Wodi Wodi Elder whose life has been defined...

This special episode of Community Matters comprises a keynote presentation from Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist at The Australia Institute , who makes the case as to why everyone in the community sector needs to care about taxation reform if we want to achieve a Fairer Australia.   Recorded at the University of Wollongong on the 20th of February 2026 this presentation explains the need and achieva...

Accessing and navigating the NDIS is challenging for anyone—but for people whose first language isn't English, it's even more daunting. A 28-page application is just the start. Applicants also need multiple specialist assessments and reports to prove eligibility.  If you make it that far then there is the challenge of how to access supports and services. In this episode of Community Matt...

When demand for homelessness services hits record levels, what does innovation look like to respond to the challenge? With 68,700 people on social housing waitlists across the state and over 3,000 waiting in the Wollongong-Shellharbour area alone, the homelessness crisis can feel overwhelming. But Kelly McGarrity, Housing Services Manager at Wollongong Homeless Hub and Housing Services (WHHHS) , i...

More than 1 in 10 Australians live with asthma—that's 2.8 million people. In the Illawarra alone, over 250 people are hospitalized each year, impacting not just those with the condition but their families and communities.  In this informative episode of Community Matters, Nicky talks with Alexander Brown, Asthma Program Coordinator with Healthy Cities Australia , about a partnership that&apos...

The 2024 Closing the Gap report revealed a stark truth: 47% of the health gap for Aboriginal people, including life expectancy rates, is related to institutional racism, interpersonal racism, and intergenerational trauma. These findings make one thing clear: cultural safety isn't optional. But what does cultural safety actually mean for community service organisations, and how do we achieve i...

In a terrible indictment on disability inclusion in leadership and governance roles, across Australia's 300 largest companies, not a single director openly identifies as living with disability . Zero. And it's been that way for years. In this powerful episode of Community Matters, host Nicky Sloan sits down with Krystal Tritton, CEO of disability provider roundsquared , who describes thi...

What does it mean to truly live, even when facing a life-altering diagnosis? This life affirming conversation with Wollongong lawyer, board director, mentor and well-known community connector Graham Lancaster cuts to the heart of the value of civic engagement.  Graham was recently recognised with the Medal for the Order of Australia for his service to the law, and to the Illawarra community. Nicky...

In this essential episode of Community Matters, Nicky speaks with Alison Oyston, Manager of Illawarra Advocacy, about why the last 12 months have been "one of the most difficult in recent history" for people with disability.  "There's a lot of danger inherent in the circumstances we are seeing at the moment, and we are really screaming risk from the rooftops at our organisation...

What happens when 200 hectares of industrial land becomes available for transformation? For Wollongong, it represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the region's future while honoring its past. In this compelling episode of Community Matters, Nicky sits down with Michael Yiend, Head of Property Development at BlueScope , to explore an ambitious project that will create an estim...

With over 13,000 young people in NSW alone without a secure place to sleep tonight, it’s time we talked about youth homelessness and the critical lack of housing security for young people across our region.  Nicky unpacks this issue with Kristy Puckeridge, Manager at Southern Youth and Family Services (SYFS) on this vital episode of Community Matters. Kristy speaks to the range of issues that impa...

With 32% of Australia’s population born overseas Australia is truly a nation of immigrants with a strong and diverse multicultural identity.  On this episode Nicky speaks with Allyson Pazos, Manager for Youth and Refugee Services at MCCI (Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra) about the important work they are doing in community supporting former refugees and new migrants to the region. N...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of suicide that may be upsetting or triggering for some listeners. Resources and support are available and listed at the bottom of the show notes below.   In this episode of Community Matters Nicky talks with Lachlan Stevens, Director Founder and Veteran , about the importance of “a sense of purpose” and the work he is doing to support veterans tr...

“ It’s a little bit mind blowing! ” says Nicky in this vital episode as she talks Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Jagdeep Singh , Emerging Technologies and Innovation Specialist.  Jagdeep and Nicky take a much-needed look at the “big gap” that exists between the use of AI in the workplace and the boardroom and the guardrails, the guidance and the policy that guides staff and directors around org...

On this important episode of Community Matters Nicky talks with Karen Burdett, CEO of Greenacres Disability Services, and dives into the benefits of employment inclusion and the challenges we face today as a result of Australia not keeping pace with the OECD levels of employment for people with disability. Just reaching OECD averages on disability employment would see 117,000 people with disabilit...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual violence and disturbing content that may be upsetting or triggering for some listeners. Please use your discretion when deciding whether to continue listening. If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, resources and support are available and listed at the bottom of the show notes below.   ************* In this chal...

In this episode Nicky speaks with Alice Lans the CEO of Noah’s Inclusion Services to better understand how allied health disability services support functional outcomes for children with disability.  Alice is a Speech Pathologist by training and now leads a dedicated team of allied health professionals, support workers and early childhood educators at Noah’s all of whom are working together to sup...