Board Election 2026

CEWA is now open for Board Elections 2026. There are a number of positions open following the retirement of six Board members this year.

This is a chance to help shape CEWA’s direction at an important time for the community services sector. Board members guide our strategy, strengthen our governance and support our work to advocate for employers across Western Australia.

Following Board members will now retire this year:

Neil Guard
Amanda Hunt
Justine Colyer
Dan Minchin
Kelda Oppermann
Ann Curran

Joanna Collins and Carol Daws are due to re-stand.

Have More Questions?

For enquiries regarding the election process, contact:
• Returning Officer, Tricia Murray AM on 0411 704 953 or triciamurray@iinet.net.au
• Annette Watkins, CEWA Executive Director on 0428 120 226 or annette.watkins@cewa.org.au

If you are interested in nominating but unsure of the specifics of the role, feel free to contact:

Chairperson Neil Guard at neil@guardconsulting.com.au or Vice Chairperson Amanda Hunt at amanda.hunt@54reasons.org.au for further information.

Details of other Board members are found on the CEWA Board Member Page.

Key Dates

Lodgement of nominations is from 9.00am on 2 October 2026 and remain open until 5.00pm, 16 October 2026.
Election results will be announced at the CEWA Annual General Meeting to be held on 4 December 2026.
Nominations must be sent to boardnominations@cewa.org.au before 5pm 16 October 2026

Further Information

Nomination Form Download

CEWA Strategic Plan Download

CEWA Constitution Download

2026 Annual General Meeting

The election results will be announced at the 2026 CEWA Annual General Meeting.

As part of the AGM, a workshop for all members will be conducted on AI and governance. Following are details:

Date: 4 December 2026

Time: 9am – 1pm

Venue: The Platform, Perth

The content of the work will explore the fact that AI is already used in most community service organisations in Western Australia, often without board approval. That is a governance gap.

From December 2026, the Privacy Act requires organisations to disclose in their privacy policy where a computer program makes, or substantially assists in making, decisions that significantly affect a person. Community service providers do not get the small-business exemption. Australia has no AI Act yet, but one could arrive in 2027, and existing laws already apply.

But, equally, it’s not just about the governance of AI, oversight, and policy guardrails. The most advanced boards – especially those with fewer resources are seeing the opportunities for AI to enhance their own work, creating higher quality and stress-tested decisions, even before they leave the boardroom.

AI also offers boards a way to make better decisions. This workshop aims to give you increased confidence in all of the above.

Paul Smith - The Board Futurist

Paul Smith is known globally as The Board Futurist.

He is a governance practitioner, experienced board chair, facilitator, educator and author working where technology, behavioural science and board effectiveness meet. He has worked with more than 250 boards across listed companies, regulated financial institutions, statutory bodies, not-for-profits and founder-led organisations.

He chairs a biotechnology company spun out of CSIRO, holds advisory positions with service-based organisational boards going through significant governance transitions, and works directly with others on board composition, decision quality and succession.

He is a Senior Teaching Fellow at Bond University, teaching in the Master of Laws in Enterprise Governance, and has facilitated advanced director education for institutes in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Canada.

Paul is the author of The Artificially Intelligent Boardroom and the award-winning Right Seat Right Table. He writes and speaks on the premise that the board of the future will be simultaneously more human and less human — technologically capable, and more dependent than ever on stewardship, self-awareness and curiosity.

The Workshop

Three hours of practical work for people who govern. No technical expertise is required. The aim is increased confidence, capability, and action. It will be designed for a room where a four-person volunteer board sits alongside a large multi-service provider. The work scales down as readily as it scales up.

What Participants Can Expect:

● A clear view of which AI decisions belong to the board and management

● Questions to put to management, and what a good answer sounds like.

● An honest read on their own exposure and requirements.

● Use cases that can be taken to your next board meeting.