Palmerston Association

28/10/2026

WE'RE HIRING!
Palmerston is looking for an Aboriginal Cultural Advisor to help strengthen culturally safe practice across our services and ensure Aboriginal voices, knowledge and perspectives continue to shape the way we work.

Working alongside our leadership team, staff, clients and community partners, you’ll provide cultural guidance, build relationships with Aboriginal communities, Elders and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, and support our workforce to deliver culturally responsive services that recognise the importance of culture, identity, belonging and connection.

📍 Location: West Leederville, with travel to other Palmerston sites
🕒 Position: Permanent, full-time
📅 Applications close: 18 November 2026

If you bring strong cultural knowledge, community connections and a commitment to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, we’d love to hear from you.

👉 Find out more and apply via SEEK.
https://hubs.li/Q04CymVr0

Aboriginality is a genuine requirement for this position under Section 50D of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984.

28/10/2026

Last week we held our 2026 Annual General Meeting, released our Annual Report 2025–26 and launched our new strategy, Towards Health Justice 2027–2032.

In 2025–26 we:
⚪️Supported 8,880 people across Western Australia.

⚪️Opened George Davies House in West Leederville, with alcohol and other drug, legal, health, dental and wellbeing services in one place.

⚪️Merged with Sussex Street Community Law Service and established Palmerston Legal.

⚪️Opened Kareba House in Katanning with Kadadjiny Aboriginal Corporation
Kedala Mia youth day rehab in Mandurah with Winjan Aboriginal Corporation.

⚪️Heard from 356 clients in our survey, and 91% rated their care as excellent or very good.

“Behind every statistic is a person who trusted Palmerston to walk alongside them.” – Emma Jarvis, CEO

“Health justice is not a finished state or growth for its own sake. It is a disciplined commitment to connect support, strengthen practice and measure whether people experience real improvement.” – Jordan Kelly, Chair

Thank you to our staff, volunteers, Board, Aboriginal Elders, partners, funders and the communities we walk alongside.

This progress is shared.
Read the full Annual Report and Strategic Plan 👇

26/10/2026

🍂LOUISE – PALMERSTON LIFE MEMBER

At Palmerston’s 2026 Annual General Meeting, we were proud to recognise Louise Johnstone Forster with Life Membership in honour of her outstanding contribution to the organisation.

Louise retired in January after more than a decade serving as a Director, Vice Chair and Chair of the Board.

Her leadership, commitment and dedication have helped shape Palmerston and strengthen the organisation through a period of significant growth and change.

Thank you Louise, for your years of service and the lasting legacy you leave at Palmerston. This Life Membership is a fitting recognition of your contribution.

26/10/2026

🌿KAMBARANG SEASON UPDATES FROM PALMERSTON

As we welcome Kambarang, we’re celebrating growth, connection and the impact happening across Palmerston.

From new initiatives and partnerships to the achievements of our people, explore the latest stories making a difference across our communities.

As Djilba gives way to Kambarang, the season brings warmer days, vibrant wildflowers and new growth across Country. A time of blossoming and renewal,

24/10/2026

👣 Walking together for reconciliation

Palmerston team members joined thousands of Western Australians at Reconciliation WA’s Walk for Reconciliation at Kaarta Koomba (Kings Park).

Through the smoking ceremony and storytelling along the trail, we learned more about Noongar history and the importance of acknowledging the past.

Reconciliation is a shared responsibility that requires ongoing learning, listening and action. Well beyond one walk or one week of the year.

Thank you to Reconciliation WA and the Whadjuk Noongar people, Traditional Custodians of Kaarta Koomba, for welcoming us on Country. 🍂

Reconciliation WA

15/10/2026

🍂Celebrating Global Peer Support Celebration Day

Today, we recognise and celebrate the invaluable contribution of Peer Workers.

At Palmerston, we know that lived and living experience brings unique expertise to alcohol and other drug (AOD) support and recovery. Peer Workers foster connection, build trust and offer hope through shared understanding, helping ensure services are shaped around the people who access them.

Peer work is more than support. It is about empowering people, strengthening recovery and ensuring lived and living experience has a meaningful voice in shaping the services and systems that support our communities.

Today, we thank all Peer Workers and Lived Experience Workers for the compassion, knowledge and leadership they bring to their work every day. 🫶

14/10/2026

🧠 Palmerston at the Global Mental Health Summit 2026

Today, Palmerston was proud to attend and present at the Global Mental Health Summit, contributing to important conversations about mental health, alcohol and other drug (AOD) support, identity and recovery, particularly within multicultural settings and communities.

Our presentations explored:

🔹 Embedding AOD Support in Mental Health Care: Insights from a Pilot Program , Alex Markos and Stan Mhembere highlighted the importance of integrating AOD support into mental health care.

🔹 Disconnecting from Identity through Mental Health Challenges. Kate Walsh and Hidayah Mohd Fairuz explored the role of identity, connection and culturally responsive care in supporting wellbeing and recovery.

🔹 Redefining Risk presented in partnership with Mind Australia by Misha & Thomas. Challenging traditional approaches and encouraging new ways of thinking about risk and recovery.

At Palmerston, we recognise that mental health and alcohol and other drug challenges do not exist in isolation. Effective, person-centred care must recognise each individual’s identity, culture and lived experience, strengthening connection, inclusion and recovery.

Thank you to the Global Mental Health Summit and the Multicultural Services Centre of WA (MSWA) for bringing people together to share insights, challenge thinking and strengthen the future of mental health care.

Mind Australia
Multicultural WA
Western Australian Mental Health Commission
Meredith Hammat MLA

12/10/2026

This Anti-Poverty Week, Palmerston is proud to support the No Place for Poverty campaign, recognising that everyone has a role to play in creating a fairer future.

Poverty isn’t inevitable, and meaningful change starts when we listen to people’s voices, challenge the systems that contribute to disadvantage, and work together to create better outcomes for our communities.

Through programs like Palmerston’s Homelessness Access Program in Albany, we’re putting this commitment into action. Delivered in partnership with Pioneer Health, the program connects people experiencing or at risk of homelessness with primary healthcare, outreach, advocacy and pathways to stable housing.

By meeting people where they are and connecting them with the support they need, we can help build stronger, healthier communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

There is no place for poverty, and there is a role for all of us in ending it.

12/10/2026

📣 Connections Week Albany Starts Today: Every Person Matters

Throughout the week, local organisations will be connecting with people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity to better understand their circumstances and link them with practical support.


This is more than a count. It is about listening respectfully, creating a clearer picture of local need and strengthening coordination between services.

👉 If you know of anyone experiencing homelessness, couch surfing, living somewhere unsafe or worried about losing your housing, encourage people to visit the Central Hub in the Alison Hartman Gardens on Thursday 15 October from 8.30 am – 2 pm to connect.




Advance Housing Ltd
Great Southern Community Legal Services
The City of Albany
Anglicare WA Great Southern
Southern Aboriginal Corporation
Pivot Support Services
Albany Community Foundation
Western Australian Alliance to End Homelessness
Albany Youth Support Association

11/10/2026

📢 We’re looking for a Clinical Auditor to join the Palmerston team in Perth.

This is a great opportunity to contribute to the quality, safety and effectiveness of our services, supporting clinical governance, compliance and continuous improvement across the organisation.

If you have experience in auditing, quality assurance or compliance within health, mental health, AOD or community services, and are passionate about making a difference, we’d love to hear from you.

📍 Location: West Leederville
🕒 Contract: 3-month fixed-term
📅 Applications close: Monday 19 October 2026

Ready to join the team? Head to SEEK to view the full position description and submit your application.
https://hubs.li/Q04zJ1WK0

🔗 Explore this opportunity and all current vacancies at Palmerston:
https://hubs.li/Q04zJ1Qv0