MEDIA RELEASE – Thank You, Dr Di Winkler AM

It is with sadness, immense gratitude and deep respect that Liverty Housing announces that Dr Di Winkler AM is stepping down from our Board of Directors.

Di has recently accepted an appointment as a Director of the National Disability Research Partnership Board. This prestigious role will complement her ongoing work with the Summer Foundation and, while it represents an opportunity to continue influencing the future of disability policy and research, it also means leaving her position at Liverty Housing.

Some people shape a sector. A rare few redefine what is possible. Di, Liverty Housing’s founder, has done both.

Few Australians have influenced disability housing as profoundly as Di. Her unwavering belief that people with disability deserve a home where they can feel safe, make decisions about their lives and live like the rest of us has been Liverty Housing’s true north and our inspiration. Her relentless drive has improved the lives of Liverty Housing’s 3,000 plus tenants over the last 8 years and thousands of others across Australia.

Driven initially by the injustice of young people with disability living in aged care, Di invested not only her expertise and decades of advocacy, but also her own resources to develop Liverty Housing’s successful model of independent living. A model freely shared across the sector.  By combining purpose-built accessible homes, assistive technology and integrated supports, she helped demonstrate that people with disability could live independently and with dignity. That vision helped lay the guideposts for the Specialist Disability Accommodation sector — a national housing market with more than $3.6 billion invested.

But Di has never measured success in dollars invested or homes constructed. Her measure of success has always been transforming lives.

As one of our tenants, Lisa, so powerfully expressed:

“In aged care, I didn’t know what was happening to me and no one bothered to tell me. Living in my apartment, I now have the control to make my own plans—when I want to, and where I want to.”

Throughout her career, Di has been a powerful advocate for accessible, inclusive and person-centred housing. She has consistently challenged governments, providers, designers and policymakers to think beyond compliance and to create homes that genuinely enable people to live the lives they choose.

Di’s influence is perhaps best reflected in the words of a member of Liverty Housing’s Tenant Advisory Committee, Joanna:

“For the first time my home became truly my place. Unlike before, I no longer felt confined or needed to justify my existence. I now have the mental energy to consider new projects, like writing a book, and I cherish the peace and independence my new home offers. Life in a wheelchair is never going to be easy. But if you’ve got a safe place to be… then you can recharge the batteries.”

Stories like Lisa’s and Joanna’s remind us of Di’s vision that accessible housing is about the freedom to live an ordinary life.

Beyond her advocacy, Di has been extraordinarily generous with her knowledge, mentoring researchers, providers and advocates across Australia. She has challenged assumptions, inspired innovation and ensured that the voices of people with disability remain at the centre of every conversation that affects their lives.

Di’s influence can be seen in the adoption of universal design principles and the recognition that appropriate housing is a fundamental human right for all of us.

While we are saddened to see Di leave our Board, we know her influence is far from over. Her vision will continue to inspire and direct what we aim to do at Liverty Housing.  Also, the National Disability Research Partnership Board, and indeed the entire disability sector, will continue to benefit from her courage and relentless commitment to improving the lives of people with disability.

Di’s impact is woven into the homes people now live in, the choices they now enjoy, and the futures they can imagine. It is a legacy that will endure for generations.

So, we say farewell, but not goodbye.

On behalf of everyone at Liverty Housing — our tenants and their families, our staff, our investors and the Board of Directors — we honour Di and we thank her for all she has made possible.

-ENDS-

For further information:

Chris Leptos AO

Chairman, Liverty Housing

chris@leptos.com

Mob 0419 685 635

Stuart Miller

CEO, Liverty Housing

stuart.miller@liverty.org.au

Mob 0426 731 017