Ron Hooton joined Vision Australia as Chief Executive Officer in January 2013. He was recruited to lead the organisation in transforming from a charity to a “for purpose business”. Since then, Ron has led Vision Australia through a remarkable period of change, achieving significant outcomes for the blind and low vision communities of Australia. Ron is my guest this morning after 8am… Ron to talk about the importance of Vision Australia along with the continuing plight of Indigenous Australians and their battle with eye health. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 40 have 6 times the rate of blindness of other Australians.
Also for the very first time for Carols By Candlelight, The Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir consisting of 25 members will travel from six remote communities within a thousand-kilometre radius throughout central Australia to perform a stirring rendition of a Christmas Carol in their traditional Western Arrant and Pitjantjatjara language.
Prior to joining Vision Australia, Ron spent seven years as Chief Executive of ProCare Health Limited, New Zealand’s largest primary health organisation, and before that was the New Zealand Defence Force’s first Chief Information Officer. Concurrent with these roles, Ron was a volunteer Director and Chair (2009-2012) of Child fund New Zealand, an international NGO.
Following the start of his career as a specialist in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, Ron has gained experience in a range of diverse industries including banking, financial services, telecommunications, defence, health, and most recently, disability. Ron maintains his expertise and strong links to the ICT sector. Ron holds a Master’s in Business Administration (with Distinction) from Massey University (NZ) and qualifications as an Executive Coach. Vision Australia is a leading national provider of blindness and low vision services. We work with Australians who are blind or have low vision, helping them live the life they choose.
We support more than 25,500 people of all ages and circumstances. We do this through our online services and at Vision Australia centres. These are located in Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. We also offer outreach programs in the Northern Territory and Tasmania.
We are a not-for-profit organisation. We’re also a major participant and partner in the international blindness community.
Why Vision Australia exists To support people of all ages who are blind or have low vision to live the life they choose.
What Vision Australia does Create opportunities for people who are blind or have low vision to be as independent as they choose.
Vision Australia’s mission Welcome to Vision Australia. This is the story of who we are, what we stand for, what drives our passion and ultimately our success. Our story is unique. It highlights a mission brought to life by actions driven by our heads and our hearts. At the centre of our story are the people we support. Vision Australia’s mission is to support people who are blind or have low vision to live the life they choose. Our mission is brought to life by our actions.
Vision Australia’s history In 2004 Vision Australia became Australia's first national blindness agency. Vision Australia was formed following the merger of the Royal Blind Society (RBS), the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (RVIB), Vision Australia Foundation (VAF), and the National Information Library Services (NILS) in July 2004.
Our organisation was further expanded in December 2006 through the amalgamation of Royal Blind Foundation Queensland and November 2007, Hear a Book, a Tasmanian producer of audio books, also joined us. In July 2008 Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA) merged with Vision Australia. This made Vision Australia the only national provider of dog guide services.