When Catholic Healthcare announced the closure of St Francis Aged Care in Grafton - a home that, due to the age of the building and the layout of its rooms and facilities, was no longer suited to providing the standard of contemporary aged care residents deserve - residents faced an abrupt and deeply personal loss. Many had lived there for years.
For Coleen, who spent eight and a half years at St Francis, the news came without warning. 'We only found out three weeks before,' she recalls. 'We didn't know we were going, and we didn't know it was being closed.'
What made the difference was how South Grafton Community Aged Care responded. For Purpose Aged Care's newest 144-bed facility opened on 1 December 2025. On that first day, 40 St Francis residents arrived - along with approximately 30 familiar staff members. Ngaere was the first resident welcomed through the doors. She keeps the photo the staff printed to mark the moment. 'That's me,' she says, pointing to herself at the entrance. 'First one through.'
The decision to absorb such a large cohort in a single day was bold, and Residential Manager Toni didn't underestimate it. 'I knew I was getting 40 people on one day,' she says. 'I've done this for years and it is not how you'd usually plan it.' But the day itself surprised her. 'It was amazing. It went off really well.' Her team approached the challenge with care and compassion - many of them having made the move from St Francis themselves, and understanding exactly what residents were going through.
The continuity of care staff provided proved critical. For Bryson, a lifelong Grafton local, familiar faces eased the transition considerably. 'That made it easier for me,' he says. 'More relaxed, you know?' For Alwyn and Jill - a couple who had volunteered at St Francis for 14 years before becoming residents themselves - the staff who came across were an anchor point during the adjustment. 'They came with us,' Alwyn says simply. 'That was good.'
Three months on, residents are settling in. Coleen notes the first month was hard, but adds: 'This last month has been better. It's a big change.' She praises the staff warmly: 'They're wonderful.' Alwyn is more direct: 'The facility is A-plus. They're not wrong on a thing.' Ngaere puts it simply: 'We're beautifully looked after.'
Toni credits her team's commitment for the smoother-than-expected transition, and is candid about the scale of the undertaking; the home had welcomed more than 80 residents and was around 50% full within barely two months of opening. 'It's been an experience,' she says. 'Lots of hard work, long hours but we've been given this beautiful home.'
The move was hard. Grafton is a small regional community, and the loss of St Francis was felt widely. But in welcoming 40 residents and 30 staff on a single day, For Purpose Aged Care gave something back: continuity, connection, and a new place to call home.
'It's their home,' says Toni. 'We're just working here.'
The For Purpose Investment Partners skills education platform, Catalyst Education, has begun trading as For Purpose Education. The transition began on 1 July 2026 and brings the business into closer alignment with the wider For Purpose group.
A name that reflects the mission
FPIP invested in Catalyst Education in 2021 to build a not-for-profit skills education platform and strengthen the pipeline of skilled carers, educators, and support professionals that Australia needs. The new name states that purpose plainly. It also connects the business more visibly to the other organisations we back across aged care, disability support, and community services.
The rebrand changes the name and the look of the business. Its strategy, leadership, and commitment to quality training remain exactly as they were.
The same trusted training organisations
For Purpose Education operates three Registered Training Organisations (RTOs): Selmar Institute of Education, Practical Outcomes, and ARC Training. Together they deliver accessible, industry-relevant training across early childhood education and care, aged care, disability support, health and community services, and business.
In the 2025 financial year (FY25), the business supported 4,100 learners across four states and territories. Of these, 56% were based in regional and remote locations, and 85% of completed learners improved their employment position, compared with an industry average of 65%.
Why this matters
Australia faces a critical shortfall of care workers. Training providers that keep pace with the needs of employers, learners, and communities are central to closing that gap. For Purpose Education has a clear role to play, and we are confident the business is well positioned to grow its contribution.
No change for learners and partners
Nothing changes for enrolled learners, employers, or industry partners. Trainers, support arrangements, partnerships, and funding arrangements all continue as they are.
What comes next
A new For Purpose Education website will launch soon at FPEducation.com.au, creating a single home for the training the business delivers across Australia.
We congratulate the For Purpose Education team on this milestone and look forward to the next chapter.
23 June 2026 - FP Ability is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Powell as Chief Executive Officer of specialised meal delivery businesses Able Foods and Tender Loving Cuisine (TLC). Mark will commence in the role on 3 August 2026.
Mark brings more than 20 years of senior executive experience in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. His expertise spans sales, marketing, procurement, and supply chain. He joins FP Ability from NAFDA, where he served as General Manager Australia and New Zealand. In that role he drove growth, integrated new markets, and managed operations for the member-owned cooperative.
Throughout his career, Mark has scaled businesses, led high-performing teams, and built enduring customer relationships. His focus on consultative planning and his commitment to business development position him well to lead FP Ability through its next phase of growth.
'Mark's experience scaling businesses in the FMCG sector, combined with his alignment to our mission, makes him the right leader for FP Ability at this stage of its growth,' said Rob Blackwell, Executive Chair of FP Ability. 'Able Foods and TLC provide safe, nutritious meals to older Australians and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants every day. Mark understands both the commercial discipline and the social purpose that sit at the heart of these businesses. We look forward to working with him as we continue to grow their impact across the aged care and disability sectors.'
'I am delighted to join FP Ability and to lead two businesses that make a real difference to people's lives every day,' said Mark. 'Able Foods and TLC have strong foundations and committed teams. I look forward to working with them to innovate, broaden what we offer, and reach more of the clients who rely on us.'
The 2026–27 Federal Budget delivered the largest savings package on record ($63.8 billion) alongside a major tax reform package. We have completed an initial review of what this means for For Purpose Investment Partners and the sectors where we invest.
Our overall view - this is a net positive Budget. Our existing portfolio is well positioned. Our pipeline benefits from record housing investment and supply-side reform. The reform agenda creates clear openings for advocacy on issues that matter to our investors and our sectors, and ultimately the people we are creating impact for.
Implications for our portfolio
•Aged care — positive. New capital subsidies of $30 per supported resident per day for newly built homes (payable up to 25 years) directly improve returns on greenfield and expansion stock. A further $1.1 billion sits in Contingency Reserve to implement recommendations from the Aged Care Accommodation Pricing Review.
•Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) — neutral. The 160,000 participant reduction is targeted at lower-support-needs cohorts redirected to Thriving Kids and Foundational Supports. Our SDA assets focus on the highest-needs cohorts and are not expected to be materially affected.
•Disability services — mixed. National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) reform is expected to reduce the number of participants by 160,000 to deliver $37.8 billion in savings, and we expect modest near-term volume risk for service providers during the transition. Mandatory registration of high-risk providers and continuation of the Fraud Fusion Taskforce favour quality, registered, scaled operators, providing a structural tailwind for our investment thesis over time.
•Skills education — neutral. No material new measures affecting current operations.
Implications for our pipeline
•Social and affordable housing — positive. Housing investment lifts to a record $47 billion. The negative gearing and capital gains tax (CGT) reform package redirects investor demand from established property to new builds. Build-to-rent developments and private capital supporting government housing programs are explicitly exempt. The new $2 billion Local Infrastructure Fund supports unlocking new supply.
•Broader disability services — positive structural tilt. The same registered-provider and integrity reforms favour quality scaled operators, directly aligned with the FPIP thesis. The $7 billion Foundational Supports and Thriving Kids programs open new state-delivered markets outside the NDIS.
•Early childhood education and care — neutral with marginal upside. Thriving Kids in early childhood settings ($139.7 million over 5 years) may open adjacent revenue stream. The Inclusion Support top-up ($54.8 million in 2026–27) adds modest margin for services supporting children with additional needs. Government funding for the Worker Retention Payment expires on 30 November 2026, with no clarity provided in the budget on whether that will be extended. This could leave a cost gap for providers to manage.
Our advocacy focus going forward
The Budget opens several areas where we will engage constructively with government and industry on behalf of our portfolio and the sectors we invest in.
•Super performance test design. Engaging with the public consultation to support a test that enables industry-fund allocation to productive social infrastructure.
•Aged Care Accommodation Pricing Review. Engaging on the final settings for the Accommodation Supplement uplift and capital subsidies currently held in Contingency Reserve.
•NDIS reform implementation. Supporting smooth transition for participants and providers ahead of the January 2028 eligibility changes, and engagement on Foundational Supports and Thriving Kids design.
•Affordable housing co-investment frameworks. Building on the build-to-rent and government housing program carve-outs to support institutional capital flows into social infrastructure.
For Purpose Investment Partners acknowledges and pays respect to the past and present Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
We believe that diversity, equity and inclusion at For Purpose Investment Partners are critical in our efforts to create significant social impact. Diversity in the team allows us to better represent the diversity of thought and experiences of the communities that we are aiming to serve, promotes a healthy and thriving working environment, and delivers innovative and sustainable outcomes for our communities, our people, our investors and our partners.
