Westfield shopping centres have revealed the shortlists for their Local Heroes program, with Australians across the country in the running for vital funding to support their community work.
Three finalists have been selected for each location. The finalist who receives the most votes in each community will receive a $20,000 grant, while the other two finalists will each receive $5,000.
Voting closes on 20 September 2026 at 6pm AEST. Voters may cast one vote per Westfield destination. Winners will be announced from 20 October 2026.
Among the nominees for 2026 is Christine Neiland from Rainbow Home Care Services.
Christine Neiland is described as passionate, driven and unwavering as CEO of Rainbow Care Home Services. For LGBTQI+ people who have lived through discrimination, accessing care and support can feel uncertain and heighten feelings of fear and isolation.
Through her organisation, established in 2020, Neiland provides inclusive care that respects people’s identities, treats them with dignity, and helps them stay connected to their families, communities and sense of self.
If successful, the grant would fund up to eight free community education workshops over the next 12 months, supporting the LGBTQI+ community while promoting inclusion and diversity.
Speaking to OUTinPerth, Neiland shared her excitement at being nominated.
“I couldn’t be more chuffed with it. I am not really somebody who likes being in the spotlight but it has been truly humbling to read the nominations and the comments and support I have already received. I have been working with various communities in human services for my entire career in one form or another for now over 25 years and through this nomination I have had people reach out to me that I worked with decades ago and not really spoken to since to wish me well and congratulations.
Neiland explained that her organisation aims to deliver a wide range of pro-bono services on top of their paid work in support. It’s all part of a vision for community building and inclusion.
“If I am fortunate to win this award myself and Rainbow Care Home Services will receive a community grant that will allow us to run a local community connection program providing a safe space for the LGBTIQ+ community to connect and promote and build awareness of the programs, initiatives and support pathways that exist within the region for the LGBTIQ+ communities.
“Rainbow Care Home Services staff will facilitate the program however the grant will allow us to mobilise and resource the activities across our region.”
Neiland took the leap of setting up her own organisation after a long career in the sector.
“Working in human and community services for the past 25 years I have had a truly blessed career, worked in some great companies and local government areas and met some truly special people along the way. I met my now wife in one of the previous places I worked and we had a shared passion for wanting to assist people accessing supports to be able to do so whilst being embraced as their genuine self, so created Rainbow Care Home Services together to achieve this.
“We saw a gap in the market and over the years of working in the industry I met many people and heard too many stories of people when accessing essential support services feeling they had to diminish or hide parts of who they are in order to feel safe or to make those providing the supports feel more comfortable with delivering these supports without judgement.
“As a human right the LGBTIQ+ community deserves the right to access inclusive supports. Starting Rainbow Care Home Services under the ideology of a human rights-based company with a strong purpose was not just about being an inclusive provider of choice, but by being an out and proud LGBTIQ+ specialised service to shine a light on the need for more inclusive services to encourage other mainstream services to become more inclusive and in turn create more choice and control for the LGBTIQ+ communities needing to access supports.” Neiland said.
You’ll find Christine Neiland listed among the Local Heroes finalists for North Lakes in Queensland.
