Mark Planigale

Mark is a skilled organisational leader who has led Lirata since its inception in 2010. Mark has been working in and around the health and community services sector since the 1990s, in a wide variety of roles covering management, service delivery, advocacy, research and evaluation, service development and quality auditing.

Since 2005 Mark has been involved in designing, implementing and commissioning program review and evaluation projects in the fields of legal assistance services, community and tertiary health, financial inclusion, housing and homelessness, mental health, family violence and education. They led the team which in 2017 received a national evaluation award from Financial Literacy Australia for the evaluation of Firmer Foundations, a women’s financial capability development program.

Mark oversees some of Lirata's most complex and demanding consulting projects, and provides technical advice and support to staff across many other projects. Mark has specialist expertise in the field of impact measurement. In 2016-17 they led Lirata’s work in partnership with the Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic) and over 40 Victorian CLCs to develop a sector-wide Outcomes Measurement Framework to assist the sector in evidencing and communicating its impact. Mark has also worked closely with the Council to Homeless Persons to develop fit-for-purpose outcome measurement approaches for the specialist homelessness sector in Victoria.

Mark also has expertise in strategic planning, organisational development, quality improvement and accreditation. Mark has worked closely with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations on a range of projects. Mark also has a strong background in capacity building with community sector organisations, as a trainer, mentor and facilitator.

Mark has excellent skills in engaging with stakeholders of all types, ranging from departmental leadership within state governments to frontline staff and people accessing services.

Mark is bisexual and gender diverse, and is involved in queer community organising in Naarm. They are a long-term social activist on human rights and environmental issues.