Speakers
Keynote Speakers
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Bill Shorten is Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Minister for Government Services, and was leader of the Australian Labor Party from 2013 to 2019. Bill joined the ALP at 17 and the Australian Workers’ Union as an organiser in 1994, he has been secretary of the Victorian branch and AWU National Secretary. He is credited with reforming and reviving the AWU, and while there led the fight against WorkChoices. ; His public profile was raised during the Beaconsfield Mine collapse in Tasmania 2006 where he acted as a union advocate for the workers at the mine and their families. As Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services, he was the key architect of the NDIS. He has also served as Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation, Education Minister, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation. He was elected as the Member for Maribyrnong in 2007 and has held the seat ever since. He lives there with wife Chloe, their three children and two bulldogs. ; |
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Beth R. Crisp is Professor and Discipline Leader for Social Work at Deakin University in Australia, where she is also Deputy Head of the School of Health and Social Development. Internationally, she is one of the most influential scholars in the field of social work, and in particular, for her work at the interface between religion, spirituality and social work practice. As an educator, much of her teaching over the last decade has been concerned with promoting social inclusion. Beth has published 10 books, the most recent of which include Sustaining Social Inclusion (Routledge, 2020), Re-imagining Religion and Belief for 21st Century Policy and Practice (Policy Press, 2018) and the Routledge Handbook of Religion, Spirituality and Social Work (Routledge. 2017) as well as more than 120 major articles in peer academic journals and numerous book chapters. In addition to her professional qualifications in social work, Beth also has a theology degree and engages in questions around faith both from the perspective of a social worker and as a person for whom faith is integral. |
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Bronwyn Pike is the CEO of Uniting Vic.Tas and has extensive experience across the public, private and community services sectors. Bronwyn was the Victorian State Member of Parliament for Melbourne from 1999 to 2012. Her 13-year parliamentary career included 11 years as a Minister for Housing, Aged Care, Community Services, Health, Education and Skills. Before entering parliament in 1999, she was the Director of Justice and Social Responsibility in the Synod of Victoria, which provided children, youth, family and aged care services as well as social justice advocacy. Bronwyn has considerable governance experience at national and state level. She has chaired the Boards of Western Heath, the South Australian Urban Renewal Authority (Renewal SA) and UnitingCare Australia and has been a Board member of Australian Health Policy Collaboration, Leap In!, Lifeline Australia and Uniting NSW.ACT. |
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Cameron is Professor of the Social Sciences at the University of Queensland and an Australian Research Council Industry Fellow. His work examines multiple forms of exclusion and social harms. Cameron’s research focuses on the nature and experience of poverty, homelessness, and domestic and family violence. He is interested in understanding what societies do to respond to these problems, and what societies ought to do differently to address them. |
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Major Campbell Roberts has been a Salvation Army Officer for over 50 years. He has held Territorial responsibility in New Zealand as the Social Services Secretary, Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit Director and Divisional Commander. Internationally a founding member of the International Moral and Social Council, an advisor on forming the International Social Justice Commission, and a facilitator of Social Justice sessions of the International College for Officers. In New Zealand, Campbell has been seconded to numerous Government appointments, advising the Government on Housing Poverty Alleviation, Justice and Social Reform. His governance roles in Aotearoa have included the Council of Christian Social Services. Habitat for Humanity, the New Zealand Housing Foundation, Community Finance, the Church Leaders and Prime Ministerial Dialogues, the Committee on Auckland and the Robson Hanen Trust on Prison and Corrections Reform. Currently a Director of the New Zealand Government Housing agency, Kainga Ora, and a New Zealand Parole Board member, Campbell has been awarded the Order of the Founder and is a Companion of the Order of New Zealand. A fan of the All Blacks, Crusader Rugby, his dog Nixie, his wife Gay, his three daughters, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, he is passionate about bringing the gospel into connection with society's powerbrokers. |
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Donald Burke has been Professor of Biblical Studies at Booth University College for more than four decades. During that time he also has served in several leadership roles at Booth. Dr. Burke’s education included a B.A. (Wilfrid Laurier University), M.A. (St. Michael’s, Toronto), and Ph.D. (St. Michael’s/Toronto School of Theology). His generalist education and his own interests have provided him with a breadth that allows him to integrate knowledge from a range of disciplinary perspectives. Since early in his career, Dr. Burke has written about the biblical and theological foundations of Christianity’s orientation toward the marginalized. His current projects include researching and thinking about the implications of various biblical traditions for contemporary social justice. |
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I have been a Salvation Army officer for more than 30 years, serving all of my officership in a range of social and community services and leadership positions across the AUS Southern. My previous roles have been in the governance and management of social programs for Victoria and as National Head of Social Mission, which gave me operational management for social services on behalf of The Salvation Army. My main areas of expertise are in the Family Violence and Homelessness areas. Family Violence has been a passion of mine for many years. It is without doubt the greatest scourge women face and a real challenge for the wider community to take responsibility. My Myers-Briggs, for anyone who takes that stuff seriously, is INFP – which means I have some great ideas, but no idea how to implement them; care passionately about social justice and don’t give a flying fig for forms. Having said that, I can be relied upon to follow process and get the job done. Personally, I am passionate about women’s issues, politics and history, cricket, football (Go Swans) and books. When I’m not working, (an increasingly rare phenomenon) I read, libraries are hallowed spaces, swim, drink way too much coffee and watch re-runs of the West Wing to keep my faith in human nature in tact. |
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During a distinguished career with the BBC, Nick Bryant came to be regarded as one of its finest foreign correspondents. He has covered some of the most momentous events of our times. The attacks of September 11th, the war in Afghanistan, the Asian tsunami, the election of Barack Obama and the presidency of Donald Trump. In addition to his broadcast work, he has also written for an array of publications, including The Economist, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The New Statesman, The Guardian, The Independent and The Monthly. He is now a regular columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. During his career, he has interviewed some of the leading figures in politics and the arts: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, Kevin Rudd, Nancy Pelosi, Greta Thunberg, Alec Baldwin, Trevor Noah, Margaret Atwood, and Elton John. As well as the BBC, he has appeared on ABC, SBS, CNN, Channel Nine, Channel Ten and MSNBC. He is a regular contributor on ABC Radio National. He is the author of the critically-acclaimed When America Stopped Being Great: A History of the Present, which made it onto Joe Biden’s bookshelf in the Oval Office, and The Rise and Fall of Australia: How a Great Nation Lost its Way. He is a history graduate from Cambridge University, who holds a doctorate in US politics from Oxford University. He was also a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He now lives in Sydney with his wife and three children. |
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Patricia Faulkner AO chairs the Boards of Jesuit Social Services and is Chair designate Plan International Australia. She is Chair of the Melbourne Academic Centre for Health Council, Deputy Chair of the Melbourne Theatre Company Board of Management, and is a member of AWARE Super Board. Patricia was awarded an Order of Australia in 2008 for service to the community through the development and implementation of public policy relating to health, aged care, children’s services, disability services and housing. Patricia has held a diverse range of senior leadership positions, including serving as a Deputy Commissioner to the 2016 Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence, Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria, Director of Occupational Health and Safety, and Secretary of the Department of Human Services. She served on the Boards of St Vincent’s Health Australia and Caritas Australia. She previously held senior health leadership roles at KPMG, and is a Fellow of the Australian College of Health Services Executives and a National Fellow of IPAA. |
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Dr. Wilma Gallet has a breadth of experience in senior management positions within the public and community services sectors. She worked for 20 years in the Commonwealth Employment Service before moving to the community sector in 1996 where she established The Salvation Army Employment Plus. Since then, Wilma has worked extensively with various welfare agencies, been a key policy influencer in the area of social reform and employment services and served on a range of government committees/forums.Wilma has extensive experience working with major Church groups in the social policy arena, including co-ordinating human trafficking campaigns, project managing a range of suicide prevention and postvention programs and developing/implementing the Sanctuary Approach that examined the issue of domestic violence within churches. She also worked on a number of research projects as a senior researcher with Christian Research Australia. Wilma has a passion for social justice and improving options for people who are at risk of social marginalisation. She is strongly committed to building a cohesive, inclusive society where the inherent worth of each individual is recognised and valued. As a committed Christian, Wilma has a desire to see Christian Churches united in their response to injustice, particularly as it relates to those who are excluded and on the margins of society. |
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Brad McIver is currently the Head of Social Mission for the Salvation Army Australia. Brad has held various leadership roles as a full time Salvation Army Officer over the past 10 years including Assistant Secretary for Mission, State Manager Homelessness NSW/ACT, Public Relations Secretary NSW, Community Services Operations Manager Qld/NSW/ACT and Corps Officer (church leader) Miranda in Sydney. Brad’s love of people and desire to see people flourish is a hallmark of his officership and stems from a life lived across a wide variety of not-for-profit and for-profit sectors. A father to four adult children and proud grandfather to his grandson, Brad is passionately committed to seeing an Australian community where all people have opportunity and are supported to live their best lives. Brad holds a Bachelor of Theology, Diploma Community Services and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. |
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Having worked for The Salvation Army for over 23 years I have had the privilege of engaging with a huge range of cultures, demographics and communities at their point of need. I am committed to life-long learning and have worked with amazing and incredibly diverse people. I am passionate about community development and building partnerships for local mission delivery, having served as Corps officer, Social Mission Manager and worked on Divisional Headquarters with Youth Ministry up and down the Eastern Seaboard. My qualifications include a Bachelor of Theology, Master of Arts (Theology), Master of Global Development and minor qualifications in Business, Ministry, Community Services and AOD work, which all reflect my passion to see people not just survive but thrive through their connection to The Salvation Army’s Ministry. |
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Carolyn has been with The Salvation Army close to ten years, where she works as a Research and Projects Officer with the Research and Outcomes Measurement team. Carolyn has nearly 25 years of experience in child, family and community sector, and has worked across state government, not-for-profit and private consultancy. She has held roles in service delivery, contract management, partnership development and coordination, program development, policy and project management. Carolyn has qualifications in Psychology and Project Management and is in the final stage of completing a Master of Evaluation degree at The University of Melbourne.Carolyn is passionate about using data to tell people’s stories, blending statistics with qualitative insights to provide a deeper and richer understanding of their experiences. She also has strong interests in making the collection and dissemination of research findings more accessible and inclusive using different mediums and technological platforms. |
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Catherine’s sense of purpose resonates with Isaiah “to preach good news to the poor, to bind the broken hearted, proclaim freedom for the captives”. She currently works for The Salvation Army as an Auxiliary Lieutenant in the Pastoral Services Team, with previous roles in church leadership, inner-city missions and drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Her academic background includes a PhD and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Queensland, with publications focussed on processes that contribute to the development of peace between groups. Victorian born but Brisbane based, she is married with three boys and a boy dog. |
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Colin currently leads the Sunshine Corps, situated in the multi-culturally rich community of faith of Sunshine, alongside his wife, Captain Phuong Reynolds. Prior to becoming an officer, Colin worked in Homelessness Services for The Salvation Army (former Southern Territory), was the pastor of a Vietnamese Church in Melbourne and also employed at the Camberwell Corps. He is passionate about diversity and partnering with God through The Salvation Army, to make an impact on the community. Colin currently serves on the Gender Equity Advisory Group (The Salvation Army Australia Territory), the South Pacific Theological Forum and an Interfaith Committee in his local area. He is also an adjunct lecturer at The Salvation Army Eva Burrows College in the field of mission studies. He holds a Bachelor of Theology, a Graduate Diploma in Biblical Studies and a Master of Theological Studies. |
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David is currently Professor of Management in Innovation at the University of Tasmania. David has held various leadership roles in Universities most recently as Pro Vice Chancellor Community, Partnerships and Regional Development at the University of Tasmania.David has been instrumental in a number of social policy innovations including the formation of the Department for Victorian Communities in 2000, (the first Department of State organised around the idea of community and place) and in the formation of PASCAL the OECD Observatory on place management, social capital an learning regions. David has held a number of civic leadership roles including as the inaugural Social Inclusion Commissioner for Tasmania and as Chair of the Tasmanian Food Security Council which produced the first state government cost of living strategy in Australia back in 2012. David’s research interests are around the role of community and place knowledge in shaping public policy and its implementation. His current focus is on the conditions under which place based approaches can claim to ‘shape’ impact. David has a long history of working with and within the community sector and is old enough to have started his career with the Australian Assistance Plan in the 1970’s, one of the first major waves of place based partnerships in Australian history. |
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Major David Eldridge AM has been a Salvation Army Officer for over 40 years.He has primarily been involved in programs supporting young people, people experiencing homelessness and in managing local Salvation Army services in inner suburban Melbourne. For three years David and his wife Gloria were based in the United Kingdom as team members at Alove UK, the Youth Ministry Unit based in London, and in the Manchester Divisional Office. David has worked extensively with the Victorian and Commonwealth governments in a range of advisory roles. He chaired a number of Commonwealth Government committees including the Prime Minister's Youth Homelessness Taskforce, the Prime Ministers Youth Transitions Taskforce, the Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness and two national independent National Youth Commission Inquiries focused on youth homelessness and young people's transition through school into work. In Victoria, David chaired the Community Reference Group on Youth Homelessness for the Kirner Government and the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Homelessness. |
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Emma Johnson (Major) currently leads The Salvation Army’s frontline response to homelessness in Far North Queensland. Providing consultancy to NGO’s, she’s served as a director on boards in Qld and NSW, where she received an Australia Day Award for her work in community. In 2020 Emma formed a national working group to establish Faith Informed Practice as a case management framework. Emma passionately believes in ethically promoting the exploration of Christian faith and spirituality as part of transformative, holistic change. Always studying something, Emma most values her Bachelor of Theology and Advanced Diploma of Salvation Army Ministries. Emma will complete a Master of Governance and Leadership in December 2023. |
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Early in life my sister had a horse accident and needed full time care from an acquired brain injury. My motivation is to help disadvantaged groups to have every opportunity to participate in social mechanisms that are positive and inclusive. A current board member of NT Shelter I actively engage in advocacy for homelessness and sit across a number of housing reform committees. I have worked in employment and education, local government and social services, while completing my MBA at Sydney University. My career has lead me across very remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the Northern Territory for over a decade, and now presently working for The Salvation Army. I hope to be able to encourage and promote businesses, government and the volunteer sector to keep supporting opportunities for everyone to better the lives of each other. |
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The Reverend Professor Glen O’Brien is Research Coordinator at Eva Burrows College, University of Divinity. He is a Uniting Church minister who has been employed full time by The Salvation Army for almost fifteen years. Glen is also Chair of Examiners in the University of Divinity and is currently supervising five PhD candidates. He is a Member of the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission, and serves on the Board of the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities. Glen has published widely on Wesleyan thought and history and is the author of John Wesley’s Political World (2023),Wesleyan-Holiness Churches in Australia (2018) and (co-edited with Hilary Carey), Methodism in Australia: A History (2015). |
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Gregory has served as a Salvation Army Officer for more than three decades. He has had the privilege of serving in roles encompassing mission leadership of local faith and community services, educational and training roles including responsibility for all Salvation Army education and training in Australia, and executive leadership roles for The Salvation Army in Australia and the United Kingdom. He currently serves as Secretary for Mission, leading a national portfolio comprised of the departments of Community Engagement; Mission Support; Policy, Research and Social Justice; and Social Mission. He is passionate about leading positive change and building constructive cultures that equip and resource people for missional impact. Gregory is committed to a concept of mission and ministry that calls us to be informed activists, living out our theology in practical ways as an expression of the work of the Kingdom of God. He holds undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in theology, ministry, education and leadership. |
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Jamie-leigh Barnard is a dedicated Regional Manager for the Salvation Army's Doorways program in the Northern Territory. With a deep commitment to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, Jamie has established the transformative "Studio off the Street" engagement program. This initiate reflects Jamie's belief in the power of outreach as a means of connection, surpassing the limitations of traditional on-site approaches. Jamie's work exemplifies her passion for supporting and uplifting these communities, making a significant impact in the Northern Territory. |
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Commissioner Jane Paone is proud of her Scottish roots, changing homes frequently with her officer parents. After having worked as a bilingual secretary for a French oil company, Jane entered training college in London to become a Salvation Army officer. Commissioned in 1982, Jane has served, along with her Italian husband Massimo, in the UK, Italy, France and Switzerland. As Command leaders in Italy, they gave oversight to the opening of the Army’s work in Greece. They then served as Territorial leaders in France and Belgium and then in Switzerland, Austria and Hungary territory. In this appointment, Jane was also Senior International Social Justice Coordinator (Europe). In semi-retirement, Jane has been appointed as Secretary for International Ecumenical Relations. She is fluent in Italian and French, with some German knowledge, and longs to communicate her love for God and people in whatever language. |
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Dr Jason Davies-Kildea has over 25 years' experience in social and community services, from frontline service delivery to senior management roles. In the last decade, Jason's focus has been on evidence-based policy and advocacy, connecting research and evaluation to practice. Following two decades with The Salvation Army, Jason took up a role as Head of Policy and Advocacy for Beyond Blue and currently works in family violence reform for the Magistrates' Court of Victoria. He has post-graduate qualifications in theology and social policy. Jason's PhD thesis investigated the relationship between The Salvation Army's role as a major social service provider and its identity as an evangelical part of the church. |
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John Dalziel OAM, OF, was the Communications Director for the Southern Territory of The Salvation Army for 15 years. During that time he was a frequent mediapresence on the issues that concerned the Salvos. These included discussing responsible behaviour for alcohol consumption, drug taking, homelessness, domestic violence, gambling and fund raising. In recognition of this role he was awarded an OAM and an Order of the Founder.Prior to this he was the owner and MD of an Advertising and Public Relations agency that in addition to publicity for package goods, banks and other service clientsdeveloped social issue campaigns for safe driving (TAC), gun control,prevention of abuse against women and the Salvos (the first Red Shield Appeal ads)Thank God for the Salvos campaign. He and his wife Christine are life time soldiers of The Salvation Army taking on many volunteer roles at Camberwell Salvos. | |||
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Dr John Falzon is a poet and sociologist living on unceded Ngunnawal land. He is the author of two books and numerous chapters, papers, reports, essays and poems in both Australian and international journals. John holds an honours degree in semiotics, a theology degree, and a PhD in social analysis. After working in academia, community development, and research and advocacy, he was national CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society from 2006 to 2018 and is Senior Fellow, Inequality and Social Justice at Per Capita. John has presented hundreds of keynote speeches across Australia and overseas. He has served on numerous boards and advisory committees, including ACOSS and the Australian Social Inclusion Board. In 2014 he was an Australian Human Rights Medal Finalist and in 2015 he received an Order of Australia Medal for service to the community through social welfare organisations. John currently leads and teaches theSociology for Trade Unionists Program with the Australian Trade Union Institute. He has long been engaged in the collective movement for social justice and social change and is a proud member of the Australian Services Union. |
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Kathryn ‘fell’ into the AOD sector some 25 years ago and apart from a couple of brief digressions her passion for transformation and the inspiration she gains from stories of hope has kept her there! Starting on the front line, Kathryn later moved into management before transitioning into more strategic roles. Her current role is General Manager, AOD Services, The Salvation Army Australia. She holds a Masters in Social Science (Policy and Human Services) which fuels her passion for and bias toward those on the margins of society. She gets a buzz out of seeing strategy being translated into practice and is staunch in her determination to keep the work and support of The Salvation Army National AOD Team pragmatic to this end. A fourth generation Salvo whose Great Grandfather’s life was transformed when he stumbled, heavily intoxicated, into a group of Salvos one Sunday afternoon in country South Australia, Kathryn is passionate about bringing the mission of The Salvation Army and all that modern science has to offer together in harmony. Kathryn lives in Melbourne with her husband, son and very naughty toy poodle! |
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Laura Gittins has served as a Salvation Army Officer for 24 years, graduating from The Salvation Army School for Officer Training in December 1999. Prior to training college she worked as a Diversional Therapist in aged care, providing recreation activities to clients. Since becoming a Salvation Army Officer she has served as a Corps Officer (Church leader) in Bathurst NSW, Canberra ACT & Bonnells Bay NSW before being appointed as an Assistant Manager at Brisbane Recovery Services Centre (Moonyah) in January 2018. In all of her Corps appointments she walked alongside people who were experiencing, or journeying in recovery from, Substance Use Disorders. She currently facilitates groups 3 times a week at Brisbane Recovery Services helping participants to explore their understanding of Spirituality and how engaging in a spiritual journey supports and reinforces the journey of recovery from problematic substance use, and has been involved in supporting nationally the facilitators of those groups and part of a team working on a complete re-write of the group materials and resources for those groups (Hopefully due out early 2024). In 2023 she completed a Graduate Certificate of Leadership and for one of her major assessments focussed on a change management project related to the Spirituality Groupwork material, which along with her own leadership experience forms the basis of the workshop she will present. |
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Linda Brinker has served as a Pathway of Hope manager at the Central Territorial Headquarters since 2012. She earned her MSW from Indiana University in Indianapolis, Indiana and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Illinois. She has been instrumental in the implementation process which has been completed with all Corps within the territory and assisted with initial training sessions throughout the United States and in Toronto, Canada. She works collaboratively with Regional Coordinators representing the 8 Central Territory divisions to assure that the fidelity of the approach is maintained and provides support to address any challenges impacting implementation. Linda has over 30 years of experience in program development and management in a variety of social service programs including those focused on family & child welfare, mental health, and developmental disabilities. |
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Liz has worked for three Federal Government Cabinet Ministers including two as Chief of Staff, providing complex policy and political advice on education, vocational training, emergency services and other social services. She has a strong understanding of parliamentary and government processes, ministerial functions, stakeholder engagement and policy development and is now using this to help community organisations form good relationships with government and effectively navigate the political environment. |
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Matthew Seaman feels blessed to be sharing the journey with Carmen and 8-month old son Micah, calling the Sunshine Coast home (currently within Tuckers Creek catchment). In 2018, Matt was awarded a PhD in practical theology for research that explored Salvationist dimensions of holiness within God’s increasingly degraded creation. He is a member of The Salvation Army South Pacific Theological Forum, an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, the Australasian Centre for Wesleyan Research, and a founding member of the Queensland Churches Environmental Network. Matt is co-editor of Thought Matters and edited “Darkness and Deliverance: 125 years of the ‘In Darkest England’ scheme” (Salvo Publishing, 2016). Matt also enjoys cycling and is part of the Nambour Corps where he leads both the senior brass band and the ‘Just Brass’ youth music program. |
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I have lived, and continue to live, a blessed life - and I know it! I live by this: LIVE life to the full. “I have come that you might have life and have it to the full” John 10:10. LOVE (God, others, self). “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; love your neighbour as yourself” Matthew 22:37,39. MAKE A DIFFERENCE in someone’s life every day. “You are here to be salt-seasoning that brings outthe flavours in this earth, you are here to be light, bringing out God-colours in the world” Matthew 5.
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India is the country where I was born and raised. In 2005, I embarked upon my journey to Australia as an international student with the intention of pursuing a Master’s Degree in Information Technology. Subsequently, I secured employment as an IT Consultant at HP. In the year 2010, I was commissioned as a TSA officer. Since then, I have had the incredible opportunity to hold diverse roles within The Salvation Army. Presently, I have the position of a community services specialist. Concurrently, I am part of the team at Intercultural Ministries located in Thornbury, Victoria. These ministries encompass a diverse range of integration initiatives designed to support and facilitate the successful integration of newly arrived immigrants. I possess a profound passion for social justice and maintain the conviction that all individuals, irrespective of their race, religion, or socioeconomic standing, ought to be accorded equitable treatment and afforded equal prospects. I hold a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Information Systems (IT), a Master of International and Community Development, an Advanced Diploma of Ministry, and a Graduate Certificate of Divinity. |
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Professor Philip Mendes teaches Social Policy and Community Development, and is the Director of the Social Inclusion and Social Policy Research Unit in the Department of Social Work. His key research areas include young people transitioning from out-home-care, income support including compulsory income management, social workers and policy practice, illicit drugs policy, Indigenous social policy, and Jewish community responses to institutional child sexual abuse. He is a member of the Transitions to Adulthood for Young People Leaving Public Care International Research Group, and won the 2019 Faculty of Medicine Dean's Award for Excellence in Research Impact. He is the author or editor of 12 books, and the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed academic journal articles and book chapters. His latest books include the 3rd edition of the popular textbook, Australia's Welfare Wars, published by UNSW Press in 2017, and Empowerment and Control in the Australian Welfare State (Routledge, 2019). |
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Through Sally Sinclair Advisory, Sally currently provides strategic advice to local and international governments and stakeholders, not for profit organisations, and the private sector on optimising the design, development and delivery of world leading public employment services through policy development, programme formulation, sharing best practice, and implementing outsourcing arrangements including related procurement and contracting mechanisms.Sally Sinclair has a track record of successful governance and leadership in non-government organisations, most recently as CEO of the National Employment Services Association (NESA) for over 21 years. Working closely with the NESA Board, members, and key stakeholders to establish the strategic directions for the organisation and to develop and execute the strategic plans Sally established and developed NESA as the peak body for the employment services sector in Australia.Sally has four decades of domestic and international expertise in the design, development and delivery of employment services, and experience that spans the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors, as well as numerous high level Ministerial and government appointments, and membership of international advisory Boards, industry expert groups, and community-led initiatives. During this period Sally has been instrumental in informing key stakeholders domestically and internationally on addressing employment and inclusion challenges including strengthening the integration of employment, education, and training, and increasing employment of disadvantaged job seekers including Indigenous jobseekers, people with disability, long-term unemployed, women, youth and mature aged. | |||
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A Scottish born Australian, Sandra has served as a Salvation Army Officer for over 35 years. During this time she has held appointments around Australia; as well as in New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Her service has been varied and has included Pastoral Leadership as well as Administrative and Teaching roles.; Currently she spends her days helping Faith Community leaders to explore platforms, paradigms and models of faith communities, so that they can flourish in a rapidly changing world. A mother and a grandmother, Sandra is passionate about exploring how the church can effectively and positively impact future generations.; |
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Stefano is a researcher and evaluator with The Salvation Army's Research and Outcomes Measurement team in Policy, Research and Social Justice Department. Stefano is passionate about using good data as a powerful “tool for good” to address hardship and social injustice. In his role, Stefano works across a variety of research projects that directly support The Salvation Army's commitment to evidence-based practice and the ongoing improvement of its social services. His research also generates compelling evidence that supports The Salvation Army's major fundraising efforts, as well as its media and public relations and engagement in policy and advocacy. Before joining The Salvation Army, Stefano was a researcher and teaching fellow at The University of Sydney’s School of Psychology, where he also completed his PhD. Here, he dedicated over ten years to investigating the causes and consequences of prejudice, while also developing and evaluating novel interventions aimed at fostering social cohesion and inclusion. |
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Vaughan Olliffe is the National Doorways Operations Manager for The Salvation Army. He loves reading up on ancient history, discussing theology and watching the Golden State Warriors. He lives in Sydney with his family and, according to his wife, is a coffee snob who enjoys confounding people with his taste in music. |
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Moderators |
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Andrew West is a journalist and broadcaster who hosts The Religion & Ethics Report on ABC Radio National. He spent 20 years as a newspaper reporter, is the author of two books on Australian politics, and is a graduate of Columbia University in New York and the University of Sydney. |
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John Cleary is a veteran ABC broadcaster and one of Australia's best-known commentators on religion. In his 30-year career with the ABC he has worked extensively in both radio and television, but is known principally for his association with Sunday Nights on ABC Local Radio and The Religion Report on ABC Radio National. John began his career in Perth, where he was one of the original Compass team on ABC TV and a co-presenter of the philosophy program, Meridian, on Radio National in the 1990s. For several years, John also appeared in a regular slot on the ABC youth network JJJ. His 1992 book on the Salvation Army in Australia was awarded the Christian Book of the Year. In 2008, John was host of the interfaith event held by the Catholic Church in conjunction with World Youth Day and the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. John is in high demand as a conference moderator. |
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Julie McCrossin gets people talking. After 20 years as a presenter with ABC Radio National, ABC TV and Network Ten, she is now a freelance broadcaster, podcaster and MC. Julie was treated for stage four, HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer in 2013. Julie is an Ambassador for Targeting Cancer and TROG Cancer Research. She is a member of the advocacy group, Cancer Voices SA. Julie has qualifications in the arts, education and law. In 2019, Julie was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the community, particularly through LGBTIQ advocacy roles and to the broadcast media. www.juliemccrossin.com |
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Stephen Crittenden is Director of Professional Standards and Safeguarding for two Catholic religious congregations, the Franciscan Friars and the Patrician Brothers. He was Principal Policy Officer with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, where he was lead writer on the Religious Institutions volume (volume 16) of the Royal Commission's final report and played a leading role in developing recommendations directed to the Catholic Church and other religious institutions. Previously, he spent more than 20 years as a journalist and broadcaster with the ABC, including as Executive Producer of the ABC Radio Religion Department, presenter of the The Religion Report, and national arts correspondent for The 7.30 Report. In 2018, he was curator of Health and Integrity in Church and Ministry, an ecumenical conference hosted by the University of Divinity on the way forward for the churches after the Royal Commission. He is a former Trustee of the Australian Museum in Sydney. |
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Professor Cameron Parsell
Dr Wilma Gallet
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Fred Docking
Lt. Colonel Gregory Morgan
Dr. Jason Davies-Kildea
John Dalziel OAM
Laura Gittins
Liz Dowd
Dr. Matthew Seaman
Sally Sinclair
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