The Leading Reform Summit offers a two-day program of international, national and Queensland presenters at the cutting edge of reform.
See the 2018 Agenda
The Hon. Steven Miles MP-- Dr Miles is the Member for Murrumba, the Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services.
Aunty Carol Currie--Distinguished Community Elder, Aunty Carol Currie, is a Mununjali Bundjalung Elder and 6th generation descendant of King Sandy also known as Bungaree. Born in the 1940s, she was one of 11 children living off the land at Fingal. Each day they would gather fresh sea food, sharing their meals with elders and their large extended family. At age 13, Aunty Carol moved with her family to Wacol. They experienced a great deal of racism and then moved to Rocklea camps. At school the racism they experienced was so bad, she was forced to leave school early. Despite this Aunty Carol has gone from strength to strength.
Madonna King, MC--Madonna is an award-winning journalist, author and commentator. She has long been known as the voice of current affairs in Queensland, heading the top rating current affairs program on the ABC for six years, and winning several national ABC awards for her journalism. Madonna’s ninth book is called Fathers and Daughters and it follows her award winning book Being 14. She has also authored biographies of former federal treasurer Joe Hockey, and Australian of the Year and inventor of the cervical cancer vaccine, Ian Frazer. A fellow of the prestigious World Press Institute, Madonna has served as a visiting fellow at the Queensland University of Technology, and on the Walkley Advisory Board for Journalism. She is chair of the Queensland anti-cyberbullying taskforce.
Ivan Frkovic was appointed Queensland Mental Health Commissioner in July 2017. Formerly Deputy CEO, National Operations for Aftercare, he has held senior government positions including Director, Mental Health Programs and Reforms, where he was responsible for policy development, funding and reform of the non-government mental health sector in Queensland. Ivan's focus is strengthening partnerships and collaboration into fully integrated relationships to improve the mental health sector.
Tanya Kretschmann is a passionate consumer advocate, lived experience consultant, recovery speaker and peer mentor. She represents consumers on numerous local, state, national and international committees, and is dedicated to enhancing consumer-centred, recovery-oriented and integrated mental health care through policy and systems advocacy, service design, delivery and evaluation, and individual peer engagement. Tanya is a Consumer Consultant for Central Queensland HHS; a lived experience and recovery consultant to public and private practice; and a voluntary Peer Mentor to Eating Disorders Queensland.
Professor Hervey Whiteford trained in medicine, psychiatry and health policy at the University of Queensland, Stanford University and the Australian National University. He has held senior clinical and administrative positions, including Director of Mental Health in the Queensland and Federal governments. He worked for ten years on the design and implementation of Australia’s Mental Health Strategy and Chaired its Working Group. In 1999 he was appointed to the World Bank to respond to the rising global burden of mental, neurological and substance use disorders. At the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, he researches psychiatric epidemiology, burden of disease, mental health policy analysis and the reform of mental health services. He has also consulted the World Health Organisation and manages clinical and teaching responsibilities.
Associate Professor John Allan--John completed his medical training and PhD in Queensland and his psychiatry training in Adelaide. John was previously Chief Psychiatrist in both Queensland and New South Wales, and spent twenty years working in North Queensland where he developed a wide range of new mental health services. He is highly experienced in government policy, mental health legislation and service development. His clinical interests include the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and comprehensive care for those with serious mental illness. His current research and policy interests focus on mental health reform, reduction in restrictive practices, human rights, recovery oriented practice, and smoking reduction. He is the President Elect of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
Jacklyn Whybrow has over a decade’s experience in managing mental health services both in public and not-for-profit sectors, Jacklyn specialises in integrated service models. She has experience in bringing consortium partners together to work collaboratively, ensuring consumers receive the right treatment at the right time via the right pathways. With a clinical background in early psychosis and acute services, Jacklyn embraces innovations in community managed mental health services.
Pattie Hudson commenced her career in 1984 as an Enrolled Nurse at the rural Boonah Hospital. In her 27 years in Queensland Health, she worked in alcohol and drug services, mental and community health, and in clinical and management roles across Queensland, as well as a term in health management in Western Australia. During her career, Pattie has managed many health districts and major health reforms. She has also established innovative primary healthcare, accustomed to the constant change in the health environment, and is committed to plan, develop and implement quality universal primary healthcare within our communities. As a PHN CEO, Pattie addresses the diverse health issues that face the community of Central Queensland, Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast.
Professor Alison Ritter is an internationally recognised drug policy scholar and the Director of the Drug Policy Modelling Program (DPMP) at the University of New South Wales. She is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow leading a multi-disciplinary program of research on drug policy. The goal of her work is to advance drug policy through improving the evidence-base, translating research and studying policy processes. Professor Ritter worked as a clinical psychologist in the alcohol and drug treatment sector prior to commencing full-time research. She has contributed significant policy and practice developments across alcohol and drug policy over many years. She is the immediate past President of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy, and a Senior Editor for the International Journal of Drug Policy. Professor Ritter is published widely in the field.
Gino Vumbaca is President and Co-Founder of Harm Reduction Australia and is the Principal of 3V Consulting Services. He has extensive experience in the HIV/ AIDS and drug and alcohol fields both in Australia and internationally. He is a Churchill Fellow, has completed a Social Work degree and a Master of Business Administration at the University of Sydney and is the former Executive Director of the Australian National Council on Drugs – a position he held for over 15 years – and which provided advice directly to four Australian Prime Ministers as well as numerous Ministers and senior officials. Previously Mr Vumbaca worked as the Manager of HIV/AIDS and related services with the NSW Department of Corrective Services, in a variety of drug and alcohol centres as a counsellor and was coordinated the establishment of the NSW network of needle and syringe exchange programs for the NSW Health Department. Mr Vumbaca continues to provide advice on prisons, HIV and drug issues for international organisations such as the United Nations and World Health Organisation.
Dr Nuno Capaz--In 2001 Portugal decriminalized the usage of all drugs and diverted drug users from the judicial / criminal system to the healthcare system. Dr Capaz will be sharing Portugal's experience of 17 years of decriminalisation of all drugs. He has worked for the Portuguese Ministry of Health’s Dissuasion Commissions since they were created in 2001. These Boards were created to apply Portugal’s law passed in 2000 decriminalising all drug use. As such, he is a member of an interdisciplinary team that evaluates drug users. He has also been in charge of correspondence with foreign delegations seeking information and research about the Portuguese model of drug policy.
Rebecca Lang is the CEO of the peak body for the non-government alcohol and other drug treatment sector in Queensland. QNADA represents and gives support to 54 organisational members operating in over 75 locations across the state, providing drug education and information, early intervention, outreach, detoxification, residential rehabilitation, psychosocial and medical treatment, relapse prevention and justice diversion services. Rebecca was appointed to the Australian National Advisory Council on Alcohol and other Drugs (ANACAD) in January 2018, which is the principal expert advisory body to the Australian Government on issues relating to alcohol and other drugs.
Eddie Fewings is a Mbabaram man and Traditional Owner of an area on north western edge of the Atherton Tablelands in far North Queensland. Since 2011 Eddie has worked at the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC), the peak body for Aboriginal and Islander Community Controlled Health Organisations (AICCHOs) in Queensland. He works closely with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander alcohol and other drugs service sector, specifically supporting the Queensland Indigenous Substance Misuse Council (QISMC) to strengthen and expand the community controlled AOD treatment sector. He advocates for, and supports accessible and culturally responsive AOD treatment options in the mainstream service system. At a strategic level, he engages agencies with mandated AOD program and policy responsibilities at state and national levels, to ensure policy and program responses support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families and communities overcome addictions.
Inspector Brook Dwyer was inducted into the Queensland Police Service (QPS) in July 1994. In 2012, she was appointed the Officer in Charge of the Crime Stoppers Unit, during which time the Queensland Crime Stoppers program was recognised as the highest performing program nationally, and awarded the International Crime Stoppers Productivity Award yearly from 2012–15. As a result, she received the 2016 Highly Commended: Most Outstanding Female Practitioner Award as part of the Queensland Women in Policing Awards.
Amelia Callaghan has worked in the health sector for the last twenty years, with experience in both government and non government services. She has a background in service delivery in both mental health services and alcohol and other drugs services, and is a passionate advocate for early intervention services aimed at reducing the long term impact of mental illness on children, young people and families. Amelia has also held National, State and Territory management roles, prior to joining Aftercare to lead their Integrated Service Centres including Floresco Centres, LikeMind, headspace Centres, and children’s pilot program ‘The Poppy Centre’.
Lorraine Yabsley has over 20 years experience working in the State Government designing, implementing and managing labour market programs. Lorraine is currently responsible for the state-wide coordination of the reinstated Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.
Daniel Valiente-Riedl--Daniel has over 12 years of experience working in the disability sector. During this time, he has worked in the areas of mental health, intellectual, developmental, acquired and physical disability. Currently, as General Manager for JobAccess, Daniel manages a WorkFocus Australia team delivering this award-winning service on behalf of the Australian Government. JobAccess is the national hub for workplace and employment information for people with disability, employers and service providers. Daniel has occupied senior management positions in several organisations, including volunteer Directorships in not-for-profit organisations. Daniel also taught at Sydney Institute of TAFE, delivering courses within the Community and Mental Health Diplomas. Daniel holds a Bachelor of Psychology, an MBA, and is currently completing a Master of Science in Organisational Psychology.
Mike Lepre is a designer and social entrepreneur who is passionate about utilising design to create social impact. As a designer Mike has worked in industry as well as in tertiary education. He has also worked as a volunteer with numerous homelessness and non-profit organisations for many years. Mike founded Bertonni in 2018, a social enterprise that creates meaningful employment for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.Bertonni designs and manufactures timeless and elegant porcelain products, beginning with a range of homewares. Employees are involved in the many aspects of production, and learn technical ceramics skills, as well as the art of craftsmanship.
Bronwen Edwards lost her brother Mark to suicide in 2008 after supporting him for a number of years. Bronwen is the founding CEO of ‘Roses in the Ocean’, a lead organisation for lived experience of suicide, which works to inform, influence and enhance suicide prevention through lived experience; and supports organisations to effectively and meaningfully engage lived experience expertise. Bronwen has been a key advocate and driving force for the inclusion of lived experience in all aspects of suicide prevention since 2011, passionately advocating for non-clinical alternatives to the regular mental health system, greater support for families and supporters, and the inclusion of lived experience Peer CARE Companions in suicide prevention contexts. Among other roles, Bronwen is: Co-Chair of the Queensland Suicide Prevention in Health Taskforce (2016-2020), Member of the 5th Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan Implementation Reference Committee; and Chair of the International Association for Suicide Prevention - Special Interest Group: Lived Experience.
Professor David Crompton worked in private practice as a rural general practitioner prior to commencing psychiatry training and spending 12 years in private psychiatry practice. David is a Professor within the School of Health Service and Social Work and holds academic titles with The University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology. He has held leadership roles in Queensland Health and New South Wales Health and is the coordinator for the Centre for Neuroscience, Recovery and Mental Health. He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for development of community based mental health services for veterans, development of community post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety and substance abuse treatment services. David’s research interest includes the impact of trauma and natural disasters, suicide and factors that influence recovery of individuals with mental illness.
Dr Kathryn Turner is a Psychiatrist and the Clinical Director of Mental Health and Specialist Services with the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service. Kathryn has a strong ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, and safety and quality in the public health system, and has been leading the implementation of a Zero Suicide framework within the Gold Coast Mental Health Service. Kathryn also has a strong interest in teaching and training, and and is a current member of the Queensland Branch training committee of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP). Kathryn was awarded the RANZCP Margaret Tobin award in 2018 for achievements in Administration Psychiatry.
Simone Caynes (PhD) A/Director for the Queensland Mental Health Commission is a registered psychologist with over 30 years in service delivery and policy and program development. Simone has a keen interest in cross-sectoral action for collective and individual mental health improvement and addressing the gap between evidence based policy and effective implementation.
Jennifer Pouwer is the Chief Strategy and Partnerships Officer at Recovered Futures. Prior to this Jennifer was Chief Executive Officer and Director of Services at MIFQ, and had previously held a range of Commonwealth, State and NGO roles across diverse human services portfolios including health, child protection, disability services, quality and accreditation, mental health, vocational rehabilitation and employment services. She gained her interest in non-government sector service delivery through establishing the Community Services funding and contract management function in the state Department of Health. Her appreciation of the value of the non government sector extends to her present and past Board contributions to Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia, CheckUp, PACT (Protect All Children Today), and The Eating Issues Centre. Jennifer commenced her professional journey as an Occupational Therapist.
Susan Anderson is Deputy CEO of beyondblue. She oversees a range of program areas including suicide prevention, community support services, digital and telehealth, peer programs and service innovation. Susan has an MBA and is a Registered Psychologist.
Dr Derek Chong is Queensland's first Indigenous psychiatrist. He is the Senior Psychiatry Registrar at the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health. He has worked at the coalface in health, starting as a residential care worker, then a psychiatric nurse, then studying and practicing medicine before becoming a psychiatrist. His mother's people are from Mt Tamborine: the Wongaburra clan of Mullanjarli tribe of the Yuggerah Nation, and his father's people are from the Tate Region and Kowanyama.
Professor Rory O'Connor is Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, Past President of the International Academy of Suicide Research and a current Vice President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Rory leads the Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory at Glasgow, one of the leading suicide/self-harm research groups in the UK, and also leads the Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Group. He has published extensively in the field of suicide and self-harm, specifically concerning the psychological processes which precipitate suicidal behaviour and self-harm. In addition, he is author of Understanding Suicidal Behaviour (with Noel Sheehy), co-editor of The Routledge Major Works Series on Suicide (with Keith Hawton) and of the International Handbook of Suicide Prevention (2nd edition with Jane Pirkis). He serves on the Scientific Review Board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Archives of Suicide Research, and Associate Editor of Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, and Behavior Therapy. Rory acts as an advisor to a range of national and international organisations including national governments on the areas of suicide and self-harm. Professor Rory O'Connor has recently been announced as Everymind's inaugural Trevor Waring Expert in Residence, in partnership with the Hunter New England Local Health District and the University of Newcastle.
Dr Elisabeth Hoehn has been working in the area of Child and Youth Mental Health for more than 20 years, primarily in community settings. Her area of special interest lies in perinatal and infant mental health where she works in a child-centred, family focused model of care. This involves working collaboratively with other service providers and across sectors to optimise outcomes for the child and their family.
Tony Coggins' career has spanned over 25 years working across the voluntary and statutory sectors in the UK and Australia. Tony’s entrepreneurial approach has seen him take on a number of service and business development roles including co-founding and setting up STATUS Employment, a charity supporting people with disabilities into work. Tony took his interest in the power of employment to promote health and well-being into the NHS where he managed the vocational services in one of the largest mental health service in the UK before setting up and running the Trust's mental health promotion service. Tony has been developing well-being services and interventions that apply the evidence around promoting positive mental health in both workplaces and communities for more than 15 years. Tony has played a key role in creating a range of innovative approaches and resources including the Wheel of Well-being (WoW), happier@work and the Mental Well-being Impact Assessment toolkit. He has also advised the Queensland and New South Wales Mental Health Commissions on the practical application of population mental well-being approaches including major cross-sector capacity building programmes in both MWIA and WoW.
Allison Milner is a Deputy Director of the Disability and Health Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, at the University of Melbourne. Her research interests include the influence of gender, employment characteristics, quality of work, and occupation as determinants of mental health and suicide. Allison also focuses on specific employed groups that may be particularly likely to face disadvantage, such as blue-collar workers in the manufacturing and construction industry. Allison’s work ranges across a number of externally-funded etiologic and intervention projects. She works with policy stakeholders to promote research on the link between work and mental health, and is the co-chair for an international panel of researchers aiming to promote workplace suicide prevention. She has been awarded the Victorian Health and Medical Research Fellowship for her work on gender, employment and mental health.
Hayley Stevenson--In her role at the Department of Education, Hayley leads the development and implementation of statewide policy in relation to Child Safety, Suicide Prevention, Mental Health, and Student Learning and Wellbeing. Hayley started her career working in a clinical setting supporting adolescents with mental health concerns, before joining a national Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy focusing on early intervention, and building resilience in young people. This lead Hayley to the education sector where she has worked since 2002. Hayley has experience working across a range of health and wellbeing policy areas impacting children, young people and their families and is deeply committed to improving the life outcomes of every child.
Mark Tucker-Evans is the Chief Executive at Council on the Ageing Queensland after occupying the role of Executive Director since June 2001. He has previously held chief executive roles with research, media, industry and professional associations in NSW and Queensland.
Fiona Caniglia graduated as a social worker in 1990 and her first role was with Queensland Health in a hospital-based day centre for people living with mental health issues. She subsequently worked in community settings where mental health was a significant issue and need. Fiona’s various roles quickly highlighted the continuous struggle experienced by people impacted by mental illness to find and sustain housing. This led to a succession of roles working on systemic solutions to housing need, as well as ways of strengthening system integration and workforce development. Now working for QShelter, Fiona is focused on state-wide solutions to housing supply issues, combined with a stronger workforce with the skills and tools they need to be effective.
Mark Henley is Chief Executive Officer of QCOSS, Queensland’s leading force for social change to eliminate poverty and disadvantage. QCOSS has a strong focus on supporting communities across the state, to see that all people have access to the right supports and services, and to ensure that all people have a good life. With nearly 600 members, QCOSS undertakes informed advocacy and supports a strong community service sector. QCOSS’s key activities focus on providing effective policy advice, working to strengthen responsive community services and having productive partnerships with government, private sector, and the community sector. Mark has 28 years of experience in the community services sector and a commitment to creating responsive services, and independence, dignity and better outcomes for all people. He is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Deputy Chair of the Queensland Plan Ambassadors Council.
Associate Professor Cameron Parsell--Cameron’s primary area of research is poverty, homelessness, social services, and charity aimed at addressing social disadvantage. He is a UQ Development Fellow and former Australian Research Council Fellow (2015-18). Cameron is the Associate Editor of the Australian Journal of Social Issues. He is the co-chief investigator on several national studies that examine the nature and outcomes of newly emerging models of intervention directed toward permanently ending homelessness. Cameron has written about identity, the meaning of home, the international transfer of homelessness/housing policy, and housing as a means to foster autonomy and self-determination. He is currently examining different models and practices of social service delivery. Cameron's research seeks to build an evidence base about the interacting societal, social policy, social program and agency dimensions to human change. Cameron is particularly interested in conducting ethnographic research, with a focus on policy and practice translation.
Dr Kylie Henderson is a clinical psychologist and the Founder and Managing Director of the B2W Group Australia & UK. Back2Work, a subsidiary of the B2W Group, is Australia’s leading provider of psychological, physical and medical health care services for job seekers, Employment Service Providers and Disability Employment Services providers. Dr Henderson has more than 20 years experience in the employment services industry and worked for large, national employment services providers overseeing their health and employment programs. She holds a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology, is an executive committee member of the Australian Psychology Society, a member of the Australian Psychological Society Clinical College, an Associate of the American Psychological Association, a fellow member of the Institute of Employability Professionals (UK) and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Brett Hanna has worked for over 20 years in frontline homeless services, and over 25 years as a volunteer. Since 2004, he has led Regional Housing Limited into one of the leaders of Community Housing in Regional Queensland. Brett has an extensive management history in construction and human services, including building, developing, and supervising large commercial developments, as well as managing resorts and asset maintenance companies. Brett’s distinctly different career paths have come together as the social housing sector has evolved in recent years to be much more commercially-oriented. Brett is excited about the future direction for the sector and is looking forward to combining his development experience with his deep knowledge of housing and homelessness to result in quality housing outcomes for people in need. Brett is heavily involved in a number of regional, state, and national networks and his vision that ‘Every Person has a Home’ is his passion. He has a Graduate Diploma in Social Science (Housing Management and Policy), as well as a number of certificate qualifications in management and community services.
Nunzia Confessore--Experienced Executive Leader with a demonstrated history of working in employment services, recruitment, human services and the non-profit organisation management industry. Skilled in Career Development, Business Growth, Change Management, Finance Leadership, HR Consulting, Marketing and Sales, Strategic Stakeholder Engagement and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Strong human services and entrepreneurial professional with a Masters of Business Administration focused in Leadership, Business Growth, Business Administration and Management from The University of Queensland.
Amanda Newberry is a communication and stakeholder engagement strategist with nearly two decades of experience and is the founder and managing director of Articulous. She leads a team of senior professionals who have created many Australian firsts including the first avatar-generation program to map community values, the first augmented reality app for a planning scheme, software development for organisational innovation and now a world-first in evaluation. Working for some of Australia’s leading global companies and government organisations, Amanda is a former journalist and a weekly panellist on ABC Radio’s Hidden Persuaders program that critiques advertising, PR and marketing. A passionate supporter of smart, creative and inclusive communities, Amanda is the Chair of the Australian Centre for Civic Innovation, board member of the Brisbane Festival, member of the Planning Institute of Australia Queensland Women in Planning Committee, foundation member of the Open Data Institute of Australia and foundation sponsor of the Brisbane Public Art Foundation.
