Mike Daube is Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University, where he was also Director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute. He was previously Director General of Health for Western Australia and Chair of the Australian National Public Health Partnership. He has held many senior positions in government, with further roles including President of PHAA, President of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, co-chair of the National Alliance for Action on Alcohol, Deputy Chair of the National Preventative Health Taskforce, and chair of many other boards and committees, including the government’s advisory committee that recommended tobacco plain packaging. He has been active in health policy, tobacco, alcohol, gambling, predatory journals and other public health areas for fifty years, has been an active researcher, published widely, and worked with WHO, governments and health organisations in more than forty countries. Before moving to Australia in  1984 he was the first full-time Director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in the UK, then Senior Lecturer in Health Education in the Department of Community Medicine at Edinburgh University. 

He is an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO), was the Western Australian of the Year in 2018, and has received further awards from WHO, PHAA, AMA, Cancer Council Australia, Heart Foundation, Thoracic Society and many other national and international organisations, including the American Cancer Society’s Luther Terry Distinguished Career Award and the World Federation of Public Health Associations’ highest honour, the Leavell Award for Outstanding Global Health Leadership. 

Thomas Mayo is a Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man.

He was a wharf labourer for sixteen years and is an official of the Maritime Union of Australia, working as the National Indigenous Officer of the union.

Thomas has published books that cover both historical and contemporary First Nations struggles including his extensive work campaigning for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, biographical narratives, fatherhood, masculinity, love and race. He has published essays and articles in the Griffith Review, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian.

Thomas was inspired to write his first book: Finding the Heart of the Nation – the Journey of the Uluru Statement towards Voice, Treaty and Truth, after being entrusted to carry the sacred Uluru Statement from the Heart canvas to Australians from all walks of life, soon after its creation in the heart of the country in 2017. This best-selling book is now in a paperback second-edition.

Thomas traveled throughout the nation for eighteen months with the Uluru Statement, taking it to the smallest of communities to large city gatherings, playing a key role in building the peoples movement for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to what it is today. His first childrens book: Finding Our Heart, is a childrens book about the Uluru Statement. It has enjoyed success because of its contemporary art and powerful truth telling with a uniquely clear call to action.

Thomas’ most recent works are a childrens book about the Gurindji Wave Hill Walk Off, Freedom Day – Vincent Lingiari and the story of the Wave Hill Walk-off; and Dear Son – Letters and reflections from First Nations fathers and sons.

In Dear Son, Thomas invites twelve other First Nations men to join him, writing about life, love, masculinity and racism. Thomas writes that Dear Son is a celebration of First Nations men – an act of defiance against everything they were taught about themselves, and the stereotype taught to all Australians.

Thomas continues to passionately advocate for workers rights and for a constitutionally enshrined Voice. He is the Chairperson of the Northern Territory Indigenous Labor Network, advises the Diversity Council of Australia and the From the Heart campaign, and is an executive member of the Northern Territory Trades and Labour Council. His writing journey continues also, with several books in development.

​Kirstie Parker is a Yuwallarai (pron yoo-wal-ah-rye) woman from northwestern NSW, who has lived on Kaurna yerta in Adelaide for the past six years (and previously). Kirstie recently took leave from her executive role within Aboriginal Affairs policy for the SA Government to provide strategic advice to the Uluru Dialogue whose tireless efforts led to the national Uluru Convention in May 2017 that issued the historic Uluru Statement to the Australian people. Co-chaired by Professor Megan Davis and Aunty Pat Anderson AO, the Uluru Dialogue is leading efforts to secure a successful referendum to enshrine in the Australian Constitution a First Nations Voice, one of three aspirations expressed within the Uluru Statement (followed by Treaty and Truth-telling). Kirstie’s 30+ year career includes terms as female elected Co-Chair of the former representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, CEO of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern NSW, and long-term Editor of the iconic national Aboriginal newspaper the Koori Mail. For the past decade, Kirstie has been a Director of Reconciliation Australia. From 2019-2021, she was a member of the Advisory Group to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Women’s Voices (Wiyi Yani U Thangani) Project, as well as an Independent Journalist Member of the Australian Press Council. Kirstie’s first novel The Making of Ruby Champion is due for publication by the University of Qld Press (UQP) in 2024.

Professor Lucie Rychetnik is Co-Director of The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre (Prevention Centre), and Professor with the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney. She has over 30 years of experience in translating research and mobilising knowledge for public health policy and practice; conducting empirical research in population health, disease prevention and clinical settings; and leading methodological work on evidence synthesis and appraisal for public health decisions. Lucie has previously also worked in health promotion, community nutrition, migrant health and clinical dietetics.

Her other areas of interest include the synergies between chronic disease prevention, sustainable development and the health impacts of climate change. From 2016-18 she was based in Geneva, Switzerland during which time she completed further studies in climate change management with the University of Edinburgh, and contributed to the work of the Global Climate and Health Alliance. From 2019-2021 she was a Board Director with the Australian Climate and Health Alliance. Her work with the Prevention Centre aims to promote and support system-level solutions that will generate co-benefits across health and other sectors; that is policies and interventions that are beneficial for health and wellbeing as well as bringing value to other sectors of government and society.

Odette is a Kuku Yalanji/Torres Strait Islander woman jointly appointed as a Senior Research Fellow with Wardliparingga Aboriginal Research Unit at South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute and the Sansom Institute for Health Research within University of South Australia. Her experience and post-doctoral training in Aboriginal health policy, health systems and inequity comprises a unique comprehensive skillset relevant to existing and emerging complexities of Aboriginal health and well-being. Specifically, Odette seeks to understand how institutional policies and practices drive health and social inequities experienced by Indigenous populations. Her novel approach is the use of community-level information to show and explore the reasons for variations in disadvantage both within the Aboriginal community and between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community. Integral to her research is the inclusion of Aboriginal communities in defining their health and wellbeing and how Indigenous data can be governed in the future to derive greater benefit for the population. Her work traverses evidence-based policy development, health services research and epidemiology to identify and address health and social disadvantage and strengths among the Aboriginal population. Odette has expertise in (1) primary health care contexts and systems and their linkages with health and social services (2) conceptual development of Aboriginal specific well-being frameworks and indicators, and (3) using social and epidemiological research to develop policy for chronic disease prevention and management. With strong community and cross sector engagement her current research activities focus on how to reduce disadvantage by improving health and social system responses to better meet the needs of Aboriginal people.

Angela is a Kullalli/Koa woman and brings a wealth of experience to the role of Executive Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement. Prior to her current appointment, Angela was the General Manager, Policy and Research for the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council, where she was a strong advocate for the health advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Angela also has a passion for justice and holds a Bachelor of Laws. She commenced her career as a Government Lawyer and has held senior roles in the areas of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing, employment and education. Angela is committed to creating a more innovative, culturally safe and engaging healthcare pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and their families. Angela is responsible for forging and strengthening our relationship with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities we serve.

Billie Bonevski is a Professor of Public Health and behavioural scientist. She is interested in chronic disease prevention and her research is focussed on designing and evaluating health behaviour change interventions at the individual, systems, and population levels. Her research targets population groups at high risk of disease due to sociodemographic, clinical, or cultural factors. Her research is delivered within the community and real world settings such as mental health and drug and alcohol services, Aboriginal health services, and housing and financial aid services.

Professor Caroline Miller is the Director of the Health Policy Centre at SAHMRI and also an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow 2 at the University of Adelaide.

The Health Policy Centre undertakes research in public health prevention - specialising in obesity prevention, tobacco control and COVID-19 policy. The Centre delivers timely and relevant evidence to inform public health policy reform, social marketing campaigns, and other interventions to change the context for health behaviours and reduce the preventable burdens of disease.

Caroline leads a program of research in obesity prevention, with a specialist focus on ultra-processed foods and beverages, including sugar sweetened and non-sugar sweetened beverages. She has specialist expertise in labelling and is currently investigating added sugar labels and consumer warning labels for beverages. She also has interests in public health communication, policy dialogue and reducing weight-stigma.

Caroline has specialised in tobacco control for over 25 years. She was one of a select group of scientists advising the Australian Government on world-leading tobacco plain packaging laws. She contributed to the research program which underpinned the law, and its defence against international legal challenges. She established and leads the Tobacco Control Research + Evaluation program which undertakes population monitoring, research and evaluation in all aspects of tobacco control, including vaping.

She is Vice President (Policy) Public Health Association of Australia, and Council Member Australian New Zealand Obesity Society (ANZOS).

Since 2018 Marina has led Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia (DASSA), a state-wide health service operating through the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network and Department of Health and Wellbeing. As an experienced policy and health services professional, she has built a reputation for delivering and influencing public health outcomes through effective integrated responses. She has extensive experience in public policy and the management of tobacco, alcohol and other drug programs and services having been employed in the sector for over 23 years. In her current role, she is responsible for the broad range of functions delivered by DASSA, including: the provision state-wide treatment services for people with alcohol and other drugs problems; providing consultation and liaison services that support and develop the primary health care, hospital, non-government and private sectors to facilitate treatment and support services; providing and coordinating a range of population programs to address tobacco, alcohol and other drug related problems in South Australia; and providing strategy, policy, and planning advice to the Chief Executive of the Department for Health and Wellbeing and the Minister for Health related to tobacco, alcohol and other drug issues. This includes responsibility for SA Health funding of non-government alcohol and other drug treatment services. Marina is the past Chair of the National Alcohol and Other Drug Policy Officers Group, Co-host of the National Tobacco Officials Group, Presiding Member of South Australia’s Controlled Substances Advisory Council, and works collaboratively across Australia with a range of research, policy and service organisations.

Dini Soulio is the Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, Commissioner for Corporate Affairs, Liquor and Gambling Commissioner and Commissioner for Prices, and has responsibility for all of the operations of Consumer and Business Services within the Attorney-General's Department.

He joined Consumer Affairs in 2009 and became Commissioner in 2015, and has a background in law, consumer protection, corporate regulation and enforcement.

Prior to working in AGD, Dini was a solicitor in private practice, working in the areas of insurance, workers' compensation and criminal law. He then moved to the Australian Customs Service (now Border Force) as the Manager Border Enforcement.

After that, he joined the Australian Securities and Investments Commission where he had national responsibility for complaints, investigations and prosecutions dealing with matters ranging from scams to liquidator misconduct to directors' duties breaches to insolvent trading.

Gerry McCartney graduated from medicine at the University of Glasgow and did his GP vocational training in Paisley. Whilst working as a junior doctor he completed an honours degree in Economics and Development at the University of London. After this he entered the Public health training scheme, based initially at NHS Argyll and Clyde and then at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. During this time he worked on the 2007 E.coli outbreak in Paisley, performed needs assessments for communities in the east end of Glasgow and did his MD at the MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit (SPHSU) on the impacts of the Commonwealth Games. He also worked at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH) where he produced the first synthesis of the causes of the excess mortality in Scotland and Glasgow. In 2010 he took up post as Head of the Scottish Public Health Observatory (ScotPHO) at NHS Health Scotland and then Public Health Scotland. In September 2021 he took up post as Professor of Wellbeing Economy at the University of Glasgow.

Working at the intersection of systems change and sustainability, Julie provides analysis, education and strategies to embed sustainability practices and drive real impact. Julie is a skilled facilitator, workshop presenter and public speaker and is a regular commentator on a broad range of sustainability issues (print and radio). Most recently, Julie was a Program Manager at Monash Sustainable Development Institute, where she provided advice, analysis, education, research, workshop design and delivery on the implementation and utilisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and related wellbeing frameworks. Julie has a background in policy development for the federal government (DFAT, AusAID and the Attorney General’s Department) and is a lawyer by training.

Katherine is an advocate for economic change with roles including writer-in-residence at the University of Edinburgh, Strategic Advisor for the Centre for Policy Development and The Next Economy. She co-founded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance and WEAll Scotland. She sits on advisory groups for the C40 Centre for Urban Climate Policy and Economy, and the Centre for Understanding Sustainable Prosperity. She is a Senior Fellow at the ZOE Institute and Distinguished Fellow of the Schumacher Institute.  

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Katherine instigated the group of Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo) and spent over eight years with Oxfam GB. Her most recent book The Economics of Arrival: Ideas for a Grown Up Economy (co-authored with Jeremy Williams) was published in January 2019 and her major report Being Bold: Budgeting for Children’s Wellbeing was launched in March 2021.

Simone is the Director of Behaviour Change and Health Promotion at The George Institute for Global Health. She specialises in behavioural  psychology and its application to a wide range of health and social issues, including active and motorised transport.

Professor Ray Mahoney, Professor of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Discipline Lead of Population Health & Visiting Scientist, Australian eHealth Research Centre (AEHRC), CSIRO. Professor Mahoney is a Bidjara man with family ties to Central West Queensland who has worked extensively to implement best practice CVD care, particularly for Indigenous people. Professor Mahoney has developed and implemented a range of research projects with key strategic Indigenous community-controlled organisation partners and Hospitals.  Including establishing a multi-agency research partnership, an e-Health Research Collaboration focused on establishing a best practice framework to guide and inform culturally safe eHealth interventions with Indigenous people. Professor Mahoney has led the codesign of Mixed Methods Evaluations of integrated care trials with an Aboriginal Health Service & Hospital that includes data linkage.

Malcolm Clark is senior prevention policy manager at Cancer Research UK. He oversees Cancer Research’s policy work on tobacco, obesity and other cancer prevention risk factors.

Dr Cassandra Wright is a Senior Research Fellow at Menzies School of Health Research and Adjunct Research Fellow at the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research and Burnet Institute. She has qualifications in epidemiology, health promotion and public health. Her research is focused on alcohol policy, and she is particularly interested in the impact of these policies on priority populations.