Mark Roddam is the First Assistant Secretary of the Primary Care Division at the Department of Health and Aged Care. In his role he has responsibility for the Australian Government’s primary care policies and programs. Prior to this role Mark was First Assistant Secretary of the Social Policy Division at the Department of Finance. In previous roles in the Health portfolio he has been the First Assistant Secretary of the Mental Health Division and the Indigenous Health Divisions. Previous to Health, Mark worked in the Indigenous Affairs Group at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C). Before joining PM&C, Mark worked in the employment portfolio for 15 years on a variety of workplace relations and employment programs and policies.

Read More

John Eales debuted for the Wallabies in 1991 and captained the side from 1996 until the end of his test career in 2001. He participated in two successful World Cup campaigns, captaining the latter in 1999,  and led Australia through three Bledisloe Cup, two Tri- Nations and Australia’s only series victory against the  British and Irish Lions. In 20 tests against the All Blacks  he was on the winning side 11 times, and also won 6 of his 11 tests  against them as captain. He has been inducted into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame, the World Rugby Hall of Fame, and the Australia Institute of Sport’s Best of the Best. In 1999 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to the community and rugby. In his business career, John has been an executive, a Director and an investor in numerous businesses. He was the founder of the Mettle Group – a consultancy in leadership and culture, is the Chair of ASX listed Trajan Group Holdings, and sits on the boards of Flight Centre Travel Group, and Magellan Financial Group. He is also the author of books, “Learning from Legends – Sport” and “Learning from Legends – Business”.

Read More

Dr Jillann Farmer was Medical Director of the United Nations, based at the headquarters in New York for 8 years. During tenure at the UN, she was responsible for the health, safety and wellbeing of all UN personnel deployed throughout the world and was also responsible for the standards in healthcare facilities operating under the UN flag. She managed the UN's response to the New York wave of COVID-19 in 2020.
Since leaving the UN, she has worked as a Deputy Director General in Queensland Health and as a front-line clinician in primary care and emergency medicine. Prior to serving in the UN, she was the Medical Director of the Patient Safety Centre in Queensland Health, and the inaugural Director of the Clinician Performance Support Service.
Jillann currently balances her role as CEO with clinical work in a rural ED. Outside of work, Jillann has been a martial arts practitioner for over 30 years, and is a keen hiker, kayaker, cyclist and cross-country skier.

Read More

Tyson Carmody is a trusted narrative therapist, community leader, proud Arrernte man, father, and the founder and managing director of Kings Narrative. His vision at Kings Narrative is to support Aboriginal men to be the authors of their own story and build a proud future for his sons to inherit.

Anyone who has worked with Tyson knows the patience, generosity, and knowledge he brings to everything he does. Tyson has that rare ability to walk in many worlds at once, bringing together people from all backgrounds and levels of experience, with respect and care to navigate complex realities with strength and humility.

Tyson is the walking blood memory of his ancestors and carries with him a dignity and ability to communicate that is very rare. Because of this ability, Aboriginal men of all ages seek his counsel, mentoring, and support. Tyson creates culturally safe environments where men can connect, unpack trauma, and build self-belief.

Tyson’s work at Kings Narrative is firmly grounded in systems change, strong communities, and culture. He is highly sought after as a speaker, facilitator, and mediator. Most recently, he was a finalist for the 2023 Northern Territory Australian of the Year.

Since launching in 2021, Kings Narrative has engaged with 793 Aboriginal men and young people. They work with men in communities around Central Australia, such as Utju and Ltyentye Apurte, and communities as far as Groote Eylandt up north and Pukutja down south in the APY lands. Kings Narrative is a profit-for-purpose social enterprise founded and led by Aboriginal men. They collaborate with allies from all backgrounds but exclusively employ Aboriginal people.

Kings Narrative supports Aboriginal men of all ages to re-author their own stories and step outside the negative discourses that prevent them from seeing their true worth. 
Their programs prioritise culture to facilitate the therapeutic healing work required for real change. Understanding trauma is central to their mission, allowing them to address it effectively.

Kings Narrative facilitates honest and difficult conversations about men and men's behaviour to enable both-ways healing.

They embody leadership in action by preparing the ground, holding the space, making it real, and healing together.

The organisation values cultural integrity above all else and strives for a future where:

- Their men are healthy and strong.
- Their languages are rich and alive.
- Their women and children are cared for and respected.
- Their businesses are innovative and world-class leaders.

Kings Narrative was the finalist and winner of the 2024 Northern Territory Telstra Business Awards for two categories: Aboriginal Business and Championing Health. Tyson has also published articles through IndigenousX and the Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia (PACJA).

Read More

Professor Sabina Knight AM is a Fellow of ACN, Rural Leadership Australia and CRANA.  a career rural and remote health advocate and clinician she is the Director of the newly established JCU Central Queensland Centre for Rural and Remote Health in Emerald. Sabina has a background in remote area nursing, health workforce, policy and reform. She has held leadership roles in CRANA plus, the National Rural Health Alliance, Regional Woman’s Advisory Council and a range of advisory bodies. She served as Commissioner on the National Health and Hospital Health Reform Commission and recently was an Independent Reviewer for the Working Better for Medicare Review in thin markets.  Sabina moved to Emerald following 11 years in Mount Isa leading the Murtupuni Centre for Rural and Remote Health. She has been recognised by her peers with 2 Aurora Awards, a Centenary Medal, the Ariotti Award, is a Member of the Order of Australia and last year was awarded QLD Life Sciences Woman of Influence Award. 

Read More

Professor Mark Cormack was appointed to the Australian National University (ANU) College of Health and Medicine in 2020, following a long career in the Commonwealth, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and New South Wales (NSW) Government services. His professional background covers early work as an allied health professional, and health services manager. Mark has served as a Chief Executive (ACT Health ; Health Workforce Australia) and Deputy Secretary (Commonwealth Departments of Health, Veterans’ Affairs and Home Affairs) and has had portfolio responsibilities covering a wide spectrum of public policy. In national health policy these included mental health, health financing, primary health care, workforce, public hospitals, health technology assessment, research, and health provider compliance.
As Deputy Secretary Australian Department of Health he managed intergovernmental relations at the Commonwealth, State, and Territory levels, working on National Health Reform Agreements and numerous National Partnership Agreements. In the area of national program delivery, his work spanned Medicare, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, National Blood Supply, Primary Health Networks, Public Hospitals, Private Health Insurance, and the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

In the area of national health workforce, he led policy, planning, clinical training and workforce reform as the CEO of Health Workforce Australia. In international health, Mark was Australia’s delegate to the OECD Health Committee and WHO Western Pacific Region.

He worked as Deputy Secretary in the area of border security, detention and visa compliance at the (then) Department of Immigration and Border Protection (now Home Affairs). He was also responsible for Australian Defence Force workers compensation, veterans’ policy and program delivery through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Mark, along with Associate Professor Ian Crettenden established the National Centre for Health Workforce Studies (NCHWS) at the ANU in 2022, and is currently undertaking a PhD at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy, researching policy change through intergovernmental health financing agreements in Australia.

Read More

National Rural Health Commissioner Professor Jenny May AM has more than 25 years experience working as a Rural Generalist in rural and remote Australia and has an extensive background, including serving as Director of the University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health, representing the profession through the Rural Doctors Association of Australia and the National Rural Health Alliance.

Read More

Professor Bart Currie is an infectious diseases and public health physician at Royal Darwin Hospital, and Professor in Medicine at the Northern Territory Medical Program. 
  
He leads the Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases team at Menzies School of Health Research. He began both the Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study and the Darwin Prospective Snakebite Study 34 years ago.

Read More

Dr Lewandowski is a Rural Generalist in Far North Queensland, and is an ACRRM Fellow with advanced skills in operative obstetrics and endoscopy. He currently works as a Senior Medical Officer providing endoscopy and gastrointestinal services in Cairns Base Hospital and obstetrics, endoscopy and emergency services in Innisfail Hospital.

He spent the previous 12 years providing general practice, emergency, obstetrics and endoscopy services in Kingaroy, after immigrating from the United States in 2008 where he worked as a rural doctor in Missouri.

Dr Lewandowski is President of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) a past President of the Rural Doctors Association of Queensland (RDAQ), and former Director of the Rural Doctors Foundation.

Read More

Associate Professor Dan Halliday is a Senior Medical Officer - Rural Generalist based at Stanthorpe Hospital, Queensland, with special interest in obstetrics.

Dan has maintained ongoing advocacy and representative roles supporting rural doctors and their communities. Dan is a Past-President of Rural Doctors Association of Queensland (RDAQ) and has held other executive positions on the management committee of RDAQ and is a past Director of Queensland Rural Medical Education (QRME). He is a current Rural Generalist Member on the Statewide Rural and Remote Clinical Network for Queensland Health, and has been appointed onto the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service Clinical Council.

He is acutely aware of the decline in health provision in small communities. From his obstetrics perspective, he sees this decline starkly illustrated by the closure of many rural birthing units. He has also experienced the machinations of a large health system in both crisis and recovery.

Dan joined the College in 2006 and was the 100th registrar to train for Fellowship, which he gained in 2009. From then until now a Pre-vanguard Rural Generalist Trainee, now a Fellow, he has seen the gradual recognition that a national rural generalist program is the future for sustainable, equitable rural and remote health services. He believes that, with the development of the rural generalist pathway, we are now starting to generate genuine and widespread interest in rural medicine and begin the stabilisation of rural medical facilities across Australia.

Dan's deliberations and decision on the College Board will be informed by formal governance qualifications - Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors - which he gained in 2012.

Dan considers that he has been fortunate to be surrounded by passionate rural general practitioners and advocates in a range of forums. He is fully appreciative of the role that family plays in the support of colleagues practicing medicine, and readily acknowledges the support of his wife Cathy and their children Grace, William and Georgia.

Read More

Dr Norman Swan hosts RN’s Health Report and since the COVID-19 pandemic, has co-hosted Coronacast, a daily podcast on the coronavirus.  Norman is also a reporter and commentator on the ABC’s 7.30, Midday, News Breakfast and Four Corners and a guest host on RN Breakfast.

He is a past winner of the Gold Walkley. He created Invisible Enemies, on pandemics and civilisation for Channel 4 UK and broadcast in 27 countries. Norman has been awarded the medal of the Australian Academy of Science, an honorary MD from the University of Sydney, and in October 2022, a Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. He is also the recipient of the Australian Skeptics Journalism Award 2020. On Australia Day 2023, Norman was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (AM). During COVID he wrote two books. So You Think You Know What's Good For You (Hatchette) is a best seller and was released in the UK. His latest book, So You Want To Live Younger Longer, has also been on the best seller list. Norman trained in Medicine and Paediatrics in Aberdeen, London and Sydney before joining the ABC.  

Read More