Shadow Minister for Human Services

Labor Member for Barton

As a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation, Linda was the first Aboriginal person to be elected to the NSW Parliament and the first Aboriginal woman to serve in the Australian House of Representatives.  Linda’s commitment to Indigenous issues spans more than 30 years.

She began her career as a teacher in western Sydney and then as an education bureaucrat before being appointed Director General of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in 2000.  Charles Sturt University awarded her, its first Aboriginal graduate, an Honorary Doctorate in Education in 2002.

Linda was elected federal member for Barton in 2016, following a 14 year career in the NSW Parliament as Member for Canterbury. During her state political career she served as a Minister in a number of senior portfolios including as Minister for Community Services and later as Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

Following her election to the Federal House of Representatives she was immediately appointed as Shadow Minister for Human Services.

Linda has been long committed to the prevention of domestic violence and has detailed publically her personal experience with it. 

Linda has also held senior positions in the non-government sector serving on a number of Boards including the SBS, the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board, and the NSW Board of Studies.

Born 1983 in Fitzroy, Melbourne, to an Irish father and Aboriginal mother, Dan Sultan was raised in Melbourne. His mother, Roslyn Sultan, got her name from the Afghan camel drivers of Australia’s central desert a century ago, and her Aboriginal heritage has its genesis in the eastern Aranda and Gurindji clans of central Australia.

Growing up in Fitzroy with a few years in Cairns as a teenager, Dan was often one of a few indigenous students at his schools. Despite getting a hard time from kids all his life, he was always “proud to be a blackfella…it makes you strong, it makes you smart.”

Dan was exposed to music while living in remote Yundemu, 300 kilometers north-west of Alice Springs in the Tanami desert – Warlpiri country, where his Irish father was working for the Aboriginal Legal Service.

Long drawn to song and dance, one of his earliest memories is as a three year old, sitting around a fire in Yundemu with 60 to 70 Warlpiri elders and watching everyone dancing and singing. “I remember sitting next to one elder and he handed me some clap sticks and everyone encouraged me to get up and dance. When I came back to Melbourne I used to put on little shows at my school, pretending to play the didgeridoo. I really enjoy performing and I have ever since that dancing circle in the Tanami Desert”, says Dan.

Back in Melbourne, he recalls being taken by his mum to her friends’ rockabilly band that used to play at Fitzroy’s infamous Black Cat café. “They’d be playing afternoon sessions and I remember watching the lead singer and thinking he was one of the coolest people in the world. I thought, “That’s what I’d like to do.” Infused with indigenous sounds of central Australia and surrounded by Melbourne’s soul and rock and roll, Dan began writing songs at ten years of age.

Magnetic

A piano flutters, and a string section swells from the delicate melody. Then a choir of voices bursts forth: “God, help me!". 

So begins Dan Sultan’s latest track, ‘Magnetic’, heralding a bold new musical vision from the acclaimed indigenous Australian songwriter. On the lead up to the release of Sultan’s fourth studio album, due in 2017, ‘Magnetic’ is a fierce attack of soul-pop, as interested in delivering unfiltered emotion as it is a charging chorus.   

It’s a clear-headed missive from a man at the top of his game. Not content to ride the coattails of his third record, Blackbird, which took out the award for Best Rock Album at the 2014 ARIA Awards as well as a slew of NIMA and AIR gongs, Sultan took inspiration from the innovative pop landscape to take his honest storytelling into unchartered territory.

Sultan describes his approach to song-writing succinctly: “If there’s fear then you’re onto the right thing.”

The same could be said of Sultan’s ability to dig into complex personal turmoil and lay it out in song. “I try to keep it simple, but I’m a complicated man,” he bellows in ‘Magnetic’. Indeed, the track finds Sultan grappling with his inner demons and finding renewed strength to keep going – “I keep holding on,” he sings at the crest of the chorus.

“It’s about having too much of a good thing,” Sultan says, explaining the song’s lyrics. “It’s about excess, basically, in all its forms. But it’s also about getting older, and about being more comfortable in my own skin.”

As with the forthcoming album from which it’s taken, ‘Magnetic’ was recorded with producer Jan Skubiszewski, at Skubiszewski’s Way Of The Eagle Studios in Melbourne. Skubiszewski has worked with Illy, John Butler Trio and his own Way Of The Eagle project to create some of the most memorable Australian productions of recent years. He also happens to be Sultan’s best mate.

“Having Jan there to push me and hear my ideas was awesome,” Sultan says. “We’ve worked together a lot, but never on something as big as this, and I know he’s as proud of it as I am. It was the perfect storm.”

Sultan hit the road in full band mode to tour ‘Magnetic’ in November, taking in capital cities to give audiences a taste of his new material as well as a selection from his rollicking catalogue.

View Dan's Website here.

Phil has more than ten years’ experience leading financial service organisations, headlined by his previous position as Chief Executive Officer at Centric Wealth, as well as senior positions across divisions at Investec, the South African-based investment bank.

Whilst at Investec, Phil was instrumental in building the corporate and private bank client base and introducing investors to innovative opportunities, including property, aircraft leasing and other alternative investments. At Centric Wealth, he helped transform the Wealth Management company into a multimillion dollar business on behalf of Champ Private Equity.

Prior to his business career, Phil played 67 tests for the Wallabies from 1989 to 1999. He captained the team ten times, demonstrating inspiring leadership qualities. During this period, he also led the push to professionalism in rugby. Phil is also widely regarded for his philanthropic activities, creating The Balmoral Burn in 2000 in support of the Humpty Dumpty Foundation raising $27.5 million for Children’s Hospitals around the country.

Phil has recently been appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his support to charitable institutions, rugby and the business community.

Andrew Demetriou was Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Football League from 2003 until June 2014.  Andrew oversaw unprecedented growth in Australian football and expanded the game nationally and internationally as well as leading the AFL in negotiating a series of record commercial arrangements including broadcast and sponsorship agreements.  

As AFL CEO, Andrew also drove the organisation’s focus on making a positive difference to society through community engagement programs that promote inclusion and tolerance.

Prior to becoming CEO of the AFL, Andrew served as AFL General Manager, head of the AFL Players Association and as Managing Director of the Ruthinium Group. Andrew also served as Non-Executive Chairman of the Baxter Group and is a former Chairman of the Australian Multicultural Advisory Council.

Andrew now holds the following roles - Executive Chairman of Acquire Learning, Non- Executive Chairman of CareerOne, Director of Crown Resorts Limited, Director of CrownBet, Transitional Chairman of Cox Architects, Director of Bastion Group and is a Non-Executive Director of the non-partisan Climate Institute

Andrew is married to Symone and is the father of four children.

Born in South Australia,  a proud Andyamathanha/Narungga man, Adam moved to Victoria as young boy and developed a passion for Australian Rules Football. After he was drafted by the Sydney Swans from the North Ballarat U18s, Adam had an AFL career spanning over seventeen seasons, retiring in September 2015. Adam had a highly decorated AFL career including being awarded the prestigious Rising Star medal and twice receiving the Brownlow Medal.

In 2004 he was invited to join the National Indigenous Council (NIC), an advisory body to the Federal Government on Indigenous affairs. In 2014, he joined the board of Supply Nation, a government-funded body aimed at growing the Indigenous business sector through the promotion of supplier diversity in Australia. He is also the CEO of the Indigenous Defence Consortium, an organisation that aims to increase the participation of Indigenous companies in long term Nation building projects.

In 2014, Adam was named Australian of the Year in recognition of his community work aimed at empowering the next generation of Indigenous role models as well as his advocacy in the fight against racism.

Adam is also passionate about the elimination of discrimination in society. He is an advocate for the Recognise Movement (www.recognise.org.au ) along with the Racism It Stops With Me campaign (https://itstopswithme.humanrights.gov.au ).

Adam is an ambassador for many brands including Toyota, David Jones, Qantas, SCG Trust and Lend Lease. Having retiring from AFL, Adam is looking forward to investing more time in the GO Foundation along with getting involved in other opportunities that he is passionate about. Adam hopes to enjoy more overseas holidays. In his downtime, he enjoys playing golf, poker and spending time with his family and friends.

Adam is a Co-Founder & Non-Executive Director of the GO Foundation.

Since retiring from a highly decorated career at the Sydney Swans which included being a dual All-Australian team member and a member of the AFL’s Indigenous Team of the Century, Michael has been Head Coach of the AIS-AFL Academy, coached the Indigenous All-Stars team which toured Ireland in 2013, and was Head Coach of the QBE Sydney Swans Academy.

Michael brings to his roles as co-founder and Board member many years’ experience on the board of the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy.  

Michael has worked in numerous community based programs over the past 15 years, including with the Swans, Books in Homes, Sydney Swans initiatives such as the Healthy Choices schools programme, he has been an Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy and Numeracy Programme, a director of the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy and an Ambassador for the AFL Indigenous Academy.

In 2009 the AFL Players’ Association awarded Michael the prestigious Madden Medal, which recognises on- and off-field excellence and community spirit.

Michael is also the Managing Director of CMC Indigenous Services.

Michael is a Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director of the GO Foundation.

James has spent the last 17 years working in the Information Technology sector in multiple geographies including Europe, the Asia Pacific region, and Australia. James has been involved with and assisted a number of Indigenous organisations, both philanthropic and private sector, for the last decade including assisting with the development of Indigenous Enterprise (specifically MessageStick and CMC Indigenous Services) over the past 10 years. In his current role James leads the Business Process Services group at IBM across Australia and New Zealand.

James is a Co-Founder and a Non-Executive Director of the Go Foundation.

Sam Mostyn is the President of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and a widely sought after non-executive director and sustainability adviser.

She is Chair of Citibank Australia and Carriageworks, sits on the boards of Virgin Australia, Transurban Group, Mirvac and CoverMore as well as the Diversity Council of Australia, the Climate Council and Climateworks.

Sam is also a member of the Australian Faculty of the Cambridge University Program for Sustainability Leadership and the Business & Sustainable Development Commission.  

Sam has previously held senior executive roles at Insurance Australia Group, Optus Communications and Cable & Wireless plc.

Peter Meurer is one of Australia’s most experienced and respected bankers bringing over 35 years of experience to his current role of Executive Chairman of Nomura Investment Bank in Australia.

Peter has previously been the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Corporate Broking at Merrill Lynch, Vice Chairman of Citi Group and prior to that Vice Chairman of McIntosh/Baring Securities. He was also a senior partner at Potter Partners and Potter Warburg.

Peter currently sits on the investment committee for the Foundation for Young Australians and is the Chairman of Ignition Wealth Pty Limited. He is a Foundation Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Peter is the Chairperson of the GO Foundation Board of Directors.

Holly is a Non-Executive Director on the Boards of Woolworths, AMP Ltd., Australia Post and 2XU.  She also serves on the Board of regional community-owned Telco Southern Phones.

A member of Chief Executive Women (CEW) and the Finance and Investment Committee for Western Sydney University, Holly was also the leading national fundraiser in 2013-14 for the Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

In her executive career, Holly was the CEO of apparel retailer Best & Less, where she was responsible for transforming the business and returning it to growth and profitability.  In that role, she was responsible for approximately 200 stores and 4300 employees across Australia. 

Prior to Best & Less, she was an executive at Pacific Brands, running the Workwear and Homewares Divisions, and at Telstra, where she held the roles of Group Managing Director- Product Management and Chief of Marketing.  Holly has also held senior roles at ecorp Ltd (a PBL company) and a variety of marketing roles at Ford Motor Company in Australia and in the U.S.

Holly has a BA with Honours in Economics and Political Science from Yale University and an MBA from Georgetown University. 

She is married with a 13 year old daughter and lives in the Southern Highlands of NSW.

A professional independent director and businessman, Ken Boundy is Chairman of RedBalloon, the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust and Hydrasyst, and a non-executive director of NetComm Wireless, Timberlink and Australian Bauxite.

Previously Ken was CEO of Tourism Australia and Goodman Fielder Asia, and held other divisional head roles across various industry sectors including in the wine, food and building materials industries.

Ken is a tier one coach and mentor and brand ambassador for the start-up accelerator, Slingshot. He is a part owner of Corinna Wilderness Experience, an ecotourism destination in the Tarkine region of north-west Tasmania and has a keen interest in plants, conservation and biodiversity.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Ken is a Non-Executive Director of the GO Foundation.

Shirley started her career as a lawyer at the New York law firm, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.  Upon completing the New York Bar exam, Shirley worked across Asia both for Cleary and as Regional Counsel for JP Morgan Investment Management.

After almost 8 years in Japan, Shirley’s career took a different turn when she moved back to Australia and worked for a number of community initiatives including the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Queenwood School and the Law Society of NSW. 

After writing a biography for a World War 2 prisoner-of-war, Shirley returned to banking and finance joining the legal team at BT Financial Group and Westpac Banking Corporation and volunteering for the Westpac Foundation.  Prior to joining the GO Foundation, Shirley was Counsel in the Treasury team at Westpac.

Shirley believes fiercely in the power of diversity and inclusion and is an advocate for increasing diversity amongst corporate and not-for-profit boards and senior management both in Australia and more broadly.

She is also a non-executive director on the board of YMCA NSW.

Shirley lives in Sydney with her husband of 22 years, Ian, and their three children, Sabrina, Max and Kian.

Tim’s career spans over 40 years and he brings a wealth of experience to the GO Foundation.

Tim previously held senior finance and management roles with major advertising agencies Clemenger Group, BBDO, Y&R and Publicis Mojo including being the Chief Financial Officer for Y&R for Africa/Australia and New Zealand.

Tim was appointed as the Chief Financial Officer for the Sydney Swans Football Club in 2006 and is the Company Secretary for the Sydney Swans and the Sydney Swans Foundation. Tim is a Fellow of the Certified Practising Accountants and a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.

Tim’s interests include Japanese gardens and culture, travel, sport, reading and fine dining.

Tim has been married to Vicki for 38 years and has two children, Jacqueline and Jordan, and one grandson, Harvey.

Tim is the Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of the GO Foundation.

Madi is a proud Aboriginal woman and descendant of the Wonnarua Nation, the Traditional Landowners of the Hunter Valley.

She first joined The GO Foundation as a trainee through a collaboration between AFL SportsReady and the Sydney Swans in 2015. At the completion of her traineeship, Madi was appointed to a full-time position at the Sydney Swans as HR Assistant and as an Administrative Assistant at GO.

Recently, Madi was promoted to the role of Business Operations Coordinator at the GO Foundation.  Her new role is broader and Madi finds herself doing a diverse range of things – everything from meeting with our partners and Ambassadors to covering events for GO and liaising with students and schools.

In 2017, Madi will begin a Bachelor of Media (Communications and Journalism) at UNSW. She loves learning and recognises the importance of education to further her career.  She is looking forward to the challenge of managing her work at the GO Foundation and Sydney Swans with her uni degree.