Shorna Moore is a Social Justice Lawyer and is currently the head of Policy, Advocacy and Government Relations at Melbourne City Mission where she is responsible for leading the organisation’s systemic change work. She is the former Policy and Advocacy director of the peak body for community legal centres, sits on several not-for-profit boards and was inducted into the 2022 Victorian Honour Roll for Women.

Shorna has been a leader in the justice, youth and homelessness sectors for more than 15 years and is dedicated to driving positive social change for children and young people. Her work on the issues of couch surfing as a form of youth homelessness and children and young people experiencing family violence has resulted in lasting government and NGO reforms. Shorna also identified schools as an effective environment for young people to access justice and enforce their human rights, and this work has been replicated across Australia and globally.

Nicole Hucks is the Children’s Commissioner of the Northern Territory. Nicole is a Larrakia/Wadjigan and Eastern Arrernte Aboriginal woman from the NT. Nicole has defined her career in child and family welfare, with experience in child protection, care and protection research and program and policy development in Victoria and the NT. 

Dr. Jess Heerde is a National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Leadership Fellow and Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Paediatrics, Melbourne Medical School, at the University of Melbourne.

A/Professor Heerde at the University of Melbourne has established and leads a program of research that highlights both drivers of homelessness and the health consequences of homelessness in young people. Her program of work focuses on the prevention of homelessness before its consequences for health, and the social and individual assets that underpin health across the later life-course, arise.

Stephen Nash became CEO of Kids Under Cover in December 2021 after being a founder and CEO of homelessness and community housing organisations for the past 25 years in Victoria.

Stephen has formed local, national and international alliances and partnerships to innovate and advocate and he has led campaigns to trial new solutions to homelessness.

Stephen has been invited to be a member of Ministerial Advisory Committees on homelessness and housing and elected by his peers to serve on national and state peak body boards.

Professor Brian Burdekin, AO (Order of Australia) has left a lasting legacy to two of Australia’s most disadvantaged groups – homeless children and people with mental illness.  During his term as Federal Human Rights Commissioner, he presented two landmark reports: a National Inquiry into Youth Homelessness in 1989 and Human Rights and Mental Illness in 1983.

Our Homeless Children, the 1989 report on youth homelessness, shocked the Australian public by revealing the number of young people who were homeless and the appalling lifestyle they lived.  The Burdekin Association has restructured to reflect many of the recommendations of the report and Brian Burdekin has offered his full support. 

Catherine Robinson is an Australian academic, sociologist and social justice activist. She has a long-held commitment to qualitative research and advocacy in the areas of homelessness, complex trauma and social care.

Catherine is known for her work with Blackfella Films as Series Consultant and Co-Host of the SBS documentary Filthy Rich and Homeless and she is a Board Director of Homelessness Australia.

Catherine is currently Associate Professor in Housing and Communities, School of Social Sciences, UTAS where she is also UTAS Centre Director for the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. Her recent work focuses on understanding the experiences and support system needs of children and young people who experience high vulnerability, including unaccompanied homelessness and mental ill-health.

Pam Barker is the CEO of Brisbane Youth Service (BYS) which works to support homeless and vulnerable young people, and their children, to secure and maintain housing, address physical and mental health issues, establish successful relationships and support networks, and access pathways to education and employment. Prior to commencing with BYS, Pam was the CEO of Yfoundations, the New South Wales peak body representing young people at risk and experiencing homelessness, and before that, the CEO of Open Doors Youth Service, Queensland’s LGBTIQA+ youth service supporting children and young people aged 12–24 years. She is passionate about investing in our next generation of leaders and advocating for meaningful solutions to support them to flourish.

Pam has advocated for change in policy reform at both state and federal government levels partnering with stakeholders to affect change across Queensland for LGBTIQA+ Youth. She also sits on the board of My Foundations Youth Housing, Homelessness Australia (HA), Vanguard End Street Sleeping Collaboration (ESSC), is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, holds a Bachelor of Psychology, and is currently undertaking postgraduate study in Clinical Psychology.

Trish Connolly is the CEO of Yfoundations. She has an extensive background in homelessness and domestic abuse policy, research service design, and service system reform in both the Australian and UK contexts. She has worked across a broad range of sectors, including the NSW State Government, UK Government, peak bodies, non-government/frontline service providers and charities. Trish was also a member of the Yfoundations Board in 2014–15 to provide expertise on impacts and best practice approaches for young people experiencing domestic and family violence.

Prior to joining Yfoundations, Trish worked in a service delivery capacity in the community housing sector. Trish is passionate about working in the youth homelessness sector, strongly committed to ending homelessness, and focused on developing a systemic approach to address the fundamental issues that contribute to youth homelessness.

Keith Waters has worked in the youth homelessness sector for over 30 years. He has held Executive positions with Anglicare in NSW and the ACT as well as the Salvation Army in Melbourne, Victoria. He has experience across a wide range of areas including youth, drug and alcohol, housing and homelessness, crisis services, OoHC and child protection, family violence, prisons and courts, disability services, child care, aged care, primary health care and juvenile justice

In addition to being a leading NGO Executive, he has pioneered numerous innovative programs for disadvantaged young people over the past 30 years and has been an advocate, author and co-author of a number of landmark reports which have impacted youth policy. He is currently the Executive Officer of both YDA and the National Youth Commission.

Paul McDonald is the CEO of Anglicare Victoria, the state’s largest provider of foster care, family welfare and youth support services.

Paul has chaired a range of nationally significant committees on behalf of the Australian Government and is the former chair of the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.

He is the former Executive Director of the Children, Youth and Family Division in the Department of Human Services for the Victorian Government, being responsible for Victoria’s Child Protection Program, Youth Justice Program and Family and Domestic Violence Programs.

He has led a range of organisations including the founding CEO of Youth Substance Abuse Service, CEO of Council to Homeless Persons, Executive Director of the St Kilda Crisis Centre, Program Director for Crossroads Salvation Army and Youth Worker for Katherine Town Council. 

He is the founding Chair of the national ‘Home Stretch’ campaign which extends the age of those in Out of Home Care from 18 to 21 years in every jurisdiction in Australia. 

Jill Gallagher AO is a Gunditjmara woman from Western Victoria who has worked within, led and advocated for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Victoria for all her life.
Jill is a highly respected leader who has dedicated her life to advocating for self-determination outcomes on behalf of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

Jill is the CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation where she has spent the past 27 years advancing Aboriginal health and wellbeing.

Jill was recognised for her outstanding contribution to community when she was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2009, awarded the Order of Australia in 2013, and inducted into the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll in 2015.
Jill was also closely involved in leading the Victorian journey to treaty serving as Victoria’s Treaty Advancement Commissioner from 2017 to 2019.

Maggie Toko identifies as having a lived experience and as being indigenous to Aotearoa and comes from Ngati Whatua and Ngapuhi tribes.  Maggie is currently a Commissioner Lived Experience at the soon to be established Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission.  Maggie has worked in homelessness, youth, sexual assault and young women’s services as well as mental health most recently having been the CEO of VMIAC – Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council and the Peak Consumer organisation in Victoria. 

Maggie is a staunch believer in Human Rights and has a commitment to raise the voice of  Mental Health Consumers and Carers in the mental health system.  Maggie believes that the voice of first nations and multi cultural communities should be championed as much as possible and has recently been involved in a project that addresses shared information in a variety of community languages.  Working in codesign the Mental Health Complaints Commission worked with Polaron to hear the voice of communities in what they want to know about the complaints processes in languages that are accessible and clear.

Carla Raynes is the CEO of Bridge It. 

Carla’s has worked in the homelessness field for nearly 2 decades in the UK and in Australia. In 2021 Carla founded Bridge It, a new charity which has launched in Melbourne. Bridge It runs a residential program called the Cocoon which supports young people who are exiting from Out-of-Home Care.

Carla is a trailblazer in trialling creative approaches to homelessness to make the solution lasting. Her experience spans crisis accommodation, drug and alcohol teams, tertiary hospitals and youth residential units. She hopes to play a role in ending youth homelessness in Australia.

Nada Nasser is Mission Australia’s State Director for NSW, ACT and Victoria leading services in areas of homelessness; child, youth and family; employment; mental health; alcohol and drug
rehabilitation and other community services.

Nada’s work in human services spans more than three
decades in the Government and not for profit sectors including in youth policy and programs.

Starting her career as a youth worker, Nada has delivered frontline services and led programs and partnerships, policy, strategy and system reform. Nada is passionate about social justice and about ending homelessness and building on community strength. She has a deep commitment to
partnering to improve outcomes for young people, families and communities.

Josh Burns is the Federal Member for Macnamara in inner south-eastern and bayside suburbs of Melbourne. He is Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Aid Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. His commitment to ensuring Australia pursues a proactive and inclusive foreign policy, acting as a leader and partner in our region and beyond, and to the development and promotion of human rights. He recognises the importance of Australia being a nation in good standing internationally.

A strong advocate for progressive change – addressing housing affordability, tackling the homelessness crisis and ensuring Australia takes meaningful action on climate change – and is deeply committed to reconciliation with our First Australians in line with the Uluru Statement from the Heart. He is acutely aware of the need for local action to reflect the best of Australia’s aspirations as a country.

His values are grounded in the experience of his family. As the grandson of migrants who left Europe and settled in Melbourne in search of a safe place to raise their families, he knows the importance of upholding a multicultural and multifaith Australia – and the profound role education can play in changing lives.

Before representing his community in the Australian Parliament, he previously worked as a teacher’s aide and a factory hand, and served as an adviser in state and federal governments, including to the Premier of Victoria.

Senator Jana Stewart is a proud Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba woman from North-West Victoria, and a mother to Jude and Ari.

Jana is the youngest First Nations woman to be elected in Federal Parliament, and the first Aboriginal Labor Senator for Victoria.

Jana’s personal and professional life has been shaped by ironclad values. An unwavering commitment to children and families, a firm belief in the power and importance of community, and a deeply held feeling of responsibility to do everything she can to advocate for others.

Jana comes from a long line of strong Aboriginal women, stretching back over sixty thousand years. She is the first in her family to attend university, where she received two degrees to become a family therapist.

From her work at Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency and the Child Protection System, all the way to the steps of parliament – Jana has never been afraid to stand up for others.

Zoë Robinson was appointed as the Advocate for Children and Young People in January 2021, she holds a law degree and a Masters of Human Rights. She previously worked as a solicitor for firms in NSW, for Deloitte in internal strategy and was the CEO of the NSW Peak Body for Youth Homelessness.

Prior to commencing her appointment as the Acting Advocate, Zoë worked at the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Her role was focussed on breaking disadvantage. Zoë has volunteered for a number of months for at an organisation that represented death row inmates based in Houston, Texas. 

With experience in the professional services industry and the NFP sector means that Zoë brings a balance of passion coupled with a “can do” attitude to her role as Advocate. Zoë firmly believes that children and young people should be given every opportunity to succeed and set themselves up for success, and that they should have the opportunity to choose what that means to them.

Zoë believes that all children and young people should be heard, listened to and be central to the work that we do both in government, business and community. Zoë is enthusiastic, energetic, and pragmatic and thoroughly enjoys collaborating with people to achieve a purpose and an outcome.

Elvis Martin is a social justice advocate who has managed to overcome very difficult circumstances and inspire many with his advocacy for social justice. The recipient of awards such as National young Community Achiever of the year.

Elvis has worked, volunteered and spoken publicly in many roles, addressing mental health, homelessness, family violence and LGBTIQA+ community issues.

Currently Elvis as Principal Ambassador of Youth Development Australia, government LGBTIQ taskforce member and on the Board of VMIAC. He uses his platform, including a large social media following, to promote inclusion, diversity and equality for all.

Michelle Ackerman is Acting Director of Youth Support Services at Youth Off The Streets. She has over two decades of experience in community services, working across the government sector and not-for-profit organisations. Her areas of expertise include frontline youth homelessness responses; community housing; service delivery for LGBTQIA+ young people; community development; quality assurance and compliance; and executive
leadership, among others.

Michelle joined Youth Off The Streets in 2021 as Manager of Engagement and Support, focussing on youth justice and youth engagement programs. She then moved into the Interim Operations Manager role and became Acting Director of Youth Support Services in October 2022.

Brea Dorsett (she/her) is an intersectional feminist, lived experience mentor and advocate and Foyer Foundation ambassador. Brea was born and raised on the lands of the Yorta Yorta people and is now living and working on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation.

Rebecca Oelkers is the Chief Executive Officer of BHC, one of the largest Community Housing Providers in Queensland, with over 1,800 homes developed and under management. Rebecca brings to the role a strong vision for strategic growth and a deep
understanding of the company, having held Executive roles within BHC over the past 15 years.

Her experience in the affordable housing sector spans over 19 years, across a variety of affordable housing projects, with Rebecca most recently leading BHC’s involvement in the
Queensland Government’s Housing Investment Fund, securing partnerships with the private sector with the intent of growing the supply of social and affordable housing by up to 1,200
homes in South East Queensland.

Rebecca is a passionate advocate for affordable housing issues and is committed to growing the supply of safe, secure affordable housing, and delivering

Michael Perusco is the CEO of Berry Street, the 28th CEO since Berry Street’s establishment in 1877. Michael has had extensive experience working in senior leadership roles and has been CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW and Sacred Heart Mission in Victoria.  He has worked at the Department of Prime Minister Cabinet leading the social inclusion agenda, not for profit reform agenda and other social policy areas. 

Michael is a member of the Victorian Government’s Roadmap for Reform Ministerial Advisory Group and the Aboriginal Children’s Forum and is on the Board of the Federal Government’s Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.

Tracey John has a grounding in Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health and has decades of experience working in international development settings managing country programs for INGOs and establishing community development initiatives throughout the Pacific, South East Asia, the Balkans and Africa.  Returning to Australia less than 10 years ago, Tracey has applied her expertise to continue to work in the not for profit sector, committed to social justice, human rights and a strong belief in fostering self-determination in those most vulnerable in our community.

Tracey is currently the Regional Operations Manager for the Katherine Region in the Northern Territory, working for AnglicareNT.  Overseeing a portfolio of Aged Care, Disability, Early Childhood, Financial Counselling and Housing and Homelessness. 

Meena Singh is the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People in Victoria. She is a Yorta Yorta and Indian woman, born and living on the land of the Kulin Nations. Meena started her legal career with Victoria Legal Aid, where she practised in human rights and criminal law, and was also their inaugural Associate Director, Aboriginal Services. She has led legal services and programs at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and the Human Rights Law Centre, as well as consulting in training
and organisational development across many organisations. She has a passion for centering the voices of people with lived experience and service design that promotes inclusion, connection and ultimately achieve social justice and equitable outcomes.

Tayla Lines is a current resident of the Shepparton Education First Youth Foyer and her aspiration is to work in the youth work field and is currently studying Community Services at GoTafe.  

Tayla is a strong advocate for other young people who have experienced homelessness and has been invited a couple of times to local GoTafe events to speak individually and on a panel where she has presented with confidence and passion.  Tayla is actively engaged in part time work in retail and hospitality which she also enjoys.