Hon Michael McCormack MP

Deputy Prime Minister; Minister for Infrastructure, Transport & Regional Development

Prior to entering Parliament Michael began professional life as a cadet with Wagga Wagga’s The Daily Advertiser. Aged 27 he was appointed to the newspaper’s editorship, becoming the youngest person appointed to edit a daily newspaper in Australasia at the time. During his career at the newspaper, Michael was a champion of many community issues. He is most proud of the significant part he played in helping to save Wagga Wagga’s Royal Australian Air Force base from closure in 1997, which not only resulted in the retention of the base but the expansion of its role in the region. Michael then established and ran a family-owned small publishing business in Wagga Wagga until his election to Parliament. Michael was elected as The Nationals’ Member for Riverina on 21 August 2010. Following the 2013 Federal Election, Michael was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and in September 2015 he was then appointed Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister. Following the retirement of Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss in February 2016 Michael become the Assistant Minister for Defence. After the 2016 Federal Election, Michael was appointed Federal Small Business Minister – advocating for the nation's 3.2 million small businesses before becoming Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Minister for Defence Personnel and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC just prior to Christmas 2017. On 26 February 2018, Michael became the 14th Leader of The Nationals and the 18th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. He also became the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.

Senator the Hon Marise Payne

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Marise Payne was appointed Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs on 28 August 2018. A Senator for NSW since 1997, she has more than two decades’ parliamentary experience including 12 years’ membership of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. She is a former Minister for Human Services, and has held several shadow ministries. The Senator was appointed Minister for Defence in September 2015. In this time, she delivered the 2016 Defence White Paper, the Integrated Investment Plan, and Defence Industry Policy Statement. She oversaw a major renewal of the Australian Defence Force’s capabilities and led the organisation’s increased international engagement program with allies and partners. She has been a member of the Liberal Party since 1982, serving on the NSW State Executive for 10 years, and was the Young Liberals’ first female President. The Minister holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of NSW. She and her partner, NSW Minister for Western Sydney, WestConnex and Sport, Stuart Ayres, live in western Sydney.  

Hon Chris Bowen MP

Shadow Treasurer

Chris Bowen entered Parliament in 2004 and has held a wide range of portfolios including serving as Treasurer, Minister for Human Services, Minister for Immigration, Minister for Financial Services, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Competition Policy, Minister for Small Business and Minister for Tertiary Education. Chris has been responsible for a range of significant policy reform programs in these portfolios. He served as Interim Leader of the Labor Party and Acting Leader of the Opposition following the 2013 Federal election and has been Shadow Treasurer since 2013. Chris is served on Fairfield Council for nine years is a former Mayor and President of the Western Sydney Councils (WSROC). He has a Bachelor of Economics degree, a Masters Degree in International Relations and is the final stages of completing a Diploma in Modern Languages (Bahasa Indonesia). He lives in Smithfield with his wife (Rebecca), two children (Grace and Max) and Ollie the Labrador.

Hon Anthony Albanese MP

Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities, and Regional Development; Shadow Minister for Tourism

Anthony has represented the Inner West of Sydney as the Federal Member for Grayndler since 1996. He is currently the Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development and the Shadow Minister for Tourism. During the Rudd-Gillard Government he served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Leader of the House. Anthony was named Infrastructure Minister of the Year in 2012 by London-based publication Infrastructure Investor and in 2010 was named Aviation Minister of the Year for producing Australia's first ever Aviation White Paper. Anthony believes strongly in the need for the government to invest in infrastructure and transport in our cities and regions to ensure our growing communities are productive, liveable and sustainable.

Senator Janet Rice

Australian Greens Spokesperson on Transport and Infrastructure; Forests; Gender identities and Intersex issues; LGBTIQ; Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Senator Janet Rice is the Australian Greens transport and infrastructure spokesperson. Janet has a passion for zero-carbon transport and infrastructure and its potential to meet our transport needs, with a focus on electric vehicles and associated infrastructure, public transport, active transport and increasing the amount of freight carried by rail. She chairs the Senate Environment & Communications Committee, is a member of the Senate Regional and Rural Affairs and Transport committee and was a member on the Select Committee on Electric Vehicles. Prior to becoming a senator in 2014, Janet was a councillor and mayor of Maribyrnong Council in Melbourne’s west, where she positioned the city as a leader in environmental sustainability, pioneered an ambitious carbon-neutral strategy, and increased investment in cycling and walking infrastructure. She was also chair of the Metropolitan Transport Forum in Melbourne, the first coordinator of Bicycle Network’s Ride2Work Day, and worked as a consultant with local and state governments on a range of transport and sustainability initiatives.

Hon Tony Abbott MP

Member for Warringah

Tony Abbott was elected Prime Minister by the Australian people on 7 September 2013 and served for two years. In his time as Prime Minister, the carbon tax and the mining tax were repealed; free trade agreements were finalised with China, Japan and Korea; and the people smuggling trade from Indonesia to Australia was halted. Australia became the second largest military contributor to the US-led campaign against ISIL in Iraq and hosted the G20 meeting of global leaders in Brisbane in November 2014. In 2014 and again in 2015, he spent a week running the government from a remote indigenous community. As Opposition Leader at the 2010 election, he reduced a first-term Labor government to minority status before comprehensively winning the 2013 election. Between 1996 and 2007, he was successively parliamentary secretary, minister, cabinet minister and Leader of the House of Representatives in the Howard government. As Minister for Health, he expanded Medicare to include dentists, psychologists and other health professionals and resolved the medical indemnity crisis. As Minister for Workplace Relations, he boosted construction industry productivity through the establishment of a royal commission against union lawlessness. As Minister for Employment Services, he developed private-sector job placement services and Work for the Dole for long-term unemployed people. Tony Abbott has been Member for Warringah in the Australian Parliament since 1994 and was instrumental in the creation of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust to preserve the natural and built heritage of his electorate and elsewhere. Prior to entering parliament, he was a journalist with The Australian, a senior adviser to Opposition Leader John Hewson, and director of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy. In the Morrison government, he currently serves as Special Envoy for Indigenous Affairs. He has degrees in economics and law from Sydney University and in politics and philosophy from Oxford which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. He is the author of three books. Since 1998, he has convened the Pollie Pedal annual charity bike ride which has raised nearly $7 million for organisations such as Soldier On, Carers Australia, and other charities. He still does surf patrols with the Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club and serves in the Davidson Rural Fire Brigade. He is married to Margaret and they are the parents of three daughters – Louise, Frances and Bridget.

Phoebe Bowden

Federal Political Reporter | Ten News First

Phoebe Bowden is a Federal Political Reporter for Ten News First. As a member of the Press Gallery she has covered major political events in Canberra and abroad, including the 2018 leadership spill, G20 summit in Argentina and Malcolm Turnbull’s meeting with Donald Trump. Phoebe has been working as a journalist with Network Ten since graduating the University of South Australia with Law (Hons) and Journalism degrees in 2013. Her skill has been recognised with a string of awards, including the SA Press Club’s Young Journalist of the Year and Scoop of the Year as well as the Media Awards’ Best TV News Story.

Peta Credlin

SKY News Political Anchor and News Corp National Columnist

A strategist and policy professional with over sixteen years’ experience at the highest levels of Australian politics, Peta Credlin was Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, the Hon Tony Abbott MP, between 2013 and 2015. First joining his office when he was elected Leader of the Opposition in 2009, Credlin served six years as his chief of staff and ran the leader’s campaign in the 2010 and 2013 federal elections. A political and campaign veteran, Peta is one of the longest serving chiefs of staff to a national leader in Australia and the longest serving female chief of staff to a prime minister. Previous ministerial roles in the Howard Government included the portfolios of defence, communications, immigration and foreign affairs, as well as the role of senior adviser to the Senate leader. Now a SKY NEWS anchor with her own programme, ‘Credlin’ at 6pm weeknights, Peta is a national columnist for News Corp and published weekly in The Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Herald-Sun and Queensland’s Sunday Mail. She was a proud contributor to Sky’s 2016 federal election coverage, which won a Walkley Award and a TV Week Logie, both first time accolades for the SKY NEWS network. Peta is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in Victoria and has a further post-graduate qualification in law from the Australian National University. In 2015, she received the Australian Women’s Leadership Award for the ACT and in December 2016, was named a joint winner of Harper’s Bazaar magazine's ‘Woman of the Year”. In 2017, Peta was selected by the Australian/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council to visit Israel as a Rambam Fellow. Peta Credlin is listed on the official ‘Who’s Who in Australia’ as well as the “Who’s Who of Australian Women’. For many years, she appeared in the Australian Financial Review’s ‘Power List’ and in 2015 was named Australia’s most powerful woman by the Australian Women’s Weekly, with a number two ranking the previous year. Peta is also a Director of Crown Resorts Foundation.

Sam Dastyari

Commentator

There are few people in Australia with the unique experiences of Sam Dastyari. From the dizzying heights of being an Australian Senator at aged 30, to crashing lows five years later. In 2013 Sam was elected to the Australian Senate representing NSW as the youngest ever Senator form the Australian Labor Party. Quick to shape a story (and get a headline) Sam made his impact in Australian Politics quickly felt. Sam was responsible for managing the Senate Economics Committee towards the Royal Commission into Australian banking. During the 2016 Federal Election campaign Sam travelled Australia for 7 weeks on a bus and helped run Bill Shorten’s election campaign. By the end of 2017 it all came crashing down. Now as a TV host, consultant and an advisor to some of Australia’s largest businesses; Sam has seen it all. When not working, Sam is obsessed with his 4 rescue cats thats; Margaret Thatcher, Chairman Mao, Lenin and Trotsky. He is easy to love, easier to hate; but impossible to ignore.

Kristyn Glanville

Greens Candidate for Warringah

Kristyn Glanville is the Greens candidate for Warringah and a lawyer. Glanville is a senior associate in private practice, focusing on environment and planning law. She has advised government and business on a number of major infrastructure projects in transport and aviation, as well advising on environmental protection, pollution, energy, and waste. As part of the Greens Climate Action Working Group, she has worked on policy development regarding energy, wetlands, coastal management, marine environments, and bush fire management. Glanville is also a member of the Environment and Planning Law Association, Australian Sustainable Business Group, NSW Young Lawyers Environment and Planning Committee, and the Professional Environmental Women's Association.

Dean Harris

Labor Candidate for Warringah

Dean Harris is a Director of The Navigators Pty Ltd, a research, analytics and strategy consultancy with offices in Sydney and Wellington, New Zealand. He has owned and run market research businesses for over 20 years and has expertise in research, data analysis, marketing and business strategy. He joined the Labor party in 2014 but has always been a person who’s passionate about, and involved in, promoting strong, sustainable and healthy communities. Growing concerns about the lack of effective climate and energy policy propelled him in to politics. But his ambition is for a greater focus on the public interest and the use of evidence in the development of policy in all areas. He believes politicians of all kinds must strive to restore trust through greater transparency and accountability in public office. Dean is a father of two and has lived in Cremorne and Mosman since 2007. He is an enthusiastic kayaker and enjoys the beauty of being on the water in the inner harbour and beaches around Mosman. Despite turning 50 last year, he still plays cricket for the Warringah Cricket Club in the summer months.

Joe Hildebrand

News.com.au Editor and Studio 10 Presenter

Joe Hildebrand is a writer, broadcaster and journalist who has worked for almost every major media organisaton in Australia, often much to their later regret. He is the editor-at-large for Australia’s number one news site, News.com.au, and a presenter on the highly publicised Network Ten morning show Studio 10. For many years Joe was opinion editor and political reporter at The Daily Telegraph, where he had a strong focus on transport and infrastructure and played a key role in several campaigns to improve Sydney. He also presented the two ABC documentary series Dumb, Drunk and Racist and Sh*tsville Express, which highlighted and examined major political crises facing Australia, including urban transport and infrastructure. He was also the NSW political correspondent at Australian Associated Press, the host of the Triple M Drive Show and a commentator on the Seven Network and Sky News.

Andrew McEvoy

Chairman | Tourism & Transport Forum

In his more than 20 years in the tourism industry, Mr McEvoy rose to be the Managing Director of Tourism Australia - Australia's peak tourism body. During his tenure, he established the Tourism 2020 Strategy (aimed at doubling overnight expenditure), helped the industry capitalise on growth from Asia and took a more commercial approach to relationships with airlines to ensure inbound air capacity growth. More recently, Mr McEvoy was Managing Director of the Fairfax Life Media and Events business, including the profitable lifestyle publishing business (travel, cars, food, health, prestige and parenting) and Australia's largest consumer event business (Fairfax Events). Fairfax is Australia's oldest media company and underwent significant digital transformation as well as building new revenue streams. Mr McEvoy is the Chairman of listed transport and tourism company the Sealink Travel Group (SLK) and a Director of Ingenia Communities (INA) and the Lux Group, operators of Luxury Escapes.

Simon McGrath

Chief Operating Officer | AccorHotels - Pacific

Simon McGrath is the Chief Operating Officer for AccorHotels Pacific responsible for over 385 hotels, 53,000 rooms and 21,000 employees in the Pacific region. Simon has had an extensive and highly respected career in the hotel sector having worked in executive management positions throughout Australia in key cities and iconic destinations. In addition to his local experience, Simon has worked throughout Asia in key locations including Malaysia and Thailand. Simon has played a major advocacy role in advancing Indigenous employment in hospitality and wider economic employment. He has also championed and taken a lead role to greatly improve gender diversity in the tourism sector. Simon has been recognised for his contribution to the hospitality industry with numerous individual and company awards of excellence. He was awarded Australasian Hotelier of the Year in 2009 and again recently in 2017 and 2018 at the HM (Hotel Management) Awards. Also at the HM Awards, AccorHotels was named Best Accommodation Chain 2013. In addition, Simon received a Gold Bernache, the highest accolade for AccorHotels globally, for Performance in 2012.

Chris Mills

Chief Executive Officer | Queensland Airports Limited

Chris Mills joined Queensland Airports Limited in 2014 as Chief Financial Officer, before moving into his current CEO role in 2015. As CEO, Chris is responsible for setting and driving strategic initiatives to ensure the continued success of the group into the future. Chris leads an experienced team with a focus on delivering exceptional airport experiences, and oversees a significant investment program in QAL airports to deliver on this vision. Chris has more than 25 years’ experience in diverse industries including tourism, leisure, retail, finance and property planning and development. He has worked in senior executive roles in Australia and England across the private and public sectors. He is currently a board member of the Australian Airports Association, the Tourism and Transport Forum Australia, and Tourism and Events Queensland – including a role as chairman of the TEQ Audit and Risk Committee.

Susan Moylan Coombs

Independent Candidate for Warringah

The Gaimaragal Group is a First Australian organisation that has been established to lead social change and create social impact by bringing together like minds and like spirits. We believe that the philosophies and teachings of Australia’s First Peoples, the way of life that has sustained us for tens of thousands of years, is worth sharing, and that in doing so, we can create a new story of connection and wellbeing for all Australians. Our aim is to facilitate the voice for our Elders in the contemporary social space, empower our youth to realise their full potential, and provide two-way cultural translation to bring individuals and communities together Susan’s ancestry is Woolwonga and Gurindji from the Northern Territory. She has extensive experience working with First Australian communities nationally and internationally, with specific expertise in community consultation, empowerment and the facilitation of voice and storytelling.  Susan previously held the positions of Executive Producer ABC’s Indigenous Programs Unit and Head of Production, NITV a division of SBS. Today Susan uses her expertise to work with mainstream organisations and communities in the provision of cultural competency and immersion sessions as well as social planning processes. Susan is part of the group known as the Stolen Generations and has lived experience of the trauma associated with removal, loss, dispossession and disconnection.  She is one of the founding Board member of the PTSD Australia New Zealand (Fearless Outreach) organisation as well as many community committees in the Northern Sydney Region and Board member of NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce.

Margy Osmond

Chief Executive Officer | Tourism & Transport Forum

Margy Osmond is the Chief Executive Officer of the Tourism & Transport Forum, assuming the role on 1 October 2014. Margy has extensive experience in policy development and advocacy, politics, membership organisations, management, media and public relations. Before joining TTF, Margy was the inaugural CEO of ANRA which was established in 2006 as a lobby and research organisation to be the voice of the large national retailers in Australia. Prior to this, Margy was the CEO of the State and Sydney Chambers of Commerce in NSW for five years. Margy has a wide range of Board experience having been Chair of the NSW TAFE Commission Board and Chair of the Australian Sports Foundation, Deputy Chair of Tourism NSW, and served on the boards of the Australian Sports Commission, Bell Shakespeare, the Retail Employees Superannuation Trust, NSW Major Events, the NSW Police Minister’s Advisory Board and NSW State Transit Authority. Margy also chaired the bid and official Organising Committee for the largest non-elite sporting event in the world, the International World Masters Games, held in Sydney in 2009.

Lanai Scarr

Senior Writer | News Corp Australia

Lanai Scarr is a Senior Writer for News Corp Australia, breaking exclusive stories for pages 1-9 of the News Corp Australia national tabloids. She has worked as a journalist for more than 11-years covering federal politics, business, women, families, mental health, immigration, tourism along with a range of other topics at the forefront of the Australian media landscape. Lanai has travelled Australia and the world with her writing, been on the frontline of election campaigns, leadership spills and natural disasters. She was a finalist for Scoop of The Year in 2015 for breaking the story on Barnaby Joyce’s threat to euthanise Johnny Depp’s dogs, and was a finalist for Young Journalist of The Year in 2010. Lanai grew up in foster homes and experienced significant tragedy in her childhood. She is now a mum of four, including three-year-old triplets and an almost five-year-old. She lives in Canberra.

Amit Singh

Global Head of Public Policy (Future of Work) | Uber

Amit Singh is the Global Head of Public Policy (Future of Work) at Uber and is based in San Francisco. He previously served as the Senior Economic Adviser to Australian Prime Ministers Rudd and Gillard and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition. Earlier in his career, he worked as a capital markets lawyer and a corporate M&A adviser, as well as co-founder of a consumer startup that has grown to over 315,000 members.

David Speers

Political Editor at Sky News and Anchor of SPEERS and SPEERS SUNDAY

David Speers is Political Editor at Sky News and anchor of SPEERS from Monday to Thursday and SPEERS ON SUNDAY. David interviews key political players each day and explores what's really influencing the national debate. Since joining Sky News in 2000, David has anchored dozens of state and federal election broadcasts and leaders' debates. He's also covered the last four US Presidential election campaigns from Washington. David has won three Walkley Awards, a Logie Award and a Kennedy Award for Political Reporting. He was also awarded the 2017 AACTA Best Presenter Award. David served for three years as President of the Parliamentary Press Gallery and has served as a Director of the National Press Club for the past 12 years.

Zali Steggall

Independent Candidate for Warringah

Zali Steggall combines work as a barrister with roles as a non-executive director at various organisations, including on the boards of Queenwood School for Girls, Olympic Winter Institute of Australia and Sport Australia Hall of Fame. In addition, she regularly acts as arbitrator in selection disputes to Australian Olympic team nominations and the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Zali was admitted to practice as a barrister in all courts of Australia in 2008. Her principal areas of practice have been family law work, sports law, commercial work, appearing and advising in diverse matters including real property, local government and planning, corporations and insolvency law and equity. Prior to this, Zali was a professional athlete, qualifying for four Olympics. Zali won the first individual medal ever by an Australian at a Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, 1998 and the following year, became World Alpine Slalom Champion - the only skier ever to do so from the Southern Hemisphere.

Mark Textor

Co Founder and Managing Director | C | T Group

Described by Channel 4 in the UK as “one of the most influential political strategists and pollsters to walk the planet”, and in Australia’s Financial Review as “... a genius at transforming raw research into compelling communication”. Mark Textor was was the Pollster and strategist behind the repeat electoral successes of Prime Ministers John Howard, John Key and David Cameron as well as other world leaders. Boris Johnson, who sought Tex’s counsel on his two Mayoral victories described Tex as the “sorcerer of numbers”. He is the co-founder of Australia’s only home-grown global research, campaigns and communications firm, the Crosby|Textor Group; his team of over 80 international, multilingual staff operate from offices in London, Sydney, Washington D.C., Milan, Canberra and Auckland.

Brian Tyson

Managing Partner | Newgate Australia

Brian is the Managing Partner of Newgate Australia and co-founder of Newgate Research. He is also Joint CEO of Newgate’s parent company, Porta Communications Plc. In a consulting career spanning two decades, Brian has come to be regarded as one of Australia’s leading communications practitioners with expertise in strategic issues management, financial transactions, government relations, media management and community campaigning. Brian has led a number of high profile and complex public affairs campaigns and financial transactions in the infrastructure, transport, banking, energy, agriculture, arts, media and sports sectors. Brian is a Director of AFL Club the Sydney Swans, the Committee for Sydney, Porta Communications PLC and the Clontarf Foundation, which supports educational opportunities for young Indigenous Australians. Prior to his career in consultancy, Brian was a political advisor to the Greiner Government in New South Wales. He started his career as a journalist with The Land newspaper.