Speakers

Hon. John Graham MLC

Minister for the Arts, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Minister for Roads, Special Minister of State

As NSW Minister for the Arts, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Minister for Roads, Special Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council the Hon. John Graham MLC is working at the intersection of culture, technology & entrepreneurship. He was elected in 2016 to serve the people of NSW. He is committed to supporting vibrant and inclusive cultural industries, creative cities, and the creative economy.  

Hon. Daniel Mookhey MLC

Treasurer

Daniel Mookhey was elected to the Parliament of NSW on 6 May 2015 as a Member of the Legislative Council.

The son of Indian migrants, Daniel was the first MP in an Australian Parliament and the first Treasurer to be sworn in on the Hindu religious text, the Bhagavad Gita.

Prior to entering the Parliament, Daniel held senior roles in the Australian Council of Trade Unions and at the Transport Workers’ Union. Daniel is a formidable campaigner and this passion has translated into his performances in the Parliament. He led cross examinations of John Barilaro, exposed the deaths of gig workers, and made public key scandals, including at icare and the Transport Asset Holding Entity.

Daniel is a passionate advocate for the people of NSW, especially in rural and regional communities. As Treasurer, he will continue to find ways to improve their lives and stand up for workers’ rights.

Hon. Jo Haylen MP

Minister for Transport

Jo is proud to be leading the delivery of Australia’s largest public transport pipeline, supporting the NSW economy, housing, and jobs.

Jo has established vital reviews across the key modes of rail, bus and Sydney metro, working to restore resilience and reliability to the transport network while focusing on local jobs and manufacturing.

Jo is committed to equitable transport for all, passionately dedicated to building an accessible, inclusive, safe and integrated public transport system.

She has delivered groundbreaking policy to power NSW towards a cleaner future, including progressive zero emission targets with the Transport for NSW Net Zero and Climate Change Policy and Sustainable Infrastructure Program.

A proven and accomplished leader, Jo has extensive experience and dedicated service across local, state and federal politics. As only the second woman Minister for Transport in NSW history, she hopes to inspire future generations of women.

Jo is the Labor Member for Summer Hill, a vibrant and diverse community she takes great pride in representing.

Hon. Jenny Aitchison MP

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads

The Hon. Jenny Aitchison was appointed Minister for Regional Transport and Roads in April 2023 in the Minns Labor Government.

Jenny served in Shadow Cabinet for seven years and was Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads from 2021. She held a variety of diverse portfolios including Primary Industries, Investment & Tourism, Medical Research, Prevention of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, Small Business and Women.

As an award-winning coach tour operator for nearly two decades before she entered Parliament, Jenny was a strong advocate for the bus and tourism industry, serving on State and Federal committees and presenting to conference of Bus NSW and the Bus Industry Confederation on issues such as resilience, environment, critical incident and safety management, disability access, increasing patronage, tourism and economic development, and the transition to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.

Jenny has a lived experience of the heavy vehicle industry and her husband, son and daughter are all coach drivers.

Hon. Mark Speakman MP

Leader of the Opposition

Mark Speakman was elected as the Member for Cronulla in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023. He was elected as the Leader of the Opposition and NSW Liberal Party in April 2023. Mark previously served as Attorney General, Minister for Prevention of Domestic and Sexual Violence, and Minister for Environment and Heritage.

Born and raised in Caringbah, Mark attended Caringbah High School, before studying law and economics at the University of Sydney and postgraduate law at the University of Cambridge. Mark was called to the Bar in 1991 and became a Senior Counsel in 2004. Mark and his wife Caroline have two children.

Hon. Natalie Ward MLC

Shadow Minister for Transport and Roads, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Shadow Minister for the Illawarra and South Coast and Deputy Opposition Leader

Natalie was elected to the Legislative Council of the Parliament of New South Wales in 2017 and is the Duty MLC for the Northern Metropolitan Province.

She served as Minister for Metropolitan Roads and Women’s Safety in the Perrottet Government and Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Veterans and Seniors in the Berejiklian Government, as well as Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General.

Graduating with Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Bachelor of Arts (BA Juris) degrees, Natalie practiced in commercial litigation and financial services, both in federal regulatory practice and in the private sector.

Natalie is a former Director of the Australian Rugby Foundation Board. She is married to David and they are busy raising two children.

Hon. Damien Tudehope MLC

Shadow Treasurer, and Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations

Damien was first elected to the NSW Parliament for the seat of Epping, for which he served as member for four years, from March 2015 to March 2019. He was then elected for an eight‐year term as a member of the Legislative Council in March 2019. He served as Minister for Finance and Small Business; and then as Minister for Finance and Minister for Employee Relations, in the last Liberal and Nationals Government.

Prior to being elected to Parliament, Damien was a partner in the law firm O’Hara and Company, Solicitors. He worked for that firm for thirty years. From 2011 to 2015, Damien was the Chief of Staff to the then‐Attorney General of New South Wales, The Hon. Greg Smith SC.

He is passionate about tennis and cricket. He is also an avid supporter of the Sydney Swans and is the Co‐Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of the Sydney Swans. He also Co‐Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Religious Freedom. Damien and his wife Di have nine children and a growing number of grandchildren.

Mr Gurmesh Singh MP

Shadow Minister for Tourism, Shadow Minister for Emergency Services, and Shadow Minister for the North Coast

Gurmesh Singh is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing Coffs Harbour for The Nationals. He was elected to the NSW Parliament on 23 March 2019.

Mr Singh is a third-generation Coffs local and has worked in various industries from digital marketing to design, as well as agriculture.  He is dedicated to ensuring small industries aren’t forgotten and there is less red tape so such businesses can thrive.

Mr Singh is passionate about representing the constituents of the Coffs Harbour electorate in the State Parliament and ensuring that the Coffs Harbour electorate gets is fair share of State Government funding.

Mr Singh was appointed the Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier and Regional Jobs and Investment on 22 December 2022.

Mr Singh was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Emergency Services, Tourism and the North Coast on 9 May 2023.

Ms Cate Faehrmann MLC

NSW Greens

Cate Faehrmann is a Member of the NSW Legislative Council and, among her other responsibilities, is the NSW Greens spokesperson for Transport, Infrastructure & Cities, Music & Night-time Economy and Western Sydney. She lives, works and plays on Gadigal land.

After being re-elected at the recent 2023 state election, Cate is the Chair of the NSW Parliament’s Legislative Council Portfolio Committee 2 – Transport and the Arts, for which the most recent inquiry for the committee is into the Rozelle Interchange. She also chaired a groundbreaking inquiry into Koalas and their Habitat in NSW which made international headlines when it found in 2020 that koalas will become extinct in NSW in the wild before 2050 unless the government urgently intervenes to protect all remaining habitat.

Cate is a keen bushwalker, diver, dance floor regular and cycles to work… occasionally. She believes the Government could do a lot less when it comes to regulating bars, live music venues and music festivals out of existence, and a lot more to promote NSW as a world-class destination for lovers of food, fun and nature.

Olivia Leeming – Master of Ceremonies

Manager - Media & Communications | Tourism & Transport Forum

Olivia is an experienced political journalist and presenter, who prior to joining TTF, spent 12 years covering some of the biggest news stories in Australia and overseas, including as Federal Political Correspondent for Channel 7, presenting daily on Sunrise and Seven News bulletins from Parliament House in Canberra.

She covered three federal election campaigns from 2013 to 2019 and has reported on major news stories live from the United States, Fiji, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and most recently, Thailand, where she covered the pandemic, the Myanmar conflict and the death of Shane Warne for Channel 7 and SBS.

She started her career at Radio 2UE in Sydney as a reporter and newsreader covering state politics, crime, bushfires and other breaking news, whilst completing a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) with Monash University.