Emma McBride is the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health.

Emma is the Federal Member for Dobell on the Central Coast of NSW. She was first elected in 2016 and following her re-election in 2019, Emma was appointed Labor’s Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Shadow Assistant Minister for Carers. She is now the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health.

Emma is a registered pharmacist who has worked in the health sector for over 20 years, both in Australia and abroad. She was a Specialist Mental Health Pharmacist and the Chief Pharmacist at Wyong Hospital for nearly 10 years and, prior to entering Parliament, she was the Deputy Director of Pharmacy for Central Coast Local Health District. Emma’s background and experience as a healthcare professional led her to parliament, where she fights for better health services for all Australians.

Emma is a passionate advocate for quality health care, close to home. She understands the unique challenges facing rural and regional communities when it comes to accessing health care and she hopes to play a role in shaping public policy that promotes the health and wellbeing of every Australian, regardless of where they live.

Blair Boyer MP – Member for Wright, Minister for Health and Wellbeing.
Blair lives in the North Eastern suburbs of Adelaide with his wife and three daughters. He grew up on the family farm, just across the border not far from Mount Gambier. He was elected to represent the State electorate of Wright in 2018 and was appointed Minister for Education Training and Skills in March 2022 and Minister for Police in September 2025, and the Minister for Health and Wellbeing in March 2026. The focus of Blair’s work in government has been education, training and skills, child protection, and emergency services.

Henry Brodaty is a researcher, clinician, policy advisor and strong advocate for people with dementia and their carers.  At University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), he is Scientia Professor of Ageing and Mental Health, and Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA). He has published extensively, is a senior psychogeriatrician at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney and serves on multiple committees for the New South Wales and Australian governments and WHO. He is the 2026 Senior Australian of the Year.

Katherine Bennell-Pegg is an Australian astronaut and space systems engineer. She is the first professional astronaut to officially represent Australia and the 2026 Australian of the Year.

Katherine is a Director at the Australian Space Agency, where she has contributed to growing Australia’s space capability as technical lead on scoping the Moon to Mars Trailblazer “Roo-ver” lunar mission, developing plans to capitalise on Australia’s space and technology strengths, and managing the Access to Space team (including satellite, infrastructure and launch capability uplift activities). 

Dr Simon Quilty is a physician, housing advocate, and CEO of Wilya Janta—a project quietly challenging how Australia thinks about homes, health, and responsibility. After years working in remote Northern Territory communities treating rheumatic heart disease, Simon came to a simple but uncomfortable conclusion: we don’t have a medical problem, we have a housing problem.
Rather than waiting for systems to fix themselves, he works alongside Aboriginal leaders to redesign housing from the ground up—literally. Wilya Janta is not a construction company, but a cultural consultancy, grounded in local knowledge, testing and monitoring homes, and asking the radical question: what if houses actually worked?
Simon’s approach borrows from a long tradition of thinking that real change doesn’t come from polite agreement or endless “disruption talk,” but from people willing to take responsibility for systems that aren’t working—and to do something about it .
He has secured multiple national grants, advised government, and still spends time on the ground making mud bricks. He believes good housing should be healthy, culturally right, and, ideally, not fall apart after the first wet season.

Professor Michael Kidd AO is Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, based in the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.  He is a general practitioner and a primary care and public health researcher, and has served as president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and president of the World Organization of Family Doctors.  He is an elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, and has held past research appointments at Monash University, the University of Sydney, Flinders University, the Australian National University, and the University of Toronto.  He holds a current joint academic appointment as the Foundation Director of the International Centre for Future Health Systems at the University of New South Wales, and as Professor of Global Primary Care with the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, where is he also a Senior Research Fellow of Green Templeton College and a Fellow of Kellogg College. He previously served as a member of the Council of the NHMRC from 2015-2018.

Dr Norman Swan is a multi-award-winning producer and broadcaster who created Radio National’s long-running Health Report and also co-hosts the popular podcast, What’s That Rash? During the pandemic, he co-hosted Coronacast, a daily podcast which at its peak had millions of downloads each month. On ABC Television he is a reporter on 7.30 and a guest reporter on 4 Corners.

One of the first medically qualified journalists in Australia, Norman was born in Scotland, graduated in medicine from the University of Aberdeen and later obtained postgraduate qualifications in Paediatrics in the United Kingdom. Joining the ABC in 1982, he has won numerous awards for his work on Radio National including Australian Radio Producer of the Year, a Gold Citation in the United Nations Media Peace Prizes, Australia’s leading prize (at the time) for Science Journalism, the Michael Daly Award and several Walkley National Awards for Australian journalism including the prestigious Gold.

On television, in addition to 7.30 and 4 Corners, Norman hosted ABC Television’s science program Quantum, and created, wrote and narrated a four-part series on disease and civilisation, Invisible Enemies, made for Channel 4 (UK) and SBS Television — shown in 27 countries. He also co-wrote and narrated The Opposite Sex, a four-part series for ABC Television. He has published three books in recent years: So You Think You Know What’s Good For You, So you Want To Live Younger Longer and So You Want To Know What’s Good For Your Kids.

In 2023, Norman was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours. In the same year he was made a full fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (FAHMS).

Norman Swan has also been the Australian correspondent for the Journal of the American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal and has consulted for the World Health Organisation in Geneva.

Professor Judy provides leadership and independent expertise in the health and aged care sectors as an experienced Non-Executive Director with particular skills in government, corporate and clinical governance and health system performance. She is currently Governing Board Chair of a large, complex $1.3B public hospital and health service in South Australia following a long tenure as Deputy Board Chair and Chair of its Safety and Quality Committee of the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service. She also provides independent advice on health system performance, medical research, medical practitioner regulation and clinical governance at a state and federal government level.

While Judy’s resume demonstrates a diverse range of skills and experiences, she started her career as a medical specialist before moving primarily into leadership and management positions in academe both in Australia and the UK. She then took up the opportunity to expand her experiences more broadly as she moved to senior health advisory positions within Government both Federal and Territory and then to CEO of a national and cross-Tasman professional organisation.

Judy describes the highlight of her career as her appointment as Senior Adviser to the then federal Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Nicola Roxon MP. Judy says it was also the most complex, intense, frantic and demanding job she has ever done.

Judy has therefore had the opportunity to work across many sectors, particularly in health, including clinical service provision, academia, policy development, regulation and accreditation, professional advocacy and board directorship (governance and advisory).

As a constant Judy has been a champion for the public and not-for-profit sector and is motivated by values and quality.

Associate Professor David Gonzalez is Head of Primary Care and Rural Health Research at Adelaide University and National Director of PARTNER, Australia’s first rural general practice clinical trial network supporting research in over 100 rural practices nationally. His work aims to ensure rural practices and their communities have fair access to research, innovation, and funding opportunities. With a background as a medical doctor, senior epidemiologist, and primary care researcher, he has spent the past decade working alongside practice owners, managers, GPs, and other primary care clinicians to reduce the burden of research participation while increasing its value to practices and patients. David leads national initiatives that support rural practices in engaging in research, clinical trials, quality improvement, local capacity-building and data-driven innovation, ensuring research works with general practice, not against it.

Professor Jenny May AM has been passionate about rural health since her first rural medical student placement in 1980 and then as a trainee rural doctor at Tamworth Hospital in 1985.

Professor May’s vast and extensive knowledge working across Australia and internationally has provided multiple opportunities to contribute through research on health workforce matters.  She now calls Tamworth home and has had the incredible privilege to live and work with her doctor husband and family in a number of remote and regional locations.

Professor May holds fellowships with RACGP and ACRRM and has extensive experience in clinical practice, research, education and rural health advocacy. In 2016 she was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to community health in rural and regional areas, as a general practitioner, member of professional medical groups, and as an educator.

With over 35 years of working and supporting rural, regional and remote health care, her appointment as the third National Rural Health Commissioner has been widely welcomed.

Dr Marita Cowie was appointed Company Secretary of the College in 1998. She is also the foundation Chief Executive Officer of the College. Marita has more than 20 years experience in medical education, training and company administration. She is the longest serving CEO of any Australian specialist college. She was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (General Division) for significant service to community health in rural and remote medicine areas in 2020, and awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Medicine in 2018.

Dr Alison Dymmott – Lead, Rural Health Transformation, College of Health and Enablement, Flinders University

Alison Dymmott is the Academic Lead, Rural Allied Health at Flinders University College of Nursing and Health Sciences. She has worked as an occupational therapist clinically across a broad range of clinical areas and settings. Ali’s research focuses on early career allied health professional workforce development, training and education. She utilises mixed methods, pragmatism and knowledge translation approaches to her research to measure and explore complex initiatives and challenges. 

Ali has a passion for rural and remote research and education and led the development, implementation and evaluation of a suite of rural allied health degrees. She has expertise in developing innovative allied health clinical education opportunities and works closely with industry to design clinical placements that are mutually beneficial for all stakeholders.

Ali has been a Chief Investigator on funded grants worth over $1m with a diverse range of funding bodies including the Government of South Australia, the Australian Government, Occupational Therapy Australia, Lifetime Support Authority and Flinders University. 

Ali represents rural and remote allied health professionals as Vice President of Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH).

Professor Linda Deravin is the Deputy National Rural Health Commissioner – Nursing. 

Professor Linda Deravin is a Wiradjuri woman with kinship ties to Bathurst, New South Wales. She brings more than 40 years of experience in the nursing profession, with expertise across aged care, primary health care, rural health, emergency care, First Nations health and wellbeing, and health leadership. Her career spans both public and private sectors, with a strong focus on improving health outcomes in regional and rural communities. She currently serves as Pro Vice-Chancellor (First Nations) at the University of Southern Queensland, and as the Deputy Rural Health Commissioner with the Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner.

She is a longstanding member of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM), the Australian College of Nursing and the Australian Association of Gerontology. Professor Deravin provides expert advice to the National Rural Health Commissioner on improving access to health services, training, and education with a focus on nursing, midwifery and First Nations Health.

GEORGIE CARROLL
Georgie Carroll is best known as the UK born, Australia based Nurse turned comedian as she grafted 20 years on the healthcare front line before swapping the pen torch for the spotlight. She has now retired from nursing but has taken with her an unparalleled comedy voice and a staunch online medical following that have made her viral, in the best way, many times over. The most viewed of her viral clips is the ‘’3 stages of nursing’’. The terms dolphin, penguin, and Orca used in the clip are now ingrained in international nursing vernacular.

Nurse Georgie is an undeniable live comedy powerhouse. ‘’Sista Flo 2.0” is her most successful stand-up show having sold in excess of 71,000 tickets, selling out her debut Edinburgh Fringe Festival, toured four countries, and won the Best Comedy Award at the Adelaide Fringe. A versatile and dynamic performer – Georgie has been unstoppable in live spaces moving swiftly from operating theatres to the London Palladium, the Sydney Opera house, and the Hammersmith Apollo.

Not shy of the camera – Georgie has released two comedy specials on Australian television and is a regular on the tele, having been seen on: The Project, Would I Lie to You? Have you Been Paying Attention? Just for Laughs and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Allstar and Oxfam Galas. She recently stormed her UK TV debut by reaching the live semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent 2023, she was adored by audiences and judges alike.

Georgie also has a podcast because who doesn’t? Her hit podcast, The Swab, is now in its 3rd Season with over 125,000 listens and a nomination for Best Comedy podcast 2022 under it’s belt.“……the podcast didn’t set out to be funny, it was just me chatting to everyday nurses, staff room banter style. Turns out that this format is never not funny’’ Georgie.

Georgie is also an acclaimed and best-selling author. Nurse Georgie wrote the best-selling nursing “bible” “Off the Charts”, (Pan Macmillan) which was nominated for the 2023 Russel Prize for humour writing.

Everything Georgie does is a genuine, hilarious, riotous celebration of the big hearted, no bullshit nurses that sooner or later play a part in all our lives.

“Very Funny…….Just Brilliant.” Simon Cowell, BGT.

Associate Professor Geoff Argus is the National Rural Health Deputy Commissioner – Allied Health, appointed in October 2025. He is a Clinical Psychologist by professional background and holds appointments as the Director of Rural Health with the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Queensland (UQ) and adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology with the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ). He was the inaugural Director of Southern Queensland Rural Health, a University Department of Rural Health that operates as a consortium between UQ, UniSQ, Darling Downs Health and South West Hospital and Health Service. Associate Professor Argus has served as a Board Director for the Australian Rural Health Education Network and the National Rural Health Alliance. He has worked in rural health care for over two decades as a clinician, academic and leader and has a deep knowledge of both the challenges and opportunities in delivering quality health care and rural health training, education and research in rural and remote Australia.

Professor Vincent Versace, PhD, BESc, BSc. Vincent is the Director of Deakin Rural Health (DRH), a University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) funded through the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program. The overarching purpose of this program is to improve rural health outcomes by reducing workforce maldistribution of medical, nursing and allied health professionals in rural Australia. The role also involves developing the researcher capacity and capability of health services within western Victoria and the Grampians region.

Vincent completed all his undergraduate study and post-graduate training in Warrnambool and has since forged his academic career exclusively in rural Australia. Since becoming Director of DRH in 2017, he has actively fostered a culture of ‘grow your own’ and has worked closely with the Western Alliance (as Principal Research Translation Investigator) and a number of health services to develop the local research ecosystem. Complementary to the belief that rural communities should have access to a vibrant clinical academic network is a commitment to research excellence reflected in his grant funding record.

Recently Vincent has focused on access to essential services which led to the establishment of the Centre for Australian Research into Access (Home – CARA), he is a founding Co-Director). CARA has undertaken work for the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Aged Care, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, as well as local projects focussed on health service access and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

Antoinette Liddell is a proud descendant of the Wajarri People of Western Australia and an early-career Aboriginal Health Researcher at Adelaide University Rural Health. She is also a registered Aboriginal Health Practitioner and works clinically at a Port Lincoln general practice.

With long-standing community connections, Antoinette has worked as a health professional for 15 years. She is actively involved in community and professional organisations, including the National Association of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP), Country SA PHN Board, and the Registry of Senior Australians Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee.

Heather Keighley is Chief Remote Area Nurse with CRANAplus, a position she holds after a long and successful nursing and midwifery career spanning decades across towns and communities of the NT. She is a passionate remote area nurse and midwife with a solid history of working across regional, rural and remote locations. In 2024 Heather was awarded the NT Administrator’s Medal for Lifetime Achievement. She serves as a Board Director for the National Rural Health Alliance and currently holds the position of Board Chair. Heather is also Vice-President and Board Director for the Australian College of Nursing and is a champion for the maintenance of professional standards of practice and recognition for rural and remote nursing and midwifery. She was a key contributor to the National Rural and Remote Nursing Generalist Framework launched in 2023.

Susi Tegen is the Chief Executive of the National Rural Health Alliance.

Susi has spent most of her working life living and working in rural, remote, and regional Australia, advocating for these areas. She has lived in South Australia, Northern Territory, New South Wales, and Victoria. Until recently, she was a partner in a sheep meat and wool, cattle trading, and grain property along the Limestone Coast of South East and South Australia. During her 30 years on the property, she also raised several well-balanced and grounded children.

Susi is passionate about improving access to health and education, primary industries, and economic development in rural and remote areas. She has also focused on access to telehealth and asynchronous healthcare, farm safety, mental health, multidisciplinary planning, and remote monitoring to support medical and health service access in these areas.

In her career, Susi has held several Chief Executive roles for medical and health organizations, including MedTech and other peak organizations, and has led RANZCO specialist training programs for medical professionals, policy, and research. She has been on several government and health portfolio advisory or reform committees, Medicare review panels, providing insights from a service delivery, strategic policy, and consumer access lens to further the cause of rural and remote health. She is an independent member of the ACRRM Federal Council and AOA Federal Training Committee, RACS SIMG, and Rural Committees. She has served as Deputy Chair of Farmsafe, Deputy Chair of FarmBis, and Member SA Farmer’s Federation Policy Committee.

She has been a non-executive director of several health, medical, education and primary industry entities, as well as been on various medical and primary industry ministerial committees, reviews, monitoring boards and committees.