The Madeleine Ogilvie is an experienced Member of Parliament who was first elected in 2014 and has been a strong and hardworking member within her Clark electorate.

Madeleine grew up in New Town and was educated at the Friends’ School and Hobart College before attending the University of Melbourne.

Madeleine later obtained a Law Degree from the University of Tasmania and has extensive experience in the legal profession, including working for UNESCO on international cultural heritage law in France.

Madeleine was also General Manager Commercial and Contracts with the Telstra Corporation, before returning to Hobart to start a family.

Madeleine is known for her refugee advocacy and her commitment to helping those Tasmanians who are less fortunate and vulnerable.

She has been an active member of Tasmanian politics for more than a decade and was most recently serving as an Independent Member of Parliament for the seat of Clark.

Madeleine is the granddaughter of former MP Eric Ogilvie and great-niece of former Premier of Tasmania Albert Ogilvie

Kristen was appointed Director of Tasmania Legal Aid on 15 March 2023.

Kristen graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1993. After 8 years in private practice, Kristen joined Tasmania Legal Aid (TLA) as Manager Family Law Practice- South. In 2004, Kristen was appointed Manager State Family Law Practice, now known as Associate Director Family Law. In October 2022 Kristen was appointed Acting Director of Tasmania Legal Aid and appointed Director in March 2023.

In her role as Associate Director Family Law, Kristen managed the delivery of legally aided family law services across Tasmania.

Kristen has significant experience as both solicitor and counsel; in latter years primarily focusing on Independent Children’s Lawyer (ICL) matters and family violence matters. An ICL since 2001, Kristen is known for her ability to bring and maintain a child focus, helping parents to resolve matters and working hard to gather all the relevant evidence.

Kristen was a member of the National Legal Aid Family Law Working Group from 2004 to 2023.

In September 2022 Kristen was awarded the Tasmanian Women Lawyers Achievement Award. In February 2023 Kristen was awarded the Law Society of Tasmania President’s Award and in March 2023 was inducted into the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women.

In 2022 Kristen developed and launched TLA’s Independent Children’s Lawyers Practice Standards and Guidelines an Australian first, combining clear practice standards with educative guidelines.

Nic is a highly accomplished leader with over 20 years’ experience across energy, telecommunications, and children and education services. Her voice shapes and informs Aurora Energy’s business direction and workplace culture.

Drawing upon her personal experience of being the only woman in the room at an executive level, Nic consciously and deliberately paves the way for women to progress in their careers. Her leadership style has an emphasis on creating opportunities for personal growth and development, while providing a safe environment to make mistakes and learn from them.

Like many working mums, Nic is familiar with juggling being present in her family life and the demands of being in a high-performing role. Nic makes no illusions at getting this juggle ‘perfect’ and instead embraces the beautiful and often stressful mess that comes with being a modern woman.

• Student Support
• Principal Leadership & Principal Wellbeing
• School and CFLC Operations
• Improvement Partnerships
• Early Years Partnerships

Mel is responsible for policy and intergovernmental relations, Aboriginal affairs and disability services and reform for the Tasmanian Government.

Prior to this, Mel was the Reform lead, Keeping Children Safe, responsible for the whole of government response to all recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s responses to child sexual abuse in institutional settings and delivering the Change for Children strategy.

Mel has over 20 years’ experience in public policy design and leads policy innovation and change for governments including establishing the nation’s first place branding statutory authority, Brand Tasmania; amending the Tasmanian Constitution to recognise Tasmanian Aboriginal people as Tasmania’s First People, developing Tasmania’s first Closing the Gap Implementation plan, Tasmania’s third family and sexual violence action plan, Survivors at the Centre, and It takes a Tasmanian Village, Tasmania’s first Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy.

Dr Zelinda Sherlock graduated from UTAS with a Bachelor of Arts/Law and received her Masters and PhD from Deakin University. She lived in Japan for almost 14 years, being an educator across primary to high school and then lecturing at a private university in Japan. In Australia, she has been a Law Lecturer, Head of College for UTAS’ International Pathway College and an Education Officer for the Migrant Resource Centre. She is currently the Deputy Lord Mayor of the Hobart City Council, and the Chair of the Welcoming and Inclusive City Portfolio.

She is an Honorary Advisor and a co-founder of the Culturally Diverse Alliance of Tasmania. Her commitment to being a humanitarian and communitarian lays the foundation for her passion to create inclusive communities. She is interested in arts and the creative sector, as well as sports and recreational bushwalking.

Chancellor Australian National University
38th Foreign Minister of Australia

The Hon Julie Bishop is Chancellor of the Australian National University, appointed in 2020.

On 5 April 2024 the Secretary General of the United Nations announced that he had appointed Julie as his Special Envoy on Myanmar, effective from 26 May 2024.

Ms Bishop served as Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 until 2018. She was the first female to hold the role as well as the first female Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, serving for 11 years. She was the longest serving Member for Curtin in the House of Representatives, elected in 1998 until 2019.

As Foreign Minister, Ms Bishop was responsible for strengthening Australia’s key strategic and economic relationships and enhancing engagement with Pacific Island countries, including normalising relations with Fiji, leading international recovery and reconstruction efforts in Vanuatu and establishing a school of government in Papua New Guinea. With Ministerial responsibility for more than 5,000 departmental staff, 110 overseas missions, and several government agencies, including the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research.

She led the single largest expansion of Australia’s overseas diplomatic presence in 40 years, increasing to 110 diplomatic missions. Ms Bishop developed the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper, providing a comprehensive policy framework for the next decade; and established the New Colombo Plan, enabling Australian undergraduates to live, study and work in the Indo-Pacific region. Within five years, more than 40,000 students have participated in the Plan.

Bringing her experience from the private sector, Ms Bishop established the innovationXchange within DFAT to develop bold and creative solutions to longstanding overseas development assistance challenges and overhaul Australia’s foreign aid focus.

Ms Bishop promoted Australia’s interests at the United Nations Security Council. In 2014, she led the international response to the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine and was awarded the Commander of the Order of Merit of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For her contribution to the US-Australia alliance, in 2018, Ms Bishop received the inaugural Eleanor Roosevelt US Mission Award for Leadership Excellence.

She previously served as a Cabinet Minister in the Howard Government as Minister for Education, Science and Training and as the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women’s Issues. Prior to this, Minister Bishop was Minister for Ageing.

Before entering Parliament, Ms Bishop was a commercial litigation lawyer at Perth firm Clayton Utz, becoming a partner in 1985 and managing partner in 1994. Ms Bishop graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Adelaide in 1978 and attended Harvard Business School in Boston in 1996, completing the Advanced Management Program for Senior Managers.

In 2017, the University of Adelaide awarded Ms Bishop the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University for her contribution to Australian parliamentary service, and in 2020 she was also awarded an honorary doctorate from ECU.

In 2020 Julie was awarded a Fisher Family Fellowship for the Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs. In 2021 Julie was awarded the Kissinger Fellowship at the McCain Institute of International Leadership at Arizona State University.

In 2021, the UK Government appointed Julie to the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council (GEAC). She is also a member of the Trilateral Commission Capitalism Task Force.

Julie was chosen by Mattel Australia as the 2021 Aus Shero Official Role Model as part of the Barbie Dream Gap Project for her inspiring career and iconic contribution as Australia’s first female Foreign Minister.

In 2022 Ms Bishop was awarded the Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop AsiaLink Medal for her contribution to Australian diplomacy, women’s empowerment and Australia’s integration with the Indo-Pacific. In 2023 Julie has joined David Jones as an official Friend of the brand.

Julie is Chair of the Board of The King’s Trust Australia, Trustee of King’s Trust Group Company and Member of the International Advisory Board of Council on Foreign Relations.

She is also the Patron of Shooting Stars (an education programme for young aboriginal girls) and was an ambassador for Football Australia’s Legacy ’23 program in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

She has also established a boutique consultancy, Julie Bishop and Partners, offering strategic advisory services.

Ms Bishop has previously served as Chair of the WA Town Planning Appeal Tribunal, Director of SBS Media, Director of the West Coast Eagles AFL Club and on the Murdoch University Senate

Sophie Muller is the Deputy Secretary of Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS), which promotes and protects the state’s world-renowned parks and reserve system.

PWS manages over 800 reserves and 19 National Parks, representing more than 50 per cent of Tasmania’s land mass.

It provides high-quality visitor experiences that are a major drawcard for visitors each year and oversees a significant portfolio of assets, including the administration of licences and leases for conducting business on crown land.

​Sophie has extensive experience across the State Service in a range of areas including tourism, climate change, public health and emergency management.

Dr. Natasha Vavrek, a Launceston “born and bred”, serves as the Director at The Bubble Tasmania and as a consulting specialist women’s GP at The Bubble Launceston. She is also the Chamber of Commerce Launceston 2024 Young Professional of the Year and the 2024 Tasmanian recipient of the Australian Award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership from Women & Leadership Australia.

Her academic journey began with a Bachelor of Medical Science, followed by the completion of a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery with Honours at the University of Tasmania in 2009. After internship and residency at the Launceston General Hospital, she achieved fellowship with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and was honored with the RACGP Tasmanian Examination medal in 2013.

Dr. Vavrek is certified with the FPAA National Certificate in Reproductive and Sexual Health, highlighting her profound proficiency in women’s health. She worked several years at Family Planning Tasmania.

In 2020, Dr. Vavrek became a certified Neuroprotective Developmental Care (NDC) Practitioner, the second in Tasmania. This training equips her to provide evidence-based approaches to infant sleep issues, crying, unsettled behavior, and breastfeeding problems. Her dedication to empowering mothers is evident in her passion for delivering support and up-to-date, evidence-based advice on the journey of motherhood. She is currently preparing for exams to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).

Dr. Vavrek’s other special interests include pregnancy planning, antenatal GP shared care, and supporting women during menopause. She is a proud member of the Australasian Menopause Society. She has recently undertaken training in the use of ultrasound for pregnancy and is enjoying this aspect of pregnancy care.

Her diverse medical career includes five years as a Refugee Health doctor in her early medical career as well as experience as a medical educator with General Practice Training Tasmania. She continues to work a handful of days a month at Windmill Hill Medical and continues to practice in aesthetic medicine at Purebody Launceston every other weekend.

Community service holds a special place in Dr. Vavrek’s heart, instilled by her upbringing. As a volunteer for Soroptimist International Launceston, she currently serves as Immediate Past President of SI Launceston and current President of Soroptimist International Tasmania. This group actively supports women and girls in need at local, national, and international levels.

A devoted mother of two daughters, Dr. Vavrek is passionate about instilling a sense of fierce feminism in her children. Supported by her biggest cheerleader, her husband, she relishes moments of relaxation at her shack on the East Coast whenever time permits.

Jenna Cairney currently Acting Deputy Secretary Business and Jobs within the Department of State Growth.

The Business and Jobs division provides advice and assistance to businesses to aid economic growth. It is also partners with communities to remove barriers to employment, training and workforce participation.

Jenna’s substantive position is as Executive Director Business Tasmania in the Department of State Growth.

Business Tasmania includes teams of highly skilled specialists who provide advice, strategy and policy direction in the areas of Small Business, Tourism and Hospitality, Advanced Manufacturing and Defence, Science and Technology and Agribusiness. Business Tasmania also includes a Commercial Finance team with expertise in financial assistance, which supports the work of the Tasmanian Development Board.

Previously, Jenna served as the Director of Communications Media and PR for former Premier Peter Gutwein and current Premier Jeremy Rockliff.

Jenna’s background is in journalism and editorial leadership, and she spent more than a decade editing newspapers, including the Hobart Mercury, Townsville Bulletin and Sunshine Coast Daily – as the first female Editor of each. She served as Deputy Editor of The Land, Editor of the Grafton Daily Examiner and Chief of Staff of the Warwick Daily News.

Originally from Dundee, Scotland, Jenna has studied in Scotland, the US, Italy and Australia, and holds a BA Honours in Journalism and Italian and a Graduate Certificate in Commerce. Jenna is part-way through a Masters of Business Administration.