The Hon Wayne Swan MP

Wayne Swan was sworn in as Treasurer on 3 December 2007 and elected unopposed as Deputy Prime Minister on 24 June 2010.

He has delivered four budgets making him the equal third longest serving Labor Treasurer, along with Andrew Fisher, and behind Paul Keating and Ben Chifley.

Mr Swan has been the Member for the Brisbane suburban electorate of Lilley between 1993 and 1996 and from 1998 until the present, and has held senior economic roles in the Labor Party since 1998.

His focus as Treasurer is on strong and secure economic growth, job creation, and getting a fairer go for low and middle income earners in the tax and retirement income systems.

Mr Swan is committed to investing the dividends of the mining boom where they can make the greatest contribution to jobs, infrastructure, national savings and sustainable economic growth.

He helped formulate Australia's successful response to the global financial crisis, which kept workers in jobs and the economy out of a long and damaging recession.

Mr Swan was named Finance Minister of the Year in 2011 by Euromoney Magazine, which noted “his careful stewardship of Australia’s finance and economic performance both during and since the global financial crisis” and that ``Australia’s position within the global financial community has never been stronger than it is today.”

During his time as Treasurer, Australia has created hundreds of thousands of new jobs, delivered a historic boost to the aged pension, introduced Australia’s first paid parental leave scheme, increased the child care rebate to 50 per cent, started the Education Tax Refund to assist families with their children’s school expenses, and put in place a plan to increase the superannuation savings of the nation’s 8.4 million workers.

Mr Swan is the author of Postcode: The Splintering of a Nation, a well-received book on the economics of disadvantage, and has lectured in public policy at the Queensland Institute of Technology (now QUT).

As a prostate cancer survivor, he is a vocal and tireless advocate for the early detection of the disease.

Mr Swan was born 30 June 1954 in Nambour and grew up on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, where he now holidays each year with his wife, two adult daughters and teenage son.

The Hon Kate Ellis
Minister for Employment Participation and Child Care and
Minister for the Status of Women

Kate Ellis was elected as the Member for Adelaide in 2004.

When the Labor Government was elected in 2007, Kate was elevated to the Labor Government's frontbench as the Minister for Youth and Sport.

And in June 2008 Kate was given extra ministerial responsibilities, becoming Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth; and Minister for Sport.

Following the re-election of the Gillard Labor Government in 2010 Kate became the Minister for Employment Participation and Child Care and the Minister for the Status of Women.

Age Discrimination Commissioner
The Hon Susan Ryan AO

Susan Ryan was appointed as Australia’s first Age Discrimination Commissioner on 30 July 2011 for a five year term.

Up until her appointment as Commissioner, she had been Women’s Ambassador for ActionAid Australia and chaired the Australian Human Rights Group since 2008. She had also chaired the Australian Human Rights Act Campaign Inc. since 2005.

Immediately prior to commencing as Commissioner, Susan was also the Independent Chair of the IAG and NRMA Superannuation Plan and had been President of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees from 2000 to 2007, member of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors from 2001 to 2007, member of the ASX Corporate Governance Council from 2003 to 2007 and CEO of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia from 1993 to 1997.

Susan has also held a number of positions at the University of New South Wales. She was Pro-chancellor and Council member from 1998, Chair of the UNSW Risk Committee from 2002 and Chair of the Advisory Council FASS UNSW since 2010.

From 1975 to 1988, Susan was Senator for the ACT, becoming the first woman to hold a Cabinet post in a federal Labor Government. She served in senior portfolios in the Hawke Government as Minister for Education and Youth Affairs, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women and Special Minister of State. As Education Minister, Susan saw school retention rates double and universities and TAFEs grow significantly without the charging of tuition fees. She also pioneered extensive anti-discrimination and equal opportunity legislation, including the landmark Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and the Affirmative Action Act 1986.

In 1990, Susan was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia for her contribution to Parliament.

She published her autobiography, Catching the Waves, in 1999 and has been a frequent media commentator on her areas of expertise.

Professor Philip Taylor

Professor Philip Taylor joined Monash University, Australia in 2010 as Director of Research and Graduate Studies at its Gippsland campus. Prior to this he was Professor of Employment Policy at Swinburne University of Technology where he was Director of the Business, Work and Ageing Centre for Research. He has researched and written in the field of age and the labour market for more than 20 years. He is currently leading major programs of research considering the management of ageing workforces. His interests include the management of labour supply, individual orientations to work and retirement, employers’ attitudes and practices towards older workers and international developments in public policies aimed at combating age barriers in the labour market and prolonging working life.

Everald Compton AM

Mr Everald Compton AM was appointed by the Federal Government to chair the Advisory Panel on the Economic Potential of Senior Australians on 30 March 2011. The Panel was appointed to examine how Australia can best harness the opportunities that much larger, and more active, communities of older Australians bring.

The Panel has completed targeted consultations with every sector of the community (including government, not-for-profit organisations, academics, representative bodies and individual seniors) in meetings held around the country. The Panel has also produced a series of reports.

Mr Compton is also chair of the Consultative Forum on Mature Age Participation. The Forum was established in 2010 to provide the Federal government with advice on evidence-based and practical solutions to address barriers to employment participation for mature age people.

Mr Compton was the former Chairman of National Seniors Australia. He is currently Chairman of ATEC Rail Group Ltd, Surat Basin Rail Pty Ltd, Steel Mississippi Pty Ltd, and Tenement to Terminal Pty Ltd. Professionally, he is a Certified Practising Accountant and a Certified Practising Marketer.

He is also Chairman of the Everald Compton Charitable Trust, an Elder of the Uniting Church and an Honorary Senior Fellow of the University of the Sunshine Coast. He became a Member of the Order of Australia in 1993 and was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 for his services to the Transport Industry.

Chris McHugh

Chris leads Suncorp’s Statutory Portfolio team, which includes workers compensation and CTP. Chris manages the overall product design, pricing, underwriting parameters, segmentation strategies and customer propositions to exceed industry performance, working collaboratively with regulators to adapt where necessary and contribute to the industry. Chris is also an advisor to the Select Council of Treasurers and Disability Service Ministers on Disability Reform, representing the insurance industry.

Chris has extensive workers compensation, strategic and operational experience leading the development and implementation of sustainable improvement programs in complex operating environments. With a background in management strategy, planning, project, OHS and quality management, Chris combines his extensive workers compensation experience with strong analytical capabilities, a broad strategic aptitude and a capacity to influence and effect long term and sustainable change.

Robert Lindley

Robert Lindley is the founding Director of the Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick and a professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences. His principal fields of research are the labour market; the roles of education, training and knowledge production in economic development; and European integration. He has previously led two EU Commission-funded consortia of researchers concerned with Population Ageing and the Labour Market in Europe and Ageing and Employment: Identification of Good Practice to Increase Job Opportunities and Maintain Older Workers in Employment. He is currently leading the UK country study for a further EU project, Activating Senior Potential in Ageing Europe. He also has a special interest in the role played by social science evidence in the policy system. He has served on many UK and EU advisory and related bodies. These include rapporteur to the EU Competitiveness Advisory Group appointed by the Commission President, joint chair of the EU Round Tables on the Social Dialogue, advisor to the Portuguese Presidency of the EU during the development of the ‘Lisbon Strategy’, and consultant to the Commission on the evaluation of National Action Plans.

Professor Lindley has been Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International Affairs and Chair of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Warwick. He is a past chair of the UK Association of Research Centres in the Social Sciences. He is currently a member of the UK Strategic Forum for the Social Sciences.

Neil Charness

Neil Charness is William G. Chase Professor of Psychology and an Associate in the Pepper Institute on Ageing and Public Policy at Florida State University. He received his BA (McGill University, 1969), MSc, and PhD (Carnegie Mellon University, 1971, 1974) in Psychology. Neil was at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada (1974-1977), then University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (1977-1994), before joining the Psychology Department at Florida State University in 1994. Neil’s research centers on understanding the ageing process and its implications for technology use, work performance, and expert performance. He also conducts human factors research on older driver and pedestrian safety. He has authored or co-authored over 100 journal articles and book chapters.

Anne-Marie Guillemard

Professor of sociology at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Paris Descartes Sorbonne, member of the Institut Universitaire de France, the Academia Europaea, the European Network of Excellence “Civil Society and New Forms of Governance in Europe” (CINEFOGO), and the European research consortium ASPA “Activating Senior Potential in Ageing Europe” (7thFP). She sits on the editorial boards of the Revue française de sociologie, Ageing and Society, Hallym International Journal of Ageing (Baywood Publishing Company) and Retraite et Société.

Her work on international comparisons of welfare policies, retirement systems and employment is widely recognized. Her research focuses on questions related to age and employment, age management in public and entrepreneurial policies, the generational contract and the reform of the welfare state. Among her most recent works are the following : Les défis du vieillissement, Age, Emploi, Retraite, Perspectives internationales, (ed) Armand Colin 2010, Où va la protection sociale ? (ed) Presses Universitaires de France 2008, and The Changing Face of Welfare., (edited with) J. Goul- Andersen, P. Jensen, B. Pfau-Effinger. Bristol, Policy Press (2005).

Juhani Ilmarinen

From 2006 to 2008 Juhani Ilmarinen was a Professor and Director of the Theme Life Course and Work in the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health ( FIOH ), Helsinki, Finland. In 1978 he made his Ph.D. in Health and Sport Sciences ( Work Physiology ) in University of Cologne, Germany. From 1992 - 2005 he was the Director of the Department of Physiology in FIOH. Ilmarinen and his multidisciplinary team has created the concept of Work Ability and Age Management. From 1989 to 2006. Professor Ilmarinen was the Secretary of the Scientific Committee Ageing and Work of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH). During his service the Committee organised several workshops, symposia and conferences in Ageing and work worldwide and published several proceedings. Through the Committee activities the topic Promotion of Work Ability of Ageing Workers was implemented in 26 countries. Ilmarinen was also the Chairman of the Technical Committee Ageing of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) from 1997 - 2007. Ilmarinen has more than 500 publications in work physiology, work ability and ageing. He has published 8 books, e.g. a handbook Towards a longer work life in 2006. His mission is to promote the situation of older workers worldwide with evidence based concepts and solutions.

In November 2008, the first National Prize for Innovative Practices in Employment and Social Policy was give to professor Ilmarinen. Since 2009 professor Ilmarinen is working in his Juhani Ilmarinen Consulting Ltd (www.jic.fi).

Alison Monroe

Alison brings to SageCo more than 15 years experience across the HR, career management, and hospitality industries and worked in Europe and the USA before coming to Australia in 1996.

Alison is current President of the NSW EEO Practitioners’ Association (NEEOPA); an accredited ReCareer© and Retirement Success Coach™; Genos Emotional Intelligence Coach; former Judge of the Deloitte Businesswoman of the Year; annual Judge of the Diversity@Work Awards; a member of the Good Beginnings Advisory Board and is a frequent speaker on the challenges and opportunities of workforce ageing.

Alison has a proven track record in relationship management, business development and developing progressive age management solutions for clients. Alison’s results-focus and innovation has resulted in excellent business outcomes for her clients across diverse industries including banking and finance, insurance, legal, engineering and the public sector.

Since 2006 Alison has partnered with Office of Ageing NSW and the Department of Premier and Cabinet in NSW to advise on the Mature Workforce Retention Project, host the NSW Government SageCentre and to facilitate employer round tables on behalf of The Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ageing (MACA).

SageCo Pty Ltd

SageCo provides expertise and integrated solutions to address the risks, challenges and commercial opportunities brought about by unprecedented population and workforce ageing.

Sara E. Rix

Sara E. Rix is a senior strategic policy advisor with the Economics Team of the AARP Public Policy Institute in Washington, DC, where she focuses on the economics of ageing, labor force and demographic trends, employment and retirement policy, and older worker employment issues. She has written and spoken extensively on older workers, an ageing society, and ageing issues for over 30 years. She has been involved in numerous national and international activities dealing with the problems of, and prospects for, an ageing world, including serving as an international tutor for the Economics and Financial Aspects of Aging training program of the UN’s International Institute on Ageing in Malta. Rix, who received her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, is a member of the International Social Security Association’s (ISSA) Advisory Board on Policy and Research in Social Security and served on ISSA’s Scientific Committee for its 2007 and 2010 Research Conferences on Social Security. She is a member of the Review Panel of Outside Scholars and Practitioners of the University of Michigan's Retirement Research Center, the Post-Retirement Needs and Risks Committee of the Society of Actuaries, and the advisory group of Tapping Mature Talent: Aging Work Initiative of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and the Council on Competitiveness. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Social Insurance, the Gerontological Society of America, and the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). Before coming to AARP, she was director of research for the Women’s Research and Education Institute (WREI), a nonpartisan, policy research organization in Washington, DC.