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Speakers
The Hon Julie Bishop MP, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Employment, Business & Workplace Relations
Julie Bishop was elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Curtin in 1998 and again in 2001, 2004 and 2007. Prior to entering parliament she was the managing partner of national law firm Clayton Utz in Western Australia. She served as a Cabinet Minister in the Coalition Government as Minister for Education, Science & Training, as the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's issues and as Minister for Ageing. She is currently the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Employment, Business & Workplace Relations.
The Hon John Mickel, Qld Minister for Employment & Industrial Relations
John Mickel is the Qld Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment & Industrial Relations, having formerly been Minister for State Development, Employment & IR. He joined Cabinet as Minister for the Environment in February 2004, was appointed Minister for Energy in August 2004, and in March 2005 gained the additional portfolio of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Policy. He entered state parliament in 1998, prior to which we was a senior policy adviser at state and federal levels, as well as a university lecturer, tutor and teacher.
Jeff Lawrence, Secretary, ACTU
Jeff Lawrence took over as secretary of the ACTU in August 2007, having served the Australian union movement for 30 years. He formerly headed up one of Australia’s largest unions – the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU). In 2006, he participated in an ACTU overseas delegation that developed the union movement’s IR policy alternative to the Howard Government’s Work Choices laws.
Philip Burchardt, Federal Magistrate, Federal Magistrates Court of Australia
Federal Magistrate Philip Burchardt was appointed to the Federal Magistrates Court in July 2006, following the conferring of the court’s industrial jurisdiction in March 2006. He migrated to Australia in 1979, after which he worked for 10 years as an industrial advocate, signing the Roll of the Victorian Bar in 1989. He practiced as a barrister with a wide general law practice including specialisations in IR and human rights, until his appointment as a Federal Magistrate.
Ray Evans, President, HR Nicholls Society
Ray Evans was the founder of the HR Nicholls Society in 1985 - one of four people concerned about Labor’s plans for labour market reform (another of the four was then-Melbourne barrister Peter Costello). The society held its first seminar in March 1986, after which then-Prime Minister Bob Hawke labelled it a group of “political troglodytes and economic lunatics”, which shot the society to national prominence. Evans holds qualifications in electrical and mechanical engineering and has written many papers and articles on a wide range of cultural and political issues. In 1996, he was awarded the Tasman Medal in recognition of his contribution to ideas and public debate in Australia.
Stephen Jones, Federal Secretary, CPSU
Stephen Jones took over as federal secretary of the CPSU in 2006, since which time he has focused on building the union’s agenda for change and its organising capacity. He has helped to forge an industry-wide industrial agenda as well as building core organising skills within the union. During his 13 years with the CPSU, Jones has worked as an organiser, lawyer and elected union official in the public sector and communications industries.
Barbara Bennett, Director, Workplace Authority
Barbara Bennett has been the Workplace Authority Director since 1 July 2007. The Workplace Authority provides a single point of contact for information and advice on workplace issues and assesses workplace agreements against the no-disadvantage test. Previously Ms Bennett was the Chief Executive Officer of Comcare, an agency with a significant customer service culture and role as an effective, fair, and transparent regulator. Ms Bennett has held senior executive policy positions in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs. She has worked in the areas of apprenticeships and training, workplace relations and occupational health and safety.
Peter Fotiades, Director People Systems, MCL Australian Taxation Office
Peter Fotiades has been a HR executive and manager for over 20 years. Currently the director people systems for the Marketing & Communications Line at the Australian Taxation Office, he manages the provision of HR, IR and learning and development functions to 1,100 staff. He was previously the director of HR and organisational development for the Port of Melbourne. His most recent private sector role was as national IR, learning and development manager at Siemens Ltd.
Jill Lever, Executive General Manager HR, OZ Minerals
Jill Lever is currently executive general manager HR and member of the Executive Committee of Oxiana (operating as OZ Minerals following the friendly merger of Oxiana and Zinifex). OZ Minerals is a global diversified mining company producing copper, zinc, lead, nickel, gold and silver. Jill's role covers all aspects of strategic HR for a national, overseas and expatriate workforce, including support for the board on people matters and leadership of the HR function. Jill previously spent over 20 years in the oil and gas industry with the Royal Dutch Shell Group based in the UK, the Middle East, South America and the Asia Pacific.
David Gregory, Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Head of Workplace Relations
David Gregory is the GM of VECCI’s workplace relations policy department, responsible for developing and shaping the WR policies adopted by VECCI and promoting their implementation. He is also responsible for determining VECCI’s day-to-day responses to a range of WR issues, having well developed links with government, the business community, the media and the union movement. He was involved in the implementation of Labor’s Forward with Fairness legislation, and has previously worked for ACCI and News Ltd.
Val Gostencnik, WR group partner, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Val Gostencnik acts for government and private sector clients in the full range of IR and employment law areas for Corrs, specialising in IR litigation. His expertise extends to advocacy, with extensive experience appearing before state and federal industrial tribunals, the Federal Court and administrative tribunals such as the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Before joining Corrs in June 2000, he was a partner with labour law firm Ryan Carlisle Thomas in its industrial and employment law unit where he acted for many of Australia’s largest trade unions.
Steve Smith, Australian Industry Group, Director National Workplace Relations
Steve Smith has worked for the Australian Industry Group for 19 years and is responsible for developing its workplace relations submissions and strategies, as well as lobbying the government and opposition over workplace relations issues. He plays a key role in developing and implementing strategies in response to major union campaigns. He is also a member of the award modernisation reference group, along with other representatives from employer groups and trade unions.
Julie Mills, CEO, Recruitment & Consulting Services Association
Listed in the Who’s Who of Australian Women, Julie Mills has achieved a high profile for her extensive experience in the recruitment and human capital sector as CEO of the Recruitment & Consulting Services Association. The association is consulted on a wide range of employment, workplace relations and other business issues. Julie has been appointed to several advisory committees at state and federal levels. Most recently, she was asked to join the Federal Government’s Business Advisory Group, to consult on the reform of industrial relations legislation with Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Brian Boyd, Secretary, Victorian Trades Hall Council
Brian Boyd was elected secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council in May 2005, having been an industrial officer with the council from 1988 onwards. From 1979 to 1988, he was a Victorian organiser and an industrial officer for the Builders Labourers Federation. He is currently a member of the Victorian WorkCover Advisory Committee, the Building Industry Consultative Council, the Manufacturing Industry Consultative Council and the ACTU executive.
Joe McDonald, Assistant Secretary, CFMEU WA Branch
Joe McDonald came to Australia from Scotland at the age of 14 and went straight to work as a bricklayer. During his years as a building union official with the CFMEU, Joe has faced a raft of prosecutions, many of them for entering building sites without a valid permit. He is unrepentant for doing so, saying it saves lives and improves safety in the industry. PM Kevin Rudd expelled him from the Australian Labor Party in October 2007, just weeks before Labor won the federal election, following a political TV ad campaign featuring Joe’s rowdy behaviour on a building site.
Marcus Clayton, National Practice Group Leader for Industrial and Employment Law, Slater & Gordon
Marcus Clayton is the National Practice Group Leader for the Industrial and Employment Law practice of labour law firm Slater & Gordon. Highly regarded in the union movement, he has overall responsibility for dealing with more than 50 branches and offices of unions for which the company acts. His clients include branches of the CFMEU and AMWU.
Christopher Platt, GM Workplace Policy, Australian Mines & Metals Association
Christopher Platt heads up AMMA’s workplace policy unit, providing leadership to the resources sector in all matters relating to workplace policy. His role includes policy development, research, advice, education, promotion, lobbying and stakeholder management. He is a member of the ACCI Council, a director of the National Business Action Fund, an executive officer of the Agribusiness Employers Federation, and represents AMMA on the Committee on Industrial Legislation advising the Federal Government on its IR legislation. Prior to joining AMMA in 1992, Christopher was an industrial advocate for the SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a police officer.
Professor Ian Harper, Chair, Australian Fair Pay Commission
Ian Harper is one of Australia’s best-known academic economists, having worked closely with banks, corporates and leading professional services firms at the highest levels. He was appointed in October 2005 by then PM John Howard as the inaugural chair of the AFPC – an independent statutory body whose role it is to set and adjust minimum wages in Australia. In addition to being chair of the AFPC, Professor Harper is currently the executive director of the Centre for Business and Public Policy at the Melbourne Business School.
David Rumbens, Director, Access Economics
David is a macroeconomist specialising in retail forecasts, labour market analysis, project investment and government program reviews. His expertise includes economic modelling of consumer demand and retail sales, monitoring and analysis of trends in investment, and studies of regional economies. David is the author of Retail Forecasts, a subscription based publication providing a detailed analysis of the drivers of retail spending and trends likely to emerge – a widely used planning tool for the retail industry. He also writes Investment Monitor, providing detailed coverage of current and prospective construction and investment projects in Australia, and analysis of trends in project investment.