2023 National VET Research Conference (No Frills) Program

Thursday 20 July

The Hon Brendan O'Connor MP, Minister for Skills and Training, Federal Member for Gordon

The Hon Brendan O'Connor MP is the Minister for Skills and Training, a Cabinet position in the Albanese Labor Government.

A belief in the benefits of secure employment and quality education and training, as well as a commitment to fairness and equal opportunity, led Mr O’Connor to commence his career in a union.

He represented the interests of Victorian workers before becoming Assistant National Secretary of the Australian Services Union (ASU).

He was elected to parliament in 2001 and has since headed several portfolios.

As Minister for Employment Participation, he overhauled the employment services system, streamlining the process to provide a personalised service called Job Services Australia.

As Minister for Home Affairs, one of his many noteworthy achievements includes reforming Australia’s anti-dumping regime to encourage fairer and equitable business practices.

Mr O’Connor went on to serve as Minister for Small Business at Cabinet level, the first time in over ten years that the portfolio had been elevated to such a level. Mr O’Connor worked to cut red tape and support growth and jobs through tax reform, including the $6500 Instant Asset Write-off to assist Australia's 2.7 million small businesses to improve their cash flows and the introduction of Australia’s first Small Business Commissioner.

In 2013, Mr O’Connor was elevated to Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and finished the term as Minister for Employment, Skills and Training.

From 2013 – 2019, Mr O’Connor was appointed Shadow Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations. In 2019, he was appointed Shadow Minister for Employment and Industry, Science, and Small and Family Business as a member of Anthony Albanese’s Labor frontbench team and served as Shadow Minister for Defence from January 2021 until Labor won the 2022 election.

Thursday 20 July

Professor Peter Dawkins AO, Interim Director, Jobs and Skills Australia

Professor Peter Dawkins AO was appointed the interim Director of Jobs and Skills Australia in December 2022. In this role he is directly accountable to the Minister for Skills and Training, the Hon Brendan O’Connor MP.

Peter is an Emeritus Professor of Economics at the Mitchell Institute for Education and Health Policy at Victoria University, where he was the Vice-Chancellor and President from 2011 until 2020.

His career has spanned academia and the public service. His central area of expertise as an economist is in labour market economics, with his policy research and advice especially focussed on labour markets, education and training.

Peter has a passion for the power of education and training to transform lives and for evidence-based economic and social policy.

Friday 21 July

Ms Danielle Wood, CEO of the Grattan Institute

Danielle Wood is CEO of the Grattan Institute where she heads a team of leading policy thinkers, researching and advocating policy to improve the lives of Australians.

Danielle also leads Grattan’s Budgets and Government Program and has published extensively on economic reform priorities, budgets, tax reform, women’s workforce participation, generational inequality and reforming political institutions. She is a sought-after media commentator and speaker on policy issues.

Danielle was previously Principal Economist and Director of Merger investigations at the ACCC, a Senior Economist at NERA Economic Consulting and Senior Research Economist the Productivity Commission. She holds an Honours degree in Economics from the University of Adelaide and two Masters degrees, one in Economics and one in Competition Law, from the University of Melbourne.

Danielle is a member of the Australian Government’s Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, the Parliamentary Budget Office Expert Advisory Committee and the Commonwealth Bank CEO Advisory Council.

Danielle is an Honorary Fellow and former President of the Economic Society of Australia and a Research Fellow of the Women’s Leadership Institute. She is also a passionate advocate for women in economics and was the co-founder and first Chair of the Women in Economics Network.

Thursday 20 July - Dinner speaker

John Silvester

John Silvester is Victoria’s most experienced crime reporter and has covered the beat since the late 1970s.

He has written, edited and published crime books that have sold more than 1 million copies in Australia and has won industry awards for print, radio, television and on-line reporting.

His work was adapted into the top rating Underbelly television series shown on Channel Nine and he has acted as presenter in a series of critically acclaimed television crime documentaries.

He won the 2007 Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year and was highly commended in the same award in 1998 and 2014.

In 2008 he was judged the Victoria Law Foundation Legal Reporter of the Year.

He has won nine Melbourne Press Club Quill awards, ten Victorian Law Foundation Awards, four Walkley Awards, a Ned Kelly Award for true crime writing and a Ned Kelly lifetime achievement award.

He presented the ABC documentary Trigger Point, an in depth examination of police shootings in Victoria and Conviction – the Logie winning ABC special on the murder of Jill Meagher.

In 2018 he was elevated to the Australian Journalism Hall of Fame.

He is the senior crime reporter for The Age and writes the Walkley Award winning Naked City column. He appears weekly on 3AW as crime commentator Sly of the Underworld. He has given evidence in Royal Commissions on crime and corruption.

Moderator
Dr Joy de Leo
Research and Data Analytics Manager, NCVER

Joy has worked in education for over 40 years in both public and private sectors, involved in policy, curriculum development, research, management, advocacy, and teaching in the school and tertiary education sector.

She manages a team of NCVER researchers and data analysts to deliver the National VET research and advanced analytics programs, which integrate quantitative with qualitative research with advanced analytics and data linkages with other agencies, to inform policy development for Senior Skills Officials.

Mr Craig Robertson
Chief Executive Officer, Victorian Skills Authority

Craig Robertson is the CEO of the Victorian Skills Authority. The authority is tasked by the Victorian Government to plan for post school education and training to support a growing economy and good jobs for Victorians.

Previously, Craig was the CEO of TAFE Directors Australia, representing the TAFE model nationally and internationally. Craig has worked for over 30 years with the Commonwealth Government in areas of school funding, employment policy and most aspects of tertiary education and in 2015 and 2016 worked in the Victorian Government.

Craig holds an Executive Masters in Public Administration and Bachelor of Education (Primary).

Ms Megan Lilly
Executive Director, Centre for Education & Training, Australian Industry Group (Ai Group)

Megan has an enduring commitment to research, policy and advocacy in education and training, especially in relation to work. In leading the work of the Centre, Megan represents member companies on a diverse number of international, national, and state based committees, councils and boards.

Megan is a strong advocate for reform and has been involved in key national skills reforms over many years. Megan is firm in the belief of the capacity of education and training to transform lives.

Ms Mish Eastman
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Vocational Education) and Vice President, RMIT University

Mish Eastman is responsible for developing and leading a renewed vision and strategic direction for Vocational Education as Deputy ViceChancellor Vocational Education at RMIT. Since joining RMIT, this has included establishing the new College of Vocational Education and the development of a 5-year strategic roadmap for vocational and applied learning.

She is passionate about gender diversity in all aspects of education and ;creating space for women in non-traditional roles, continuously providing ;diverse opportunities and support as part of her leadership style. An ;advocate for creating a safe and respectful community, Mish is also ;co-chair of RMIT’s Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Group on Gender-based Violence Prevention.

An experienced education and health leader, Mish has strong expertise ;in identifying and creating new models of education and training ;in collaboration with industry, enhancing tertiary pathways, and ;understanding how to create educational and employment success for
learners. Beginning her career as a Registered Nurse before moving ;into educational leadership roles, has given Mish a deep knowledge and ;passion for Vocational Education.

She has previously held positions with TAFE Tasmania, Tasmanian ;Polytechnic and Swinburne University of Technology, providing strategic ;and operational leadership of teaching and learning programs in pathways ;and Vocational Education

Simon Walker
Managing Director, NCVER

Simon began his career in the public sector as a financial analyst for ;Central TAFE in Western Australia after starting his career in the private ;sector. Simon joined the WA Department of Training in 1997 and has since ;worked in a variety of senior executive roles with a focus on VET sector planning, policy and resourcing.

Simon represented Western Australia on the national Senior Skills Officials Network (SSON) and the national Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration (MACSM) and was an ex-officio representative on the Western Australian State Training Board. Simon was also the state and territory government representative on the inaugural Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC).

Simon joined the NCVER board as a director in 2015 and took up the position of Managing Director of the NCVER in October 2018.