Broadband champions are a group of prominent Australians, each respected experts in their field, who are passionate about helping households and businesses to better understand how they can benefit from high-speed broadband. They represent key areas which the NBN will impact such as health, education, business and innovation.
Dave Abrahams
Mr Abrahams is chair of Regional Development Australia Central Coast. Mr Abrahams, online entrepreneur and regional enterprise campaigner, is co-founder and immediate past chairman of YouthConnections.com.au and co-founder of private social networking company vTeam.com.au. He is an independent technology commentator on regional local radio stations.
Darren Alexander
Mr Alexander Chief Executive Officer, autech. Darren has been involved in the Tasmanian ICT industry for the past 14 years, regularly travelling the world to promote Autech and the Tasmanian ICT sector. Darren serves on a number of boards including the Premier’s Digital futures Advisory Council, Brand Tasmania Council, and chairs the “5 Days of Innovation” festival; Darren is also the past President of TAS ICT, Tasmania’s peak industry body, and past Chairman of TCCI Small Business committee. Darren was also appointed to the NBN TAS Board in 2010. He is passionate about ICT and small business and is regularly requested to speak at forums around Australia on subjects such as challenges facing small business, how to use ICT to improve your business model, and how the NBN will transform small business.”
Professor Jim Barber
Vice-Chancellor, University of New England, Professor Jim Barber is a leading advocate for e-learning and how technology will shape education in the 21st Century.
Peter Blasina
Popularly known as ‘The Gadget Guy’ and the CEO of The Gadget Group Peter Blasina has been a technology industry advocate for many years where he has helped guide Australians, particularly small business, toward getting the most out of the technology of the day.
Nan Bosler OAM
Ms Bosler is President, Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association. She is a member of the Digital Switchover Expert Group and the Cyber Security Awareness Week Committee. She is also a member of the consortium that is rolling out the Federal Government funded Broadband for Seniors Kiosks across Australia and is a Carers NSW Representative and member of the inaugural Carers Advisory Council.
Associate Professor Jane Burns
Associate Professor Burns is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). The establishment of the CRC is a culmination of Jane’s work in suicide and depression prevention over the last decade which has focused on international and national partnerships with academic, government, corporate, philanthropic, non-profit and community sectors. Jane holds a VicHealth Principal Research Fellowship at Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and an Honorary Fellowship at the Brain & Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney. She was a Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. She joined beyondblue: the national depression initiative in its start up phase and established and managed the youth agenda. Jane completed her PhD in Medicine as a National Health and Medical Research Council Scholar at the University of Adelaide. Jane was a Victorian Finalist in the 2012 Telstra Business Women’s Awards and was listed in the Financial Review and Westpac Group 100 Women of Influence in 2012.
Jon Dee
Mr Dee Founder and Managing Director of ‘Do Something!’, was the 2010 NSW Australian of the Year. He is the author of the highly successful business book, Sustainable Growth. In June 1991 he founded Planet Ark with Pat Cash and in 1989 he also founded Rock Aid Armenia.
Rachel Dixon
Ms Dixon, Viocorp’s Chief Operating Officer, is one of the most prominent Australian experts on online and mobile media. Her professional background encompasses film, television and new media production, IT and telecommunications. Ms Dixon is also the deputy chair of CHOICE, the journal of the Australian Consumers Association.
Paul Greenberg
Paul is the CEO of the recently incorporated National Online Retailers Association ( NORA). He is a non-executive director and co-founder of the DealsDirect Group, a pioneer in online retail in Australia. Paul was the recipient of the Online Retail Industry Recognition Award for 2011, and was affectionately dubbed the ” Grandfather of Online Retail” in Australia. He is a registered psychologist and a member of the Australian Psychological Society. He is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Dr Mukesh Haikerwal AO
Dr Haikerwal is Chair of the Council of the World Medical Association, Head of Clinical Leadership and Engagement, National Clinical Lead, National e-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA); Professor, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Science, Flinders University, Adelaide; member NH&MRC Health Care Committee; and 19th President, Australian Medical Association. Dr Haikerwal has championed eHealth and telemedicine across what he terms the four corners of the health sector: consumers, clinicians, ICT vendors and policymakers.
Stuart Hamilton AO
Mr Hamilton recently retired CEO of Open Universities Australia, was previously Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Innovation Economy Advisory Board, Secretary of the Victorian Department of Education and Training and Executive Director of Universities Australia.
Sandra McCarthy
Mrs Sandra McCarthy was Kiama’s longest serving mayor, having held the office for 12 years up until her retirement in 2012. In addition to representing the people of Kiama, Mrs McCarthy dedicated much of her time to developing public health policy and strategically planning how Kiama could maximise the benefits of the National Broadband Network. Mrs McCarthy is a champion of e-Health initiatives, which combine her experience in Public Health and her passion for the NBN. She is studying a Masters in Public Health at the University of Wollongong. Mrs McCarthy was awarded an Emeritus Mayor Certificate and Long Service Award by the Local Government Association of NSW in 2013 in recognition of her dedicated service to the community.
Andrew Heslop
Mr Heslop is Australia Day Ambassador, Champion for the National Compact and the Founder of Neighbour Day, Australia’s annual celebration of community. With a highly regarded career within the not-for-profit, media, transport and government sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom, Andrew has a strong commitment to community and its collective ability to create change.
Graeme Innes AM
Mr Innes has been Australia’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner since December 2005, advocating on a broad range of issues relating to people with disability. He appreciates how the NBN will improve the lives of Australians with disability. Graeme is a lawyer, mediator and company director. He has been a human rights practitioner for 30 years. Graeme was Chair of the Disability Advisory Council of Australia, and the first Chair of Vision Australia, Australia’s national blindness agency. In 1995 Graeme was made a Member of the Order of Australia. He was a finalist for Australian of the year in 2003.
Harold Mitchell AC
Mr Mitchell founder of Mitchell and Partners and Executive Chairman of Aegis Media Pacific. Harold is a leading Australian businessman and regarded as the country’s most influential media planner and buyer. He has been Chairman of the National Gallery Australia, President of the Melbourne International Festival of Arts, President of the Museums Board of Victoria and a Board Member of the Opera Australia Council. He is currently Chairman of CARE Australia; Vice- President of Tennis Australia; and Chairman of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, among other roles.
Mary Nenke
Ms Nenke manager and joint proprietor of Cambinata Yabbies, Western Australia, is passionate about maximising regional potential through tourism, diversification and better services for rural Western Australians. A multiple award winner, Mary has been recognised as an Australian Export Hero, WA Citizen for the Year and has been honoured with the Governor’s Award for Regional Development.
Professor Peter Quinn
Dr Quinn is Director, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, University of Western Australia, has a PhD in dynamics of disk galaxy mergers. His research focuses on the formation and evolution of galaxies using supercomputer computations and simulations. He is currently working on the Square Kilometre Array telescope.
Deb Sharkey
Ms Sharkey, eBay Vice-President, has led the Australian eBay business since December 2008 and has specialised in ecommerce strategy and marketing for 14 years. Deborah has led several areas of the Australian organisation including Customer Experience, New Business and Internet Marketing at eBay. Living and working in Japan for five years, Deborah helped establish and manage the Asia Pacific internet media arm of MindShare, a WPP-owned media agency. There she developed a passion for the internet, including its capacity to empower consumers and enable new business models.
Dr. Ric Simes
Dr Simes has an extensive academic and practising knowledge of public policy, governance, finance, econometrics, economic analysis and strategy. He has held senior positions in the Commonwealth Treasury, academia, former Prime Minister Keating’s Office and in the private sector before joining Access Economics. Dr Simes heads the Sydney office and the financial services team and has led numerous digital economy projects. These include the economic impact of the rollout of the NBN, intelligent systems and various aspects of the internet. Dr Simes is currently a partner of Deloitte Touche Tomatsu and a director of Deloitte Access Economics.
Dr Helen Thompson
Dr Thompson Director, Centre for eCommerce and Communications, is responsible for leading the University of Ballarat’s response to opportunities linked to the regional rollout of the National Broadband Network. Dr Thompson has extensive experience in areas including new digital technologies, knowledge management, spatial mapping and eResearch. Her doctorate of Business Administration thesis was entitled Reflections on effective implementation of ICT in regional and rural areas.
Professor John Wilson
Professor Wilson has spent the last 20 years delivering medical services and pursuing his passion to capitalise on ITC advances to optimise health care services. He is a respected clinical leader in the Australian health sector and champion for the application of technology to enable effective delivery of health services. John is currently Head of a medical service at Alfred Health Melbourne, Chair of the Adult Medicine Division Education Committee, Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP) and an RACP board member. He is also a board member of the Health Informatics Society of Australia.
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