Hon John Dawkins AO

Current chair of the AQF Council, John Dawkins served for 18 years in the Australian Federal Government House of Representatives for the Australian Labor Party. From 1983 to 1994, he served under Bob Hawke and Paul Keating as Finance Minister, Trade Minister, Employment, Education and Training Minister and finally as Treasurer.

He is also chair of Integrated Legal Holdings and a director of Genetic Technologies Limited, MGM Wireless Limited and Government Relations Australia.

Professor Ian Young

Ian Young is Vice-Chancellor and President of Swinburne University of Technology. Prior to joining Swinburne in 2003, he was Executive Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) at the University of Adelaide. He has extensive experience across tertiary education, including both higher education and TAFE.

His research interests are in coastal and ocean engineering. He has published three books and more than 100 research papers in this field. He also has extensive experience as an engineering consultant in Australia, the United States and Asia. He is presently chair of IDP Education (Australia), chair of the Victorian Vice-Chancellors Committee and a board member of the Business Higher Education Round Table, Open Universities Australia and the Victorian Education Research Network (VerNet). He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a Fellow of Engineers Australia.

Kim Bannikoff

Kim Bannikoff is Director of the Queensland Studies Authority and has a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education.

Kim began his career in education in 1971 as a teacher in Victorian technical schools and then worked in TAFE colleges as a teacher and administrator. After returning to Queensland, Kim was appointed Assistant Director General (Strategic Planning and Portfolio Services) at Education Queensland to lead the development of the Queensland Government’s blueprint for school education in Queensland to 2010.

Megan Lilly

As Associate Director, Education and Training of the Australian Industry Group, Megan Lilly is responsible for the development of all education and training public policy on behalf of the Australian Industry Group.

Megan is also the chair of Manufacturing Skills Australia, a member of the National Quality Council and co-chair of the Training Packages standing committee, a member of the Victorian Learning and Employment Skills Commission, as well as being a member of JITEC, Reframing the Future Steering Committee and Re-engineering Australia.

Prior to this, Megan was the CEO of Business Services Training Australia, the national industry advisory board for the business services and related industry sectors. Before joining the national ITAB, Megan held several senior management positions in various Victorian TAFE institutes and managed the Australian Competency Research Centre. She has a Masters in Educational Policy and Administration.

Pat Forward

Pat Forward was elected to the position of Federal TAFE Secretary of the Australian Education Union (AEU) in January 2004. She previously held the position of Federal TAFE President for six years, and was at the same time Vice President TAFE in the Victorian Branch of the AEU.  She has taught in Victorian TAFE Colleges, at university and in schools. She is an advocate of the public TAFE system in Australia, and is committed to maintaining and extending the status of the profession of TAFE teaching, for all TAFE teachers.

Jennifer Taylor

Jennifer Taylor is the Group Manager of the Tertiary Skills and Productivity Group at the Australian Government Department of Education Employment Workplace Relations (DEEWR). 

 
The Group is responsible for policy development and program implementation relating to the quality of Vocational Education and Training  (TVET) in Australia, and supporting growth in the productivity and sustainability of the Australian economy through training initiatives and training system reform.

Prior to her appointment at DEEWR, Jennifer was the Chief Executive of the statutory agency, the Australian Fair Pay Commission Secretariat, located in Melbourne.  The Secretariat provided support to the Commission through research and analysis, managing the extensive consultation and submission processes and monitoring and evaluating the impact of the Commission’s decisions.

Jennifer has also held the role of Group Manager, Labour Market Strategies group in DEEWR, with responsibility for economic and labour market analysis, and worked in a number of senior positions in the South Australian Government.

Carol Webb

Carol Webb is currently the interim CEO of TAFE Queensland Regional in the Department of Education and Training.  Carol’s role is responsible for leading the six Queensland regional TAFE institutes to create the TAFE Queensland Regional statutory authority, subject to Government approval.

Carol brings to her role experience from her previous roles as Assistant Director-General, TAFE Queensland and Assistant Director-General Industry and VET Policy in the former Department of Education, Training and the Arts.  In these roles she was responsible for leadership of the TAFE Institutes in Queensland, the State’s VET policy agenda, industry and employer engagement, training product development, the quality and regulation of training providers and the allocation of public funds to the industry’s priority training needs. Carol’s experience also encompasses the roles of Institute Director of Queensland regional and city-based TAFE institutes, the education sector and as an organic chemist in public and private industry. 

Carol currently sits on industry related boards in the construction and aviation sectors.

Sian Lewis

As Executive Director, Training Operations for Skills Victoria, Sian Lewis manages the Victorian apprenticeship and traineeship system, training packages, eLearning, workforce development, industry relations and support for the strategic communications needs of Skills Victoria. In a previous role, she managed higher education regulation issues for Victoria.

Sian has more than 25 years experience in tertiary education, the last 10 in various strategic education roles for government. Sian is an expert on matters related to higher education quality assurance and regulation and has played a significant role in national reform in these areas, including co-authoring the National Protocols for Higher Education Approval Processes 2000.

Karen Chalmers

Karen Chalmers is Manager of Policy and International with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Karen has a strong background in education, having taught in several New Zealand secondary schools for 17 years, latterly as Deputy Principal and Acting Principal of an integrated school.

Karen has also been involved in early childhood education in the Playcentre Association and has served on the Board of Trustees of an area school as a parent representative. Three years ago she was appointed Manager of the International Unit of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Karen holds a Masters of Educational Administration and is currently working towards a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management.