Hon Roger Cook MLA is the Premier of Western Australia. With oversight of the key portfolios of State and Industry Development, Jobs and Trade; Public Sector Management; and Federal-State Relations, Roger has been a member of the Legislative Assembly since 2008, representing the seat of Kwinana.

Prior to entering politics Roger studied Arts and Public Administration at Murdoch University before completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration at Curtin University. He was active in campus politics and established the National Union of Students as its first National President.

After completing his studies Roger worked for a number of Federal and State Members of Parliament including Jim McGinty, Stephen Smith and Senator Chris Evans in policy and electorate officer roles.

Roger is passionate about Aboriginal issues and served as the Chief Executive Officer of a number of Aboriginal Land Councils, along with a communications role assisting industry and government to reach agreement with Aboriginal Native Title groups. He was previously the National President of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation.

Roger is a strong advocate for health and fitness, competing in regular triathlons, marathons and rides for muscular dystrophy along with the walk for diabetes. He is an avid supporter of the Western Force and Fremantle Dockers.

Roger Cook was born and raised in Western Australia. He lives with his wife Carly in Wellard, and has two adult children.

Sabine was first elected to Parliament in 2017, as the Member for Wanneroo. During the 40th Parliament, she was a member of the Education and Health Standing Committee and served as Acting Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

Sabine was re-elected in 2021 and appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier; Treasurer; Minister for Public Sector Management; Federal-State Relations. As part of this role, she was the Chair of the Steering Committee for the Aboriginal Cultural Centre project.

In December 2021, she was additionally made the Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier; Minister for State Development; Jobs and Trade; Tourism; Science; Commerce.

In December 2022, Sabine was elevated to Cabinet as the Minister for Early Childhood Education; Child Protection; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services.

Prior to entering politics, Sabine was a teacher for 27 years and taught in various locations across Western Australia including Fitzroy Crossing and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. More recently, Sabine held the position of Primary Extension and Challenge Coordinator (PEAC) with the Department of Education from 2005-2017, where she also achieved the status of Level 3 classroom teacher.

Sabine attended Wanneroo High School and remains a long-time Wanneroo local, where she raised her three daughters.

Sue is currently Leader in the Legislative Council(link is external) in the Parliament of WA and is the Minister for Finance; Commerce; Women's Interests. She is the first woman to lead the Government in the Legislative Council.

Raised primarily in Perth, Sue has been a member of the WA Parliament since 2001 representing the South Metropolitan region in the Legislative Council(link is external).

Prior to Parliament Sue was in advocacy in the community sector and for 12 years as an advocate for low paid workers in the union movement.

Sue was a Minister in the last Labor government holding the portfolios of Child Protection, Communities, Seniors and Volunteering and Women. She was Minister for Education and Training in the current Labor government from 2017-2022.

As a Whadjuk/Ballardong Elder performing Welcome To Country, Ms Freda Ogilvie has also taken part in national forums on early childhood education, and contributed to Aboriginal early childhood programs in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

As a Welcome to Country speaker, Ms Freda Ogilvie plays a vital role in ceremonies and events, formally acknowledging the traditional custodians of this land. A tireless advocate for Indigenous rights and social justice, Freda is actively involved in initiatives that empower Indigenous communities, promote cultural diversity, and challenge the prevailing stereotypes and prejudices. Freda’s work is instrumental in bridging the gap and creating a more inclusive and equitable society for all Australians. Driven by her strong interest in political agendas, education and the strategic plan for Western Australian Public Schools, Ms Freda Ogilvie has been involved in educating and developing strategies and programs for students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. As a retired teacher, Freda has worked in policy development to enhance early childhood education and care within the Aboriginal community.

David Locke commenced as Chief Ombudsman and CEO at the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) and Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) on 25 June 2018.

David was previously Assistant Commissioner Charity Services at the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).

Prior to the ACNC, David was the Executive Director of Charity Services at the Charity Commission of England and Wales, with responsibility for the strategic leadership and operational delivery of the Commission's one-to-one services to charities.

David has also worked as an adviser to several international governments on the regulation of non-government organisations.

David is a qualified lawyer in the UK, and he started his career in community legal centres where he spent over 10 years managing the delivery of services to the public. David has served as a Board member and volunteer of a number of charities and not-for-profits.

Michael Weston has worked in the mining industry within Western Australia for 20 years. Commodities such as Gold and Nickel made up 4 years of his experience with the past 16 years being devoted within the Iron Ore Production and Export industry located across the Pilbara Region.

Michael is well known within the Iron Ore Industry, is highly respected by his work colleagues and external clientele during his 16 years working with one of the Worlds Largest Mining and Metals Companies.

In 2012/2013, Michael was working as a Maintenance Superintendent in a highly demanding and stressful working environment. This role consumed much of Michael’s life which affected his work/life balance and unbeknownst to him life would take an unexpected turn.

Life changed for Michael and his family on the morning of 19th April 2013.

Michael was about to commute to work when he was found by his Neighbour unconscious and not breathing. Whilst Michael survived, he and his wife Donna had spent 2 years searching for a diagnosis and answers to why Michael cannot function as he had prior to the incident. Michael is now affected by; short term memory loss, impaired cognitive function, limited attention span, hypersensitivity to noise and bright light among other health and well-being impacts. In addition to these ailments, Michael was diagnosed with Anxiety, Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of how these ailments affected both his working and private life

As Doctors and Specialists began investigating further into Michael’s condition, an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) was diagnosed as a result of him experiencing a Syncope (fainting) and Hypoxic Anoxia (loss of oxygen to the brain).

A team of dedicated Doctors and Specialists are now assisting Michael with his recovery and rehabilitation.

Michael and his family have experienced a difficult journey and through this website and his lived experience Key Note, Peer Support Mentoring and Leadership Training, he hopes to share his experiences and learnings with others globally (including Employees, Leaders, Employers, Business Owners, Families) who may be working in a highly demanding and stressful workplace. Such people may have already experienced a similar health impact as a result of work related stress, experiencing Anxiety, Depression, PTSD or a family member impacted by such events.

Michael’s motivation in sharing his personal lived experience story and journey travelled so far is to provide HOPE to people who have had a similar experience or potentially prevent a similar incident as he has experienced.

HOPE – Hold On, Pain Ends…

Artificial Intelligence specialist and experienced technology leader with a history of leading consulting, product development and data science teams. More than 15 years of experience working in the technology space implementing and advocating for analytics, data science and artificial intelligence solutions.

Accomplished public speaker and advocate for uptake of AI and data science solutions in new sectors. Development of data science strategy and roadmaps for industry leaders. Works closely with customers to understand their business drivers and articulate the vision for technology solutions.

Proven track record of team building and continuous improvement initiatives within technology and consulting organisations. Working hard to increase the uptake, education, training and awareness of data science and artificial intelligence in Western Australia. A passionate advocate of collaborations between the education sector, government, and industry to encourage the next generation of data scientists.

Trish Blake is the Commissioner for Consumer Protection, and a passionate advocate for residential tenancies, scam prevention, human rights and product safety.
She is a regular guest on ABC Perth’s Drive program, 6PR’s Perth Live program and often features in Consumer Protection television interviews.
Trish has a law degree and is admitted to practice in Western Australia. She also has a degree with Honours in Social Work and a Post Graduate qualification in Public Policy and taught in the Murdoch University’s International Human Rights program for a number of years. This involved taking a cohort of university students from across Australia to Geneva where students get to see first-hand the United Nations and various other bodies in action and where they learn how human rights laws are made and how they are enforced. Prior to working for the Department, Trish spent many years working in Community Legal Centres in WA.

Andrea spent 28 years in uniform with The WA Police Service and during this time Andrea specialised in the areas of child protection and Family and Domestic Violence. Towards the later stage of her career Andrea was instrumental in developing the WA Police Protective Behaviours Unit. She spent 13 of her 30 years in regional and remote WA.

In 2011 Andrea was an inaugural inductee into the 2011 International Women’s Day Hall of Fame. Andrea was recognised for her undying passion and commitment to women and children and inducted as a leader and pioneer in the child protection industry in WA.
Andrea is a published author and coauthor of a number of child protection and FDV publications.
Andrea supports the DFV sector to enhance service responses to improve outcomes for victim-survivors of domestic and family violence. Andrea has had the opportunity to listen to victim-survivors of domestic and family violence speak about their experiences of abuse, its impact and their engagement with services. She has spoken with practitioners about their experiences of responding to victim-survivors, including the challenges and limitations. Andrea is experienced in facilitating workshops and has delivered training to a broad cross section of government and non government agencies throughout Australia.
She has recently resigned as the managing director of the Carnarvon Family Support Service where she oversaw the Financial Counselling Service for the Gascoyne region of WA. She is now the CEO of Child Focused Safety Services WA.

Eddie Buli is an Indigenous person of mixed heritages from a cane farm outside of Gordonvale, Far North Queensland. Eddie is the Business and Education Development Officer with the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network (ICAN), and developer/facilitator of the Yarnin’ Money financial literacy program. Eddie has a Bachelor of Applied Health Science (Indigenous Primary Health Care), a Diploma of Community Services (Financial Counselling), and has over 20 years’ experience working in non-government organizations and government departments involved with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Far North Queensland, Cape York Peninsula and the Torres Strait Islands. Eddie brings ICAN his extensive knowledge and experience, drawing upon relationships and partnerships that promote respect and understanding of regional issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Mariana has extensive research, evaluation and consultancy experience in developed and developing countries. She brings a holistic, trauma-informed perspective to her work shaped by her experience of working with different cultures and groups. Employing qualitative and quantitative research methods, Mariana is skilled at conducting evaluations focussing on vulnerability in various sectors including homelessness, unemployment, health and age care for clients across all levels of government, as well as the private and not-for-profit sectors. She is experienced at project design and management of multi-disciplinary teams across Australia.

Currently she is leading a developmental evaluation project for the Financial Counsellors’ Association of Western Australia which is developing a framework to support financial resilience in communities across WA to better prepare for and respond to disasters. Additionally, Mariana is working on various projects on disability and inclusion and art and wellbeing. An experienced communicator, Mariana teaches the Outcomes Measurement course delivered by CSI UWA.

She has a growing publication record in a variety of platforms including peer reviewed journals, book chapters and various academic and public forums. She has a PhD in Geography and Planning from the University of Western Australia, an MSc. (Distinction) in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics and a BA (Honours) in Geography from University College London. Mariana is a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.

Jack focuses on litigating total and permanent disablement and income protection matters. He also acts on behalf of clients in financial advice disputes as well as a in general insurance matters.

“I find it extremely rewarding to help my clients navigate what is often a stressful and challenging time in their lives.”

Jack understands the need for prompt action and painstaking attention to detail and is determined to achieve the best for his clients in every situation. He enjoys a challenge at work and is highly motivated to achieve a fair outcome for his clients.

Hayriye was admitted to practice in 2010 working in Workers’ Compensation and pursuing common law and statutory benefits for her clients.

Hayriye commenced working for Maurice Blackburn in 2011 and has practiced solely in superannuation and insurance since 2012.

Hayriye is passionate about keeping insurers and trustees accountable, especially where they illustrate poor conduct and operate in a manner contrary to the interests of her clients.
Hayriye is sensitive to the devastating financial and emotional impact that rejected and drawn-out claims have on her clients and is driven to mitigate this impact by holding insurers and trustees to account.

Hayriye understands that superannuation and insurance is a difficult area to navigate and at first glance the entitlements a person may have and the obstacles they may face in pursuing a claim are unclear. Her passion is in creating better understanding about the pitfalls that exist within TPD and other insurance policies to improve the landscape for claimants, thereby making outcomes fairer and more generous for her clients.

Colleen Crowley, a financial counsellor for nearly 18 years, is passionate about consumer rights and advocacy. Colleen is currently working out of the Cockburn Integrated Health facility Success; contributes to the profession of Financial Counselling through supervision to five financial counsellors; two years on FCAWA’s Executive Committee; winner of the Synergy Excellence Award in 2013 and 2017; Cockburn Employee of the year in 2013, with a Cockburn Family Services Team award in 2014.

Laura is a Case Worker at CCLS. She started in the Financial Abuse Legal Service in CCLS in August. Laura has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Applied Social Studies in Social Care from Ireland. She has 15 years of post-qualification experience working in Social Services run by the government and the not-for-profit sector, 9 of which were in Western Australia.

Kerry is a strong believer in collaborating with not-for-profits, governments and corporates to enable a broader holistic support for Australians to access safe and affordable microfinance options and financial wellbeing education and programs. Together, organisations can collectively activate resources, influence and expertise to make profound impact.
Kerry works with the WA NILs Network to strengthen access points for community to engage with the No Interest Loans (NILs) program, and is currently involved in an exciting innovative project to increase access to whitegoods for people in remote communities in NT, which has the potential to grow to other states.

Sue is committed to the principles of social justice, access and equity. Her work focuses on early intervention, prevention and support programs for consumers with sustainable outcomes.

Sue lead Kildonan UnitingCare's Enterprise Partnerships team consulting to the banking, debt collection, utilities and telecommunications sectors, enabling positive financial outcomes for consumers and business alike.

A highly sought after and outspoken public speaker in the area of consumer vulnerability, Sue frequently travels across Australia and overseas advocating for people in financial hardship.

The bigger the challenge, the more likely you are to find Elissa at the table working to find a solution. Elissa brings extensive experience in consumer policy and market regulation in the energy, water, telecommunications and financial services industries. Elissa knows how to meet stakeholder needs and design strategies that deliver on organisation purpose.

Peter has been working with FCA since 2020, leading the financial counselling sector’s response to disasters. He has been part of the sector for many years, including time as the Executive Officer at Financial Counselling Victoria.

Peter has also been involved with Knowmore Legal Service on the National Redress Scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. Peter also undertook project roles with the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network, YFS Logan City and Anglicare East Arnhem.

Peter was a director of the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV) and former Independent Chair of the Consumer Advisory Panel at Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). He shares Leadership of FCA with co-CEO DR Domenique Meyrick.

Colin Harte is the Practice Consultant for Financial Inclusion at Anglicare WA, leading Best Practice for programs in that stream with a particular focus on Financial Counselling. Colin is a former Chair of FCVic, a former FCA Rep Council member, a former Agency Manager, a former Training Consultant with FCAWA and has extensive experience delivering Financial Counselling as part of a team and as a stand alone worker, as well as experience delivering telephone financial counselling. Colin is currently studying a Masters of Social Work as well as Psychotherapy and has a penchant for theory in practice.

Trish Hill Wall is an Aboriginal woman from the Southwest of Western Australia and belongs to the Wadandi, Bibbulmun and Minang bloodline on her father’s side and Ballardong, Wilmen and Whudjuk on her mother’s side (Calgaret).

Trish holds a Bachelor Applied Science with a major in Mental Health and Counselling, a VC Award (Curtin) University, a Graduate Diploma in Education and is a Nationally Accredited Trainer and Assessor.

Trish has been an educator for over 20 years, including positions as senior lecturer, courses coordinator mental health, Acting Dean Centre for Aboriginal Studies, and senior educator at Marr Mooditj Aboriginal Health College.



Her experience includes lecturing at Curtin and Notre Dame Universities and extends from teaching undergraduates to master students in psychology, nursing and midwifery, medical schools, and arts and science.

Kate is an advocate for effective system responses to increase adult and child victim-survivor safety and the visibility of perpetrator behaviour patterns as the cause of harm. Kate has 30 years’ experience working across Australia and New Zealand, with almost 20 years in Western Australia focused on family and domestic violence leadership, workforce development and quality service delivery. Kate has worked across both family and domestic violence peak bodies in WA, government services and specialist family and domestic violence services for men, women, children and young people. She has held several chairperson positions across FDV, Family Law and Mental Health sectors, and is the current chair for the WA Men’s Behaviour Change Network. Kate is a registered psychologist, AHPRA Board-approved supervisor and an accredited Safe and Together trainer.

Banking professional with a passion for social inclusion and community.

Experience in corporate, international development and not for profit organisations: NAB, UNDP, FINCA Microfinance Bank, Council to Homeless Persons; on projects in Australia, Tanzania, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.

Fields: customer vulnerability, Indigenous customer service, working with Financial Counsellors, financial difficulty/hardship assistance, financial inclusion, microfinance, community finance, financial education and banking.

Skills: leadership, program management, project and change implementation, stakeholder management, policy analysis, communications, social research and impact, training, recruitment, and customer service and support.

Liezel is a cyber security professional with a Master’s degree in cyber security from Edith Cowan University and an MBA completed in 2015. She has years of customer experience working with clients across the aviation and higher education sectors. Passionate about education and awareness, she is dedicated to promoting the best practices for navigating the digital world safely. Liezel believes that everyone, regardless of their technical background, should understand the importance of cyber security. Liezel’s commitment to fostering a safer digital environment drives her to stay informed about the ever-evolving cyber security landscape. Outside of work, Liezel enjoys sharing her knowledge with seniors and youth-aged individuals from her church; Liezel also enjoys gardening, beach days and spending time with her two daughters’ who firmly believe her role is as a superhero, which includes finding and fighting cyber criminals.

I have over 20 years of leadership experience in banking and financial services. During this time I passionately sought opportunities that enabled me to directly and positively impact the experience of customers. My roles have included leadership of large contact centres, administrative functions including complaints management and transformational change initiatives. Through this extensive experience, I have a developed insight into need for banking and financial services organisations to to focus on the experience of their customers and also the outcomes they provide to them.

Edward Tawil is the Lead at ANZ’s Centre of Excellence, that includes the Financial Counselling Enquiries team, family violence and other vulnerable Customers. The team works with all ANZ products including small business and asset finance (previously ESANDA). Ed has a finance background studying history and commerce for 6 years and has worked in environmental science.

Ed has over 20 years experience working at ANZ across different departments. Ed worked across customer service and sales teams, vendor management and assisted start up the first mortgages hardship team at ANZ. Ed has managed the Financial Counselling Enquiries team since its inception and regularly communicates with Financial Counsellors in order to deliver improved outcomes both to customers and their representatives, Financial Counsellors. What am I passionate about? Reminding myself and others that the most important thing we need to remember is that we are dealing with people, families and communities and we all have a role to play.

Previously James worked at Lotterywest and Healthway where he was involved in reviewing many grant applications made by Men’s Sheds throughout the state. He also worked on creating a new approach to grant-making and led the organisations’ Social Impact function.

James has many years of experience in strategic, senior partnership, governance and stakeholder engagement roles. He has led teams in local and state government across grant-making, place and partnership management and in the provision of business advice and training. Throughout this time he also been the director of a private sector organisation in the UK, dedicated to improving people’s lives through mental health and wellbeing support.

James moved to WA in 2011 with his wife and two young kids. Living in the northern suburbs he is an active member of his local community through the school and local surf, tennis, netball, basketball and art clubs.

When he’s not working you can find James in his studio where he is a practicing artist.

is a Community Engagement Facilitator at Mission Australia. Rochelle is passionately committed to enhancing the person-centred experience. She firmly believes that working collaboratively with the community and relevant stakeholders can create an environment where individuals are empowered to lead independent, fulfilling lives. By fostering meaningful partnerships and leveraging insights from lived experiences and co-design practices, Rochelle works to break down barriers, ensure accessibility, and promote dignity for all.

is a dedicated Community Engagement Facilitator at Mission Australia with over a decade of experience in disability services. Anthony has actively participated in numerous state and national conferences, focusing on enhancing community inclusion. His passion for volunteering, workforce development and commitment to supporting community members in accessing a wide range of services underscores his dedication to building inclusive communities.

Carolyn Lidgerwood was appointed to the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) as a full-time Authority Member in September 2023. Carolyn is the Authority Lead for Gambling, and also the Authority Lead for Compliance and Enforcement. The ACMA investigates companies who break the rules for online gambling services (including providing or advertising illegal online gambling services), and is responsible for BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register™.

Carolyn joined the ACMA after working as a regulatory lawyer with leading global and Australian organisations for more than 30 years. Carolyn’s pre-ACMA roles include Head of Privacy at Rio Tinto and also General Counsel and Company Secretary at Southern Cross Media, and Special Counsel at Gilbert + Tobin Lawyers.

Carolyn holds honours degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Melbourne. Carolyn grew up on a wheat, sheep and clover farm at Tungamah in north-east Victoria, Australia.

Suzanne Long is an Accredited Financial Counsellor and Manager for the St Vincent De Paul Society Western Australia. Working in community development for the last 15 years, she strives to provide a holistic approach grounded in principles of empowerment, human rights, inclusion, social justice, self-determination and collective action.

Laura has worked at Credit Corp for 17 years, initially joining as Dispute Resolution Manager before moving to her current role of Customer Experience Manager in 2011, although the plan then was that it would only be for 2 years.

Over 10 years later she’s still there and continues to enjoy the opportunities that working with the financial counselling community provides – visiting FC agencies to understand the challenges they face, listening to the current issues in the FC community, assessing what Credit Corp can do to ease those issues and challenges, dealing with what’s known as ‘the tricky stuff’ and most importantly, attending financial counselling conferences.

Prior to Credit Corp (which seems a lifetime ago), Laura worked in the UK for a major credit card provider with a variety of roles including disputes, business improvement and contact centre management.

Georgia is a solicitor at CCLS. She started as a volunteer in October 2017 and then completed her Practical Legal Training in 2018. Georgia was admitted to the Supreme Court of Western Australia in December 2018 and has been a solicitor at CCLS ever since.
Georgia attended the University of Western Australia and has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and Juris Doctor.

Married an Aussie, permanent resident, moved here June 2023
Certified Financial/Credit Counsellor in the US
Enrolled in TAFE Financial Counselling diploma in August 2024
Been in non-profits 26 years in various capacities
Full-time volunteer for 2 years
Fundraising/Community Development/Director roles/Volunteer Management
15 years in Community Education, specifically with Financial Education

Justine comes from a banking background and has been involved with financial counselling in a variety of work and governance roles across the sector for the past 13 years. She currently works for South Metro Tafe training and assessing students that are completing their financial counselling diploma. She has a strong commitment to ensuring those she teaches, works and collaborates with, understand and practice the values of good quality, ethical and strengths-based service provision.

Morwenna started in this industry as a Volunteer with Anglicare when FC Sandie Groves was transitioning to retirement in 2019 and was completely thrown in the deep end with clients from day one! She has loved the job ever since and brings with her a knowledge of finance from being a Financial Adviser previously.

Ciara is the Chief Executive Officer Thriving Communities Australia, with over 15 years’ experience working across government, corporate and the community sector addressing issues around hardship and vulnerability. Her experience, extensive network and vision for a better future for people experiencing vulnerability has catalysed Thriving Communities Australia. At Yarra Valley Water, Ciara developed pioneering approaches to customer support that have led to several ground-breaking programs and partnerships. She has also driven new organisational capability and capacity to respond to issues such as family violence, diverse language groups and other factors of vulnerability. She is a sought-after speaker, presenter and champion for responsible and sustainable approaches to address the drivers of vulnerability and hardship.

Sue Whitaker joined AFSA in September 2023 and is Acting National Manager, Office of the Official Receiver, based in our Brisbane office.

Sue has worked in various senior roles across the Australian Public Service, working across workers compensation, telecommunications interception, surveillance and model litigant laws. Sue’s roles have involved the management of litigation and the development of legal frameworks and oversight mechanisms both domestically and internationally to support transparency in the use of powers.

Sue holds a Diploma in Law and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice and is admitted as a legal practitioner.