This panel is presented in proud partnership with Health Workforce Australia.
Selwyn Button
Selwyn Button is the CEO of the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council. Prior to his time with QAIHC, Selwyn was Director, Indigenous Health Policy Branch within Queensland Health. Selwyn also has worked in a variety of government policy development roles within the Department of Education and Training. He is a qualified teacher who has also served as a Police Officer with the Queensland Police Service for approximately 6 years. His main priority is the achievement of an empowered and sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Sector in Queensland.
Sabina Knight
Professor Sabina Knight was recently appointed Director of the Mt Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health at James Cook University – one of a national network of federally funded University Departments of Rural Health from an extensive background in remote and Indigenous primary health care public health and education. A recognised leader in nursing, rural and remote health and education, she came to MICRRH from the Centre for Remote Health in Alice Springs.
Robyn McDermott
Professor Robyn McDermott is the Foundation Director of the State-wide Data Linkage Unit, SA/NT Datalink, and a Professor of Public Health in the Sansom Institute for Health Research. Robyn joined UniSA in August 2004 as Pro Vice Chancellor and Vice President in the Division of Health Sciences and held this role for five years before taking up her current appointment in September 2009.
Robyn has worked as a primary care clinician in many rural areas across Australia as well as managing refugee health care and public health programs from 1988 to 1992 in China, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. She has worked with Indigenous communities in central and northern Australia to understand the causes and consequences of rapid changes in living conditions and nutrition on health status, and how to intervene to improve health outcomes.
Norman Swan
Host of the Health Report, on ABC Radio National, Dr Norman Swan has won numerous awards for his journalism and broadcasting, including three Walkley Awards, one of which was Australia’s most prestigious award for journalism, the Gold Walkley. He has also won Australia’s leading award for science journalism, the Michael Daly Award twice. Norman originally trained in medicine and paediatrics in Scotland, London and Sydney and in addition to the Health Report, he presents “Health Minutes” on ABC NewsRadio each week and edits his own newsletter, The Choice Health Reader.
Facilitator: Stephen Ayre
Dr Stephen Ayre is the Executive Director Medical Services at The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane. Previously, Stephen was the CEO at Launceston General Hospital and prior that appointment was the Deputy Executive Director Medical Services at Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital.
