Some of the witnesses in our scheduled public hearings have also provided written submissions to support their statements. These will be available to download below after the hearings.
Session 1
The United Workers Union (UWU) is a union with 150,000 workers across the country from more than 45 industries and all walks of life, standing together to make a difference. Their work reaches millions of people every single day of their lives.
Early childhood educator members are shaping the future of the nation one child at a time.
Session 2
As the founding CEO of the Front Project, Jane and the team are creating systemic change in early learning in Australia, with the goal to improve developmental outcomes for all children, especially those experiencing disadvantage.
This work combines her passion for children’s education, health and development and her commitment to empowering leaders to make change for the better.
In Australia, Jane’s work to strengthen businesses and communities has been recognised through the Victorian Telstra Business Women's Award and the Melbourne Business 3000 Award for Community Innovation.
Session 3
Dr Jane Lomax-Smith is Lord Mayor of the City of Adelaide and a doctor with a career in research and clinical pathology. She also serves as the Chair of the Teachers Registration Board and the Don Dunstan Foundation.
After training in clinical pathology, she worked in Boston, London and Adelaide running hospital departments, private practices, as well as managing her own clinic.
Jane has also reviewed Higher Education Base Funding for the Federal Government, development a road map for the regional town of Leigh Creek post-coal mining and acted as director of the Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus), the only international affiliate of London’s Royal Institution (GB), operating as a centre of national science outreach.
Session 4
Susie is the Program Director of the undergraduate Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Honours) program and the post-graduate Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) program at UniSA.
Susie has over twenty years' experience in leadership and teaching in the preschool and schooling sectors in South Australia. Her PhD research examined the teacher self-efficacy beliefs of early years teachers in South Australia utilising a qualitative multiple case study design.
Susie's research has significantly informed her work in supporting preservice teachers transition to graduate teachers by engaging with democratic pedagogies to co-design supportive learning frameworks in initial teacher education programs.
Professor Anne-Marie Morgan is Dean of Programs, Education Futures at UniSA. She is responsible for oversight of all Education programs including initial teacher education (ITE) programs for Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary levels, and in-service and postgraduate Education programs (and beyond) at the University.
Anne-Marie is also a member of five teacher professional associations, including as Vice President (and formerly President) of the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations, and remains an advocate for teacher professional associations, at prior-to-school, school and tertiary levels.
She has contributed to enhancing the work of teachers over many years of professional and academic service, as well as being an active researcher, as an investigator on many national projects.
Professor Pablo Munguia is Dean of Education for the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University.
Pablo currently focuses on education quality, curriculum design, authentic assessment and connecting pedagogy to industry.
At Flinders University, Pablo is leading transformation of Education courses in their alignment to current needs, from birth to year 12. This work ensures contemporary skills are being adopted in classrooms and translated into practice through pre-service teachers and engagement with schools.
Professor Deborah West is the Vice-President and Executive Dean of the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University.
Deborah contributes to Flinders University’s organisational positioning and direction, focusing on the academic and administrative leadership and management of the Education, Psychology and Social Work disciplines.
She joined Flinders University as Pro Vice Chancellor (Learning and Teaching Innovation) with a wide range of responsibilities including oversight of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching. Deborah also held the position of Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor (Students) in 2021.
Session 5
Susan is an early childhood professional with diverse work experience across a range of education contexts. She has experience teaching in prior to school and school settings, and has held senior leadership roles in education policy, tertiary education and direct service provision.
She is currently Head of the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education within the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice at QUT.
Susan’s expertise in public policy is widely recognised, and she continues to play an active role, working with government and sector colleagues, to support informed policy decision making.
Her research interests stem from her work experience and include: education policy and quality standards; educational leadership; the early childhood education workforce; curriculum and pedagogy; and effective approaches to ongoing professional learning.
