Susana is Senior Director at the International Longevity Centre Singapore, an Initiative of Tsao Foundation. She is also Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at College of Nursing &Health Sciences at Flinders University.

Her policy and research interests are ageing and gender and its intersectionality, caregiving, financial security, community resilience, active and successful ageing, long term care, empowerment, and community development.

Susana graduated Cum Laude from the University of Santo Tomas (Manila, Philippines) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and holds master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at National University of Singapore.  

She is also the Honorary Secretary of the Board of Directors at Centre for Seniors, a non-profit, Social Service Agency that is dedicated to helping seniors to remain meaningfully engage in work and in life, as well as Honorary Secretary of the Gerontological Society of Singapore..

James Vickers is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Tasmania and Director of the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre. The Wicking Centre has core research themes on the Cause, Care and Prevention of dementia, and offers an under graduate and postgraduate degree programs in dementia as well as two free massive open online courses (MOOCs) on ‘Understanding Dementia and ‘Preventing Dementia’.

James is a neuroscientist and has research interests in Alzheimer’s disease, neuron injury, brain plasticity and dementia risk reduction. He is a Past-President of the Australasian Neuroscience Society and is a Board Member of the Dementia Australia Research Foundation...

When the Reverend James Colville AM opened the doors of Colony 47 in 1973, Hobart was a very different place. There were no gay rights, access to contraception was difficult and people were rejected for being different. After renting an old church at 47 Davey Street, Hobart, a coffee shop was opened where everyone was welcome and help provided when requested. This included many young people, older people, Indigenous Australians, the lonely, hungry and unemployed. James believed those struggling with rejection had a lot to give with the right support – they just needed non-judgemental assistance, acceptance and respect.  

Fifty years on, not for profit Colony 47 continues to deliver programs for Tasmanians in need, with a particular focus on housing. It's helped more than 50,000 households with bond or rental assistance, more than 7000 young people with early intervention support, and more than 17,500 young people with education and employment.  

Rev Colville was recently awarded 2024 Tasmania Senior Australia of the Year.

Professor Kathy Eagar is Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Past Director of Australian Health Services Research Institute, University of Wollongong.

Professor Eagar has undertaken extensive work in the aged care system over the last two decades. She led the design of the new Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) and funding model for residential aged care and undertook research commissioned by the Aged Care Royal Commission into the adequacy of residential aged care staffing

Leon is the inaugural Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Western Australia since 1998. He is Director of the Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing. He led the reorganization of undergraduate and postgraduate education in geriatric medicine in Western Australia. He remains a practicing geriatrician and is a consultant geriatrician at Royal Perth Hospital.

Leon’s research activities have focused on the major health issues of older people, including falls, depression, cognitive impairment and dementia. He has performed and reported many studies about frailty and successful ageing. Leon has published 16 book chapters and 520 peer-reviewed articles. He has been Chair of the Asia Pacific Geriatric Network for the last 18 years. In 2017 he was honored to receive an Officer of the Order of Australia for his contributions to geriatric medicine and dementia prevention and care. He is the current Co-Chief Editor of the journal Maturitas..

Saul Eslake worked as an economist in the Australian financial markets for more than 25 years, including as Chief Economist at McIntosh Securities (a stockbroking firm) in the late 1980s, Chief Economist (International) at National Mutual Funds Management in the early 1990s, as Chief Economist at the Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) from 1995 to 2009, and as Chief Economist (Australia & New Zealand) for Bank of America Merrill Lynch from 2011 until June 2015. In between these last two positions he was Director of the Productivity Growth program at the then newly-established Grattan Institute, a ‘think tank’. In July 2015 Saul started up his own economics consultancy business, operating out of Hobart, and in April 2016 took up a part-time position as a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Tasmania. He is currently undertaking an Independent Review of Tasmania’s Public Sector Finances.

Saul is a member of the Australian Parliamentary Budget Office’s Advisory Panel; the Australian Taxation Office’s ‘Tax Gap’ Advisory Panel; and is on the Advisory Board of Jamieson Coote Bonds, a Melbourne-based specialist bond investment manager.

Saul has a first class honours degree in Economics from the University of Tasmania, and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia. In December 2012 he was awarded an Honorary LLD degree by the University of Tasmania. He has also completed the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business in New York.

Professor Dawn Bessarab is the Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health at University of Western Australia and principle investigator on the Good Spirit Good Life Centre for Research Excellence in Indigenous Ageing. Professor Bessarab is a proud Bard/ Yindijibarndi woman with a social work background. She is a highly regarded and sought-after leader in Indigenous methodologies and participatory action research. Professor Bessarab developed the framework on clinical yarning as an Indigenous conversation which is now widely applied across the Australian and International communities.

She has championed Indigenous and non- Indigenous researchers to build their capacity to deliver high impact research. CI Bessarab is the current principal lead for the Good Spirit Good Life Centre for Excellence (CRE) in Indigenous wellbeing and Ageing and CIB on a CRE on Indigenous brain health and dementia.

Shirley is the current President of Post Polio VIctoria (PPV). She is also active in the community as a consumer advocate for Breast Screen Victoria and Monash Health. She is passionate about Elder Rights and has participated in many roundtables of Aged Care Forums

At the very young age of 14 months I contracted poliomyelitis , and as a consequence had to spend  many months at the Royal Children’s Hospital followed by attending  Yooralla school for the disabled. I entered mainstream schooling at the age of 7.  When I was 14 years I had my first of many operations on my polio leg.  It was adaunting experience and remember being asked as I was being wheeled down to theatre “are you having your tonsils out?” I believe that was my ‘light bulb moment’: I needed to speak up for myself. This principle I have lived by all of my life, not only for myself,  but for others without even realising that this would become so important - sharing my experiences might help others overcome their concern sand be the voice for people with a disability.

On 23rd June 2018 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours listing I was honoured to be awarded the Order of Australia (OAM) for my services to the community (National Council of Jewish Women of Australia and Polio community).

As First Assistant Secretary, Market and Workforce Division – Ageing and Aged Care Group within the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, Emily oversees a variety of policy and program areas including those related to dementia, workforce, market intelligence and monitoring, diversity and First Nations Aged Care.    Emily joined the Market and Workforce Division in July 2024, having previously held Senior Executive positions within the Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Division, the Office of Health Protection and Response and as Chief Budget Officer within the Department.  

Emily started her career as a nurse, working clinically for several years before undertaking various Senior Executive roles within State Government and in the private sector prior to joining the Australian Public Service.  Emily has tertiary qualifications in nursing, forensic science, epidemiology and public health.