Keynotes 2010
The Honourable John Mickel MP
The Honourable John Mickel MP is the Government’s nominee for Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the 53rd Queensland Parliament.
He was formerly Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations from September 2007 to March 2009 and Minister for State Development, Employment and Industrial Relations from September 2006 to September 2007.
Mr Mickel was elevated to the Cabinet as Minister for Environment in February 2004 and appointed Minister for Energy in August 2004. He gained the additional portfolio of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy in March 2005.
Mr Mickel entered the Queensland Parliament in June 1998 as the Member for Logan and has been returned on four occasions.
Mr Mickel is married with three children. Before entering the Queensland Parliament he worked as a Senior Policy Advisor at a State and Federal level. He has formerly been a university lecturer, tutor and teacher.
He holds a Masters Degree in Literary Studies as well as Degrees in Arts and Education.
Professor Mike Daube, Public Health Association of Australia
Professor Daube is Professor of Health Policy at Curtin University and Director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute of WA. He was previously Director General of Health for Western Australia and Chair of the National Public Health Partnership.
He is currently Deputy Chair of the National Preventative Health Taskforce, President of the Public Health Association of Australia, President of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, President of the WA Heart Foundation, Chair of the WA Alcohol and Drug Authority, and is on various other committees and editorial boards. He has been a consultant on public health issues for many international health agencies and governments.
Councillor Krista Adams
The Wishart Ward comprises of the suburbs of Wishart, parts of Eight Mile Plains, Mansfield, Upper Mt Gravatt, Mt Gravatt and Mt Gravatt East.
Krista Adams was elected as Councillor for the Ward of Wishart in 2008 as part of Lord Mayor Campbell Newman’s team. The married mother of two and former Health and Physical Education Teacher, is the daughter of popular long-serving Councillor, Gail Chiconi, who served the local area for 12 years.
Krista grew up and spent the majority of her life in the Wishart ward. She attended St Catherine’s School at Wishart and later Loreto College, Coorparoo. Her children are also currently schooled in the area. Before entering Council, Krista was proactively involved in the community through the Mt Gravatt Show Society, local Suburban Centre Improvement Schemes, P and C activities and local charities. Now as the local Councillor, Krista can use her local knowledge to the benefit of all in the community.
Following the election, Krista was appointed Deputy Chair of the Neighbourhood Planning and Development Assessment Committee, and more recently, Deputy Chair of Council. She is also appointed to the Environment, Parks and Sustainability Committee and Infrastructure Committee.
Director-General John Bradley, Department of Environment & Resource Management
John Bradley is the Director-General of the Department of Environment and Resource Management, which is responsible for conserving and managing the state's natural environment. The department's key role is planning, allocating and managing Queensland's natural resources in a way that supports economic growth and maintains our natural heritage for today and tomorrow.
John is experienced in the reform of government utilities, competition reform and economic regulation. Before joining the Department of Environment and Resource Management, he was the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Water Commission, which managed the drought response and streamlined the provision of urban water supply arrangements across South East Queensland. John also oversaw the development of a long-term 50-year water supply strategy, and the policy framework for the introduction of purified recycled water into the region's drinking supplies.
Formerly an executive director in the Queensland Government's Office of the Coordinator General, John was involved in preparing the state's retail electricity businesses for sale.
As Executive Director of the Western Australian Government's Electricity Reform Implementation Unit, he oversaw the restructure of that state's electricity industry, the introduction of new regulatory arrangements and competition reforms.
Before his work in Western Australia, John held senior roles in the Queensland Energy and Treasury portfolios. In the Office of Energy, he was responsible for Gas and Strategic Projects, which included procurement of the $500 million Townsville Power and Gas Delivery Project.
While in the Treasury portfolio, John worked on competition policy in the water sector, the incorporation of the South East Queensland Water Company and the corporatisation of Sunwate.
Ms Caroline Stalker, Architectus
Caroline is an architect/urban designer and a Director of Architectus' Brisbane office. Throughout her career Caroline has sustained a deep involvement with all aspects of urban place-making and urban sustainability. In over twenty years in practice her project work has spanned the design of new towns, city centres, public spaces, public buildings and mixed density residential buildings.
Her design work pursues unique solutions that emerge from the special characteristics of places and communities and has attracted both Australian Institute Awards and Planning Institute of Australia awards. Her professional advocacy promotes the understanding of the strategic value of considered holistic design in making our cities healthier, more sustainable, and in facing the challenges of Climate Change. Caroline is a member of The Board of Urban Places, which advises the Queensland State Government on design projects of State significance.
Mr Gilbert Rochecouste, Village Well
Gilbert is recognised both nationally and internationally as a leading voice in sustainable communities and businesses. He is a sought after speaker, motivator and facilitator, recognised for his innovative thinking and catalyst ideas that have regenerated iconic places.
Gilbert has worked with hundreds of mainstreets and businesses over the last 17 years in creating innovative outcomes for both urban and rural communities. He is one of the world’s leading Place Making practitioners and passionately promotes the new story of living, playing, working and shopping within a sustainable framework. He sees Place Making as the 'new environmentalism' where people can make a difference both locally and globally through their reconnection to place.
Mr Mike Ritchie, National Vice President, Waste Management Association of Australia
Mike is currently the Director of Mike Ritchie and Associates, his own consulting company which works in the areas of carbon, sustainability, and business development.
He was until recently National General Manager, Marketing for SITA and has held previous roles of GM at Waste Service NSW and manager of VISY’s NSW kerbside and glass businesses.
Mike was an adviser to the Lord Mayor of Brisbane and a Director of Liverpool City Council.
He holds a first class Honours Degree in Science, a Masters Degree and an MBA.
He is National Vice President of the Waste Management Association of Australia, recent past President of the NSW Branch and recent past Chairman of the Carbon Committee of the Association.
Mike was also recently appointed an Acting Commissioner of the Land and Environment Court of NSW.
His abiding interest is working with governments and businesses to achieve improved sustainability, in a manner which is economically rational and effective.
Kerry Doss, Manager City Planning, City Planning and Sustainability Division, Brisbane City Council
Kerry Doss is Brisbane City Council’s Manager of City Planning. As Brisbane’s city planner he is responsible for the growth of an urban area of almost 1,300km2 and a population of over 1,000,000.
He has over 22 years experience in town, environmental and infrastructure planning and urban management in Queensland and New South Wales. He holds qualifications in coastal management, urban and regional planning and business management. He is also a former Vice President of the QLD Division of the Planning Institute of Australia and an active Divisional Committee member.
He has worked on regional planning projects for the Queensland State Government, as a local government planner and as a consultant to all levels of government and private industry. Kerry’s experience covers the full range of planning activities — project management, research, policy, strategy, local area planning, statutory planning, master planning, feasibility and development application lodgment and assessment.
In his current role he is responsible for:
• Managing the business of City Planning Branch, the largest local government planning group in Australia
• Overseeing the development of policy and implementation of works in the following areas:
o Urban Renewal
o Neighbourhood planning
o Heritage
o Urban design
o Regional Planning
o Strategic planning
o Infrastructure Coordination and Planning
Prior to his current role Kerry was Brisbane’s Principal Program officer Infrastructure Coordination and Financing and was responsible for developing and implementing Council’s infrastructure charging system.
In his private life Kerry is married with four children and is actively involved in his community through school and sporting connections. He is also a keen cyclist.
Councillor Bob La Castra
Bob La Castra has achieved the highest success and recognition in the television industry, both as an 'on-air' personality and writer, at a national and international level.
In 1985, after just five months on air with Australia's longest running children's show, 'WOMBAT', Bob was acknowledged by the Television Society of Australia with the PENGUIN AWARD for 'BEST CHILDREN'S TV PERSONALITY'. Today, he is arguably one of the best-known faces in Australia.
After more than four years with 'WOMBAT', Bob became the first British actor to star in the hit soapie, 'NEIGHBOURS'. He accepted the plum role of Eddie Buckingham, spending almost a year as a regular cast member.
Bob's latest international credit is as writer of the pre-school success, 'BANANAS IN PYJAMAS', which has sold to over thirty countries. Bob wrote many of the early episodes and played a major role in developing the personalities of the characters. Subsequently, his 'BANANA'S BIRTHDAY SPECIAL' video, has become the highest selling children's video ever in Australia. Bob also starred in the ABC's prime time series 'HOLIDAY' and hosted 80 episodes of his own game show 'THE BIG SQUARE EYE'. In 1987 he won a Media Peace Prize for the song he wrote for UNICEF 'CHANGE THE FUTURE'.
Change and Future was exactly what Bob did, when in March 1997 he was elected as Councillor for Division 8 in the Gold Coast City Council. Politics was always on Bob's agenda and he is now looking forward to what promises to be a long and exciting career in the political arena.
After just one year in Council, Bob was elected to the position of Chairman of Community & Cultural Development, which oversees all sporting and community groups, parks and health.
In addition to the above Bob is also the Chair of the Events Advisory Committee.
