Policy Forum

Peter led the Labor Party to victory at the March 2022 state election with a vision not just for the next four years but for the next generation in health, education, jobs and skills and the environment.

Peter was elected Leader of the Opposition in April 2018 on a platform of bringing a constructive alternative approach to the challenges facing South Australia.

Prior to becoming Leader of the Opposition, he was Minister for Police, Correctional Services, Emergency Services and Road Safety (2016-2017) and Minister for Health, Mental Health and Substance Abuse (2017-2018).

He first entered state parliament as a member of the Legislative Council in 2015 before being elected as the member for Croydon in 2018. In Peter’s spare time, he can often be found at a Port Adelaide game or out on the footy field playing with his beloved Adelaide Uni Blacks.

Justyna Jochym is the Chief Executive of Festival City Adelaide (FCA) – the peak body for South Australia’s festivals and events – which works to ensure that Adelaide is nationally and internationally recognised as Australia’s Festival Capital, delivering the world’s best festival experience.

Prior to her current role, she led International Cooperation and Development at the Krakow Centre for Culture, Business and Festivals (KBF) in Poland, managing global partnerships and international programs. Previous to this, Justyna spearheaded new strategies to expand international education and attraction of international students to the City of Krakow.

Justyna serves as a board member of the Wyatt Trust, South Australian Tourism Commission, Tourism Industry Council SA (TICSA), and Kadaltilla Adelaide Parklands Authority. She is also a member of the national Strategic Workforce Advisory Group for the Arts formed by Services and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA).

Jessica Adamson is a presenter, facilitator and one of South Australia’s most sought after MC’s. Jess forged a reputation as one of the state’s finest journalists after 24 years in television news. Jess is a board member of the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation and the Adelaide Crows Foundation.

She’s also a passionate ambassador for CanTeen – the Australian organisation for young people living with cancer, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Andrea Michaels, South Australian Minister for Arts, Small and Family Business, and Consumer and Business Affairs, also serves as the State Member for Enfield. Fleeing war-torn Cyprus in 1974, her family arrived in South Australia in 1976, instilling in her a passion for community service. As a mother of two boys, she strives for a strong, diverse, and thriving community. Formerly a small business owner specialising in commercial law, Andrea has held roles as Treasurer of the Law Society of SA, as well as a company director. Dedicated to promoting diversity and supporting women in business, she advocates for accessible government services, small business success, and a vibrant cultural sector while representing the people of Enfield.

David Coltman is the Chief Executive of TAFE SA, a position he has held since April 2019. TAFE SA is the South Australian public provider of vocational education, a government owned statutory corporation. With more than 45,000 students, 36 campuses across the state, and 2,000 staff, TAFE SA provides leadership for the sector in meeting the industry, community and government needs regarding workforce capability and capacity.

Prior to joining TAFE SA in April 2019, David was Deputy Vice Chancellor at Swinburne University of Technology and Chair of the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA). In addition to his role with TAFE SA, David is a Board member of South Australia Circus Centre (Cirkidz), Treasurer for Festival City Adelaide, and Deputy Chair of TAFE Directors Australia.

Tish Naughton, CEO of Feast Festival, Adelaide’s Premier LGBTQIA+ Arts & Cultural Festival, has been in Management and Leadership roles since 2013. She has developed a skill set spanning finance, compliance, change management, and business development across franchise, non-profit and small business models. Her experience is multi-disciplinary across the Financial, Building & Real Estate, Retail and now Arts & Not-for-Profit sectors. An award-winning entrepreneur, Tish is a visionary leader who inspires others to believe in themselves, to strive for excellence, and to work together towards a shared vision of a better future. Tish’s focus is to take Feast through its next period of growth and diversification to ensure the sustainability of this important festival.

Emma Terry has been the Chief Executive Officer of the South Australian Tourism Commission since January 2023. Prior to joining SATC, Emma was the CMO of Tourism Tasmania and was responsible for the strategic design and development of the demand generation program including the highly regarded ‘Come down for Air’ brand platform and architected the ‘Off Season’ initiative which challenges the perceptions of Australians that winter should be avoided not embraced. Emma also provided strategic leadership in the Agency’s digital transformation, sector plans, and T21 positive impact agenda.

Emma is an experienced Board Director, sitting on several Boards, including the past Chair of Engender Equality and a Board Director and RAF Committee member for ATDW (Australian Tourism Data Warehouse) after graduating from the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2012. Emma has also been a mentor for DFAT’s Women in Global Business program.

Natalie has over 28 years’ experience leading employment, disability, Indigenous, community, apprenticeship, workforce development, philanthropic, social enterprise, labour hire and training services across Australia for both not-for-profit and for-profit organisations.

Natalie has been the CEO of Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA) for 8 months. SaCSA is one of the newly formed and Federally funded Jobs and Skills Councils. SaCSA is responsible for working with Industry, Unions, Federal and State Governments to identify skills and workforce planning nationally for the Arts, Personal Services, Retail, Tourism and Hospitality Industries.

Mitch Wilson (they/them) is the Managing Director of the Australian Festival Association, the peak industry advocacy body for festival producers, promoters and suppliers. The AFA was formed in 2018 in response to the NSW government attempts to regulate music festival’s out of existence and has since grown significantly in both membership and influence.

Prior to the AFA, Mitch was a political adviser for over nine years in state and federal politics, and was the first ever government affairs hire for Live Nation in Australia and NZ. Currently the AFA is focussed on working with industry and government to sustain the industry through the crisis facing festivals in light of a number of high profile cancellations including Splendour in the Grass and Groovin’ the Moo.

Sarah Andrews, elected to state parliament as the Member for Gibson in March 2022, has dedicated her career to advocacy. Hailing from Hove, she pursued an Honours degree in Drama at Flinders University. Engaged with Southern Youth Theatre Ensemble and Cirkidz, she directed performances at Come Out & the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Transitioning to the trade union movement, she spearheaded campaigns for early childhood educators and aged care workers at the United Workers Union. Serving as State Director for Professionals Australia, she represented engineers, scientists, and pharmacists, following a period on the management committee of the Working Women’s Centre.

Berish Bilander is a composer, pianist and CEO of Green Music Australia, a globally recognised not-for-profit working across the music sector to create positive change for our environment. He has toured extensively with his own ensembles and as a freelance musician for bands like Vika and Linda Bull, and dedicated his activist life to climate and social justice – fighting back toll-roads and campaigning for refugee rights. He is fellow of the prestigious Banff International Jazz and Creative Music Program and the Change Agency’s Community Organising Fellowship.

Tanya Jarman, Regional Tourism Manager & Executive Officer at Adelaide Hills Tourism, leverages 30 years of global expertise in commercial and government sectors, spanning public relations, social media, digital marketing, and brand development. Educated in Adelaide, she forged a career interstate and overseas, shaping senior roles in tourism management. Noteworthy engagements include contributions to airlines, AAT Kings, and Hyatt, as well as pivotal roles with Tourism Australia and SATC. Returning to Adelaide in 2012, she led international partnerships at the South Australia Tourism Commission, significantly boosting state revenue. Now driving Adelaide Hills Tourism, she champions grassroots development and strategic partnerships, surpassing expenditure targets. As Director of the Australian Regional Tourism Board, she focuses on Agritourism, shaping the annual conference agenda. Her leadership in Wellness Tourism has yielded successful events in the Adelaide Hills.

Tim Possingham is an entrepreneur who founded Australia’s first commercial electric vehicle company which services the underground mining industry. He also owns and operates Massive Events Corp, an Adelaide based company that delivers two major events for the state which are supported by State Government. The larger of these two is the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, a high performing event which experienced 42% growth in the past 12 months. Described as a museum-in-motion and a demonstration of Adelaide’s history in motorsport combined with emerging mobility technologies, the Adelaide Motorsport Festival is a lifestyle event with strong Formula 1 linkages. Combined with these events Tim also operates an investment attraction program which has seen several hundred million dollars of likely investment into South Australia as a result of his program. The bulk of the new investment is centred around carbon reduction and renewables.

Jessica Wundke works across policy areas covering food and organic waste, single-use plastics, events waste management and packaging to align policy outcomes and support strategic objectives for resource recovery and promoting the circular economy in South Australia. Jessica led the development of the food waste strategy for South Australia to drive this material away from landfill and circulate it into productive use and, in 2022, the updated guidelines for Waste and Recycling at Events and Venues for event and facilities managers to implement systems to reduce material impacts of South Australian events.

Experienced in managing programs to support policy implementation and improve resource efficiency, she works with stakeholders to facilitate change in the management of resources and support the transition to a more circular economy.

Zoe Bettison serves as the Minister for Tourism and Multicultural Affairs in the South Australian Malinauskas Labor Government, prioritising the recovery of the visitor economy post-COVID-19. With a focus on South Australia’s brand pillars, she aims to promote “natural therapy, accessible provenance, wildlife encounters, boutique capital, and loves a party.” Previously, from 2018-2022, Zoe held the role of Shadow Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment. Since becoming a Minister in 2014, she has championed reforms in aging, multicultural affairs, social housing, and youth. Elected as the Member for Ramsay in 2012, Zoe advocates for inclusive economic participation. With a BA from Flinders University and an MBA from the University of Adelaide, her career spans roles in tourism and public affairs. Born in Whyalla and raised in Gawler and Kapunda, she resides in Salisbury with her husband and son.

Ashleigh is an experienced Talent Acquisition professional within the creative industries, having worked with both Novatech Creative Event Technology and Technicolor Creative Studios to recruit talent both locally and globally for live events and film projects. With previous roles in talent teams for large-scale corporates, she is dedicated to strategic sourcing and fostering diversity in recruitment. Collaborating closely with stakeholders, Ashleigh drives business objectives through talent acquisition, aligning her efforts with their vision for success.

Somi leads the Community Development program at Multicultural Communities Council of SA , focusing on empowering CALD communities to engage in the economy through capacity building, governance, and professional networking. Holding a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Public Health, her journey from Singapore to Adelaide in 2003 demonstrates the migrant journey of resilience and adaptability. A performing artist in the field of classical Indian dance for over 30 years and a the founder of Apsaras Arts Adelaide, Somi merges her diverse experiences into her leadership role, advocating for CALD representation in leadership, particularly in arts and culture. Her commitment to diversity and inclusivity positions her as a key figure in advancing equitable opportunities within the multicultural community

With a background in events, project management and operations, Tara has over 15 years’ experience in General Management & strategy, having previously worked at the Port Adelaide Football Club and Adelaide Film Festival, before her current role overseeing Adelaide Fringe’s operations and finance departments. Over the past 3 years, Tara has led the establishment of the Adelaide Fringe Reconciliation Action Plan, Sustainability Action Plan and Disability Access and Inclusion Plan, with a Multicultural Inclusion Action Plan in the works. With a mission to make Adelaide Fringe the most inclusive festival in the world, Tara has championed diversity and inclusion at Adelaide Fringe, working with First Nations leaders and Disability consultants to achieve outcomes to make the arts accessible to all.