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.

Robyn Moore is a multi-skilled Communicator who has been changing peoples’ perception through the power of the word for over 40 years. One of our top speakers at national and international conferences, she’s delivered over 2000 highly entertaining and inspirational presentations in 30years. 

Born in 1950, Robyn is also a Senior...and yet her voice is known by millions of Australian children and adults from animation and comedy series. She is also a Volunteer Ambassador for 5 Major Charities. (EG:“Inclusee” supports isolated and lonely older Australians).  

Because Robyn has been a Carer 3 Times, she is passionate about enabling older people to access a life they love. Therefore, she often works with Anglicare’s Dementia Advisory Services Team in Retirement Villages, Community Forums and with Carers and people living with Dementia.  The shifts she creates around the perception of Ageing are “life-Altering”.  

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.

Robyn is the Post Polio Vic Secretary and committee member.
She is a registered critical care nurse and midwife. After a successful clinical career, Robyn returned to study in Education, training and management.


‍I retired a few years ago after busily juggling family and professional life. When I was about 40, I started getting symptoms of Post-Polio Syndrome. My personal values of respect, dignity and justice align with Post Polio Victoria’s values. I joined the PPV Committee in 2018 as a way of contributing to the better management of Post Polio Syndrome and LEoP (late effects of Polio) through our advocacy initiatives' will work to implement PPV’s vision and values for the greater good of polio survivors.

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.

Alison Standen is the Chief Executive Officer at Corumbene. Alison has over 25years’ professional experience working in Tasmania with a varied career that has focussed on supporting vulnerable Tasmanians; this includes experience in health and community services, in senior leadership roles in not-for-profit and public institutions. From 2018-21, Alison served as Member for Franklin in the Tasmanian Parliament, with roles including Shadow Minister for Housing and Opposition spokesperson for Disability Services and Ageing in the House of Assembly. Having worked in senior Commonwealth and State Government roles for many years, and having completed a Masters in Business Administration and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Directors Course, Alison has a strong understanding of public sector decision-making processes and governance