CANBERRA & ONLINE | WEDNESDAY 28TH OCTOBER 2026
Speakers
Hon Rebecca White MP
Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Indigenous Health and Women
Rebecca grew up on a farm and maintains a love of the land and animals. She lives with her young family on a small acreage at Richmond in Tasmania.
Rebecca is passionate about ensuring there is equality of opportunity for all Australians regardless of where they live, their background or circumstances.
First elected to the Tasmanian Parliament in 2010 for the seat of Lyons, Rebecca served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier in the Labor government and was later appointed Minister for Human Services. She was the Leader of the Tasmanian Labor Party from 2017 to 2024.
Rebecca was elected to the Federal Parliament in 2025 and appointed Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Indigenous Health and Women.
Rebecca graduated from the University of Tasmania in 2004 with a combined Commerce and Arts degree with majors in international business management and marketing, journalism and political science. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Mark Brooke MBA GAICD FAIM
Chief Executive Officer
Lung Foundation Australia
Mark Brooke has over 25 years’ experience leading a diverse range of medical research, consumer health and family support organisations, and is currently Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lung Foundation Australia. LFA is Australia’s leading health charity supporting people with lung disease or lung cancer and those at risk of lung disease.
In 2022 Lung Foundation Australia was appointed by the Australian Government as a Health Peak Advisory Body advising the government on lung health and related issues.
In the last decade, he has led the design and development of five Australian Government National Health Strategies for a wide range of health areas including asthma, congenital heart disease, lung conditions and, most recently, the National Silicosis Prevention Strategy.
Mark is passionate about the role profit for purpose organisations play in the health sector, especially empowering and activating patients and aligning research with consumer led priorities. Mark and his team led the campaign to introduce the Lung Cancer Screening Program and he serves as a member of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program Expert Steering Committee.
As CEO of Lung Foundation Australia, he led the translation of patients lived experience and insights research into policies, programs and services to support people impacted by lung disease and lung cancer.
Professor Brendan Crabb AC
Director & Chief Executive Officer
Burnet Institute
Professor Brendan Crabb AC PhD FAA FAHMS FASM is a leading Australian scientist specialising in infectious disease research, with a focus on malaria. As Director and CEO of Burnet Institute since 2008, he has guided the organisation’s focus on improving equity as a critical pathway to better health for all. He played a key role in research efforts aimed at understanding the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its impact, and leading initiatives on vaccine development, diagnostics, and public health. A leading scientist and public health advocate, Professor Crabb has been a leading voice on the need to better protect communities from airborne infections and pollutants.
He continues to promote scientific collaboration and evidence-based approaches to managing the COVID-19 and future pandemics.
Dr Amanda Cohn MLC
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
Dr Amanda Cohn BA BMed MD MPH MIPH FRACGP is a Member of the NSW Parliament’s upper house and the Greens spokesperson for Health in NSW. In Parliament, she is the current Chair of the Legislative Council’s Health Committee. Before entering Parliament, Dr Cohn was a GP practicing in Albury-Wodonga, and she holds a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology and Masters of International Public Health. She has worked in community health, Aboriginal Medical Services, and emergency departments across inland regional NSW. She is committed to improving health outcomes by addressing the social and environmental determinants of health including air quality.
Brett Fairweather
It's Engineered
Brett is a mechanical engineering consultant specialising in building ventilation design and compliance. He brings practical, industry-based experience from a career built on the navigation of complex building codes and standards.
An active contributor within the local heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry, Brett has built his knowledge from involvement in the development of many of the Australian Standards relied on by the construction industry when delivering building ventilation systems and his participation on the Building Codes Committee, providing technical advice to support the Australian Building Codes Board.
Brett is also active in the education and support of others seeking to develop knowledge in these requirements and is passionate about proper design and implementation of ventilation strategies to ensure healthier, safer indoor environments.
Jason Gale
Senior Editor
Bloomberg News
Jason Gale is a senior editor at Bloomberg News, where he has worked for over 26 years. He began his reporting on medical science in 2005, when H5N1 avian influenza was gaining momentum. Since then, he has focused on infectious diseases and global health. His work has earned international recognition, including a Gerald Loeb Award, two Overseas Press Club of America awards, and honors from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the Global Health Council. After Covid is his first book.
A/Prof Rebecca Haddock
Director of Public Affairs and Policy
Asthma Australia
Rebecca brings over two decades experience across the university, government and non-government health sectors. As Director of Public Affairs and Policy at Asthma Australia, and formerly Executive Director at the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA), Rebecca has a deep understanding of the Australian health system and a strong track record in driving policy impact. She is passionate about building sustainable, equitable and responsive systems that improve the lives of people and communities and is committed to improving outcomes for people living with asthma. Rebecca holds a PhD in Neuroscience (ANU) and is an Adjunct Professor at the Healthy Environment and Lives Global Research Centre (UC).
Ben Harris
Director, Policy and Research
Private Healthcare Australia
Ben Harris is Director, Policy and Research, at Private Healthcare Australia. Ben is an economist by training, with a long career in governments and peak bodies across the health sector. He is also the author of a range of publications, including Australia’s Mental and Physical Health Tracker.
Prof Fay Johnston
Professor and Public Health Physician
Centre for Safe Air
Fay Johnston is a Public Health Physician and Professor in Environmental Health, recognised globally for her expertise in fire sciences, air quality and health. She works to improve community health and wellbeing in the face of escalating airborne hazards. Prof Johnston leads the Centre for Safe Air, a NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence, and co-leads the air quality themes within the National Environmental Science Program and the HEAL network, a national NHMRC funded collaboration in environment, climate and health. She co-founded AirRater, an Australian app delivering personalised air quality, allergen and health information.
Dr Bronwyn King AO
Co-founder
Air Club
Dr Bronwyn King AO is a former radiation oncologist and global public health advocate championing international efforts to advance healthy indoor air as a critical pillar of health and resilience. As co‑founder of Air Club, she is building a global movement working with governments, UN agencies and partners—including in collaboration with the French G7 Presidency—to drive awareness and action. In 2025, she co‑convened the first high‑level UN General Assembly event on indoor air quality, helping to catalyse global momentum on this issue. She is also the founder of Tobacco Free Portfolios, mobilising over US$18 trillion in tobacco‑free finance, and is a recipient of the WHO Director‑General’s Special Award.
Cath Latham
Heart Foundation
Cath currently leads policy and advocacy initiatives on a range of cardiovascular and preventive health issues at the Heart Foundation. Drawing on her early career as a biomedical research scientist, she has spent more than a decade working in policy and advocacy across the health, science and technology sectors, bringing evidence and research to inform public policy and decision-making to benefit the people of Australia.
Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska
ARC Training Centre for Advanced Building Systems Against Airborne Infection Transmission (THRIVE) and Queensland University of Technology
Lidia Morawska is Distinguished Professor at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia; the Director of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health at QUT, a Collaborating Centre of the World Health Organization (WHO); and the Centre Director for the ARC Training Centre for Advanced Building Systems Against Airborne Infection Transmission (THRIVE) hosted at QUT.
Lidia also holds positions of Vice- Chancellor Fellow, Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), University of Surrey, UK; and Adjunct Professor, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
An author of over 1,100 publications, Lidia has been involved at the executive level with a number of relevant national/international professional bodies, is a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, and is acting as an advisor to the WHO.
She is the recipient of numerous scientific awards, including the 2025 Prime Minister's Prize for Science.
Associate Professor Suman Majumdar
Chief Health Officer
Burnet Institute
Associate Professor Suman Majumdar is Chief Health Officer at the Burnet Institute. He is an infectious diseases physician with over 20 years of experience in global health spanning clinical practice, public health, research and senior government service. He holds honorary appointments at Monash University and the University of Melbourne. His work now centres on airborne pathogens — tuberculosis, pandemic preparedness and a large program of translational research on clean indoor air.
Emma Oju
A/g Director, Industries & High Risk Work
Safe Work Australia
Emma Oju is a leader in complex policy, with expertise in the areas of emergency management, major reform projects, and work health and safety. She has advised decision-makers in several Australian Government agencies and currently acts as Director of High-Risk Work at Safe Work Australia. Her practical experience working closely and collaboratively with industry, government and technical experts has delivered policy solutions which improve the lives of all Australians.
Alison Scotland
CEO
Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC)
Alison Scotland is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC), a national forum of peak bodies in the Australian built environment, focused on achieving sustainable, productive, and resilient buildings, infrastructure, communities, and cities. She drives a powerful collaboration agenda with industry, government and not-for-profit leaders to develop national policy and technical solutions that enhance the built environment.
Daniel Sherrell
Senior Climate and Energy Adviser
Australian Council of Trade Unions
Daniel Sherrell is the Senior Adviser on Climate and Energy to the Australian Council of Trade Unions. Prior to moving to Australia from the United States, he helped lead campaigns to win a Green New Deal bill for New York State, create good union jobs in renewable energy, and pass America’s first federal climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act. His first book, Warmth: Coming of Age at the End of Our World (Penguin 2021), was named a Best Book of the Year by the New Yorker and Publisher’s Weekly, and shortlisted for the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the Guardian, the Nation, and the Drift, among other outlets.
Plum Stone
CEO
The Safer Air Project
Plum has worked in health policy and public affairs for the last 20 years, with experience in the UK Parliament, international public affairs agencies and in-house for patient advocacy organisations. Plum wrote her undergraduate dissertation on learning the lessons of pandemics of the past to prepare for pandemics of the future and has an MSc in Public Health (Nutrition).
As a result of Plum’s professional background, and personal lived experience with an immunocompromised and high-risk family, she founded The Safer Air Project, with a mission to get indoor air quality recognised as a critical accessibility and inclusion issue for people living with chronic health conditions, in order to make indoor air safer for everyone to breathe.
Magali Wardle
Head of Market Development
NABERS
Magali is the Head of Market Development at NABERS. She is a skilled professional with over 20 years of experience in Sustainability, Engineering, Project Management and Climate Change. Her work at NABERS is focused on building partnerships to influence the uptake of NABERS ratings. Her role covers a vast portfolio of project teams dedicated to supporting customers in their sustainability journey. This encompasses energy, water and waste efficiency as well as sustainable finance across several different building asset types.
Anne Wilson
CEO
Emerge Australia
Anne Wilson has been CEO of Emerge Australia since 2021, leading the national patient organisation dedicated to improving health and wellbeing outcomes for people living with ME/CFS, long COVID and associated energy-limiting conditions.
An experienced CEO and Managing Director, Anne has a strong track record of transforming and growing organisations, building strategic partnerships and securing investment to strengthen sustainability and impact. Her leadership spans the health, education and not-for-profit sectors, with extensive experience across advocacy, policy, research, clinical education and service delivery.
Anne is a strong advocate and experienced negotiator who works closely with government, health leaders, researchers and the community to drive policy and system change and improve recognition, care and support for people living with complex chronic conditions.
Anne is Deputy Chair of the Neurological Alliance of Australia, Director of The Australian Patients Advocacy Alliance and a Director of the International Kidney Cancer Coalition, reflecting her national and international leadership across the health sector.
Join the call for a National
Healthy Air Strategy
OPEN TO INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS
Join leading voices in the movement towards healthier air, and sign the Consensus Statement and Pre-Budget Submission.
Supporting organisations
Event supporters
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Annual supporting partners
This is a Safer Air event
We’re committed to ensuring that our events are as accessible and inclusive as possible, including for attendees who are immunocompromised or have chronic health conditions. With this in mind, we have chosen a venue with excellent ventilation as this helps reduce airborne contaminants and lower the risk of airborne virus transmission - additional portable air filters will also be in use. Respirator-style masks will be provided at the registration desk – if you would like to wear a mask, you are warmly encouraged to do so.