Biographical information - Part-time Members of the Tribunals

Sean Baker

Part-time Member, Melbourne | LLB (Hons), LLM | Appointed: 1 July 2011 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires : 30 June 2016

Before his appointment to the tribunals, Sean Baker was a Senior Legal Officer with the MRT-RRT. Prior to this he held senior positions in policy and legal roles in the state and commonwealth governments, and in UK jurisdictions. These included the Office of the Gas and Electricity Regulator, United Kingdom; Department of Immigration and Citizenship; the Law Council of Australia; and Victorian Department of Education, Employment and Training.

Diane Barnetson

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA, B Leg Studies, M Industrial Relations | Appointed: 1 July 2006 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Diane Barnetson is currently a Member of the NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal, the NSW Consumer Trader and Tenancy Tribunal and the Social Security Appeals Tribunal. She has held previous appointments to the Consumer Claims Tribunal, the Fair Trading Tribunal and the Residential Tribunal. She has worked as a mediator with the Building Disputes Tribunal and as a conciliator with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. She has also worked as an Industrial Advocate for a trade union and as a case worker with the NSW Department of Community Services and the NSW Department of Health.

Margie Bourke

Part-time Member, Melbourne | LLB, BJuris | Appointed: 1 July 2011 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires : 30 June 2016

Margie Bourke had a career of over 12 year with the Victorian Legal Aid prior to joining the tribunals. For eight of those years she was a Managing Lawyer. She also has wide ranging experience of the community legal sector including aboriginal legal rights.

Melissa Bray

Part-time Member, Melbourne | LLB Hons, BA Hons, Grad Dip Foreign Affairs & Trade | Appointed: 1 July 2010 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Melissa Bray worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for twelve years, from 1998. She held various roles advising on international law, including human rights, and WTO trade and environment issues. Overseas for DFAT, Melissa was a civilian peace monitor in Bougainville, and spent five years on diplomatic posting in Cairo, covering political affairs in Egypt, Sudan and the Middle East for the Australian government. Most recently, she was Deputy Director of DFAT's Melbourne office for three years. Melissa is admitted to legal practice in Victoria and the High Court, and worked briefly as a solicitor at Victoria Legal Aid, handling asylum seeker and mental health cases at the start of her career.

Nicole Burns

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BA (Hons), Master of Legal Studies (International Law) | Appointed: 1 July 2007 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Nicole Burns is an adviser on AusAID’s Peace, Conflict and Development Panel, established in 2009. Over the past 10 years she has worked in the field of conflict resolution and peacebuilding, primarily focusing on Asia and the Pacific. She was First Secretary for AusAID in Indonesia from 2000 to 2003. She worked as a consultant for UNDP in Indonesia from 2003 to 2004 and as peacebuilding adviser for CARE International in Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2007.

Mary Cameron

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BA, LLB (Hons) | Appointed: 1 July 2006 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Mary Cameron is admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria. She has worked in private legal practice and as a corporate lawyer with a major Commonwealth business enterprise, primarily in the areas of administrative and commercial law. She has a background in equal opportunity and anti-discrimination law and practice, and has held a number of senior roles in both the Commonwealth and State public sectors developing and managing equal opportunity and workforce diversity programmes. She has also worked in an advisory capacity for Victoria Legal Aid.

Catherine Carney-Osborn

Part-time Member, Sydney | LLB | Appointed: 1 July 2006 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Catherine Carney-Osborn is currently a part-time Member of the NSW Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal and the Mental Health Review Tribunal. She was most recently a Registrar in the Family Court Sydney Registry. From 1998 until March 2005 she was the Principal Solicitor at Women's Legal Services, a community legal centre that services disadvantaged women and children. While at the legal centre she developed and implemented legal services to immigrant and refugee women and children in diverse ethnic communities in Western Sydney and rural NSW. She was also the NSW representative on the National Association of Community Legal Centres and Alternate Legal Aid Commissioner (NSW) Board Member of the Legal Aid Commission.

Jennifer Ciantar

Part-time Member, Sydney | BSW, Dip Admin, LLB (Hons) | Appointed: 14 July 2003 (MRT), 14 November 2005 (RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Jennifer Ciantar previously worked as a social worker, manager and senior policy officer in the NSW public service from 1976 to 1989. She was a part-time Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal from 1989 to 2004 and the NSW Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal from 2002 until 2005. She was the Deputy Chairperson of the NSW Housing Appeals Committee from 1995 to 2008.

Christine Cody

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA, LLB, LLM (Public International Law) | Appointed: 1 July 2010 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Christine Cody completed her Master of Laws at the London School of Economics and Political Science, studying international human rights law, the use of force and the law of armed conflict, international criminal law and United Nations Law. She worked in London from 2000 to 2008 in various roles including as a solicitor specialising in human rights law, refugee law and immigration for the HIV/AIDS charity Terrence Higgins Trust; as an Assistant Solicitor for the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry (established to consider allegations of collusion by state agencies in the murder of a high profile Northern Ireland solicitor); and in commercial litigation with Ashurst Solicitors and Olswang Solicitors. She was a delegate for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kigali, Rwanda from 1998 to 1999, and prior to that she worked for the UNHCR in Canberra and Médecins Sans Frontières in Sydney. She also worked in Sydney as a Senior Solicitor in Torts in the Crown Solicitor’s Office representing the New South Wales Police Force and as a solicitor in family law, criminal law and commercial litigation variously for Cassidy Gibson Howlin, Musgrave Peach, Church and Grace, and Gilbert and Tobin.

Tim Connellan

Part-time Member, Melbourne | Appointed: 1 July 2007 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Tim Connellan has a business and dispute management background. Having previously served three terms as Victorian President of the Australian Small Business Association, he was a founding board member of the Melbourne Fashion Incubator, Chairman of Jobseekers Over Forty Association and a panel member of Liquor Licensing Victoria. He is currently senior mediator with the Office of the Victorian Small Business Commissioner, and has recently completed two terms as State Chairman of the Dispute Resolution Industry body LEADR. Tim conducts dispute management training with both the public and private sectors.

Clyde Cosentino

Part-time Member, Brisbane | LLB, Btheology, LLM | Appointed: 1 July 2010 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Clyde Cosentino has an LLB from the Queensland University of Technology (1993), a BTheology from the Brisbane College of Theology (1998) and an LLM from the University of Queensland (2004). He has been the Director of the Centre for Multicultural Pastoral Care in the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane from September 2005 to July 2010. He also worked as Solicitor and Migration Agent with RAILS from June 2000 to 1 July 2010. Prior to this, he worked as a Refugee Lawyer and Program Assistant for the Jesuit Refugee Service in Cambodia. He had been a Registered Migration Agent from 10 July 2000 to 10 July 2010.

Angela Cranston

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA, LLB, LLM, Grad Dip Writing | Appointed: 14 July 2003 (MRT), 14 November 2005 (RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Angela Cranston has worked in the field of migration law for over 16 years. She has previously worked as a research officer for the Immigration Review Tribunal and as the Coordinator of the Refugee Advice and Casework Service and a migration agent for the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre. She has also worked as a resettlement officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in West Africa. She has also previously worked on the Professional Conduct Panel of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA).

Glen Cranwell

Part-time Member, Brisbane | BSc, LLB(Hons), LLM, GradDipBusAdmin | Appointed: 1 July 2009 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Glen Cranwell was admitted to practice as a legal practitioner in 1998. He has practised mainly in the area of administrative law, particularly in judicial and tribunal review, and has held positions with the Australian Government Solicitor, Clayton Utz and the Queensland Crown Solicitor’s Office. He has also worked as a lecturer in the Practical Legal Training Program at the College of Law Queensland. Glen has been a part-time Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal since January 2007. 

Gabrielle Cullen

Part-time Member, Sydney | LLB, LLM (International Law), BCom | Appointed: 1 July 2006 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Gabrielle Cullen is admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of NSW. She was formerly with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees working in Australia, and Pakistan, as their Legal/Resettlement Officer. Prior to this she worked as the Refugee Advocacy Officer with the National Council of Churches in Australia, and as a solicitor in private practice.

Megan Deane

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BA/LLB, LLM | Appointed: 23 March 2000 (MRT), 1 July 2004 (RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Megan Deane is admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and the High Court of Australia, and as a Legal Practitioner of the Supreme Court of NSW. Her previous experience includes employment as a Legal Officer and an Investigator with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and in the Legal Section in the RRT.

Ted Delofski

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA (Hons), MPhil (Economics) | Appointed: 1 October 2001 (MRT), 1 July 2004 (RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Ted Delofski has a diplomatic and public service background. Diplomatic positions he has held include Australia's Ambassador to the Netherlands, Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation in Geneva, High Commissioner to Singapore, Minister (Economic) in London, and Australia's senior official APEC representative. In Canberra, he has held the positions of First Assistant Secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Assistant Secretary in the Treasury.

David Dobell

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA/LLB, Grad Dip Communications | Appointed: 1 July 2006 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

David Dobell has had over 20 years experience in the community/public sector, having worked in a number of community legal centres as a solicitor/advocate and as a community educator. He has specialised in the areas of tenancy and ageing and disability, privacy and human rights policy. He was previously a Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal for over 11 years and has also been a Member of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal, NSW (Community Services Division), the NSW Housing Appeals Committee and the NSW Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal.

Jonathon Duignan

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA, LLB | Appointed: 8 January 2001 (MRT), 1 July 2004 (RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Jonathon Duignan has worked in the field of migration law for over 22 years. He has previously worked with the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre and was previously a Member of the RRT between 1993 and 1997. He worked as a Training Officer with the Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors and for the Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre prior to his appointment to the MRT. He has also worked as a part-time lecturer in law at the University of Western Sydney, Nepean for several years.

Jennifer Ellis

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BA, LLB (Hons) | Appointed: 15 June 1999 (MRT), 1 July 2004 (RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Jennifer Ellis is admitted as a barrister and solicitor in the Supreme Courts of Victoria and Western Australia. She has worked in the field of migration and refugee law since 1989. She worked as a solicitor with the Australian Government Solicitor from 1995 to 1999 specialising in administrative law particularly in the migration and refugee areas. She began her legal career as a solicitor at Herbert Geer and Rundle and was Associate to the Hon. Mr Justice Vincent of the Victorian Supreme Court. Since 1989 she has worked as a solicitor with the Legal Aid Commission of Victoria and the Sussex Street Community Law Service in Perth and was also a Legal Research Officer with the Immigration Review Tribunal for 2 years. She was a volunteer lawyer with Fitzroy Legal Service from 1986 until 2005.

Jennifer Eutick

Part-time Member, Brisbane | BA, Graduate Dip. Library Science | Appointed: 1 July 2010 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Jennifer Eutick was the Area Manager South & East Queensland for Centrelink from 2007-2010. Prior to this, she was the Regional Director Queensland for the Australian Customs Service (2002-2007) and held various EL2 level positions in Customs Queensland (1995-2002). Her earlier career was 15 years with DIEA.

Bronwyn Forsyth

Part-time Member, Sydney | LLB (Hons), BA (International Studies) | Appointed: 25 September 2006 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Bronwyn Forsyth is admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of NSW and has experience in the private sector, public sector, and working as an adviser to a Federal Cabinet Minister. As a lawyer in private practice she worked for Baker & McKenzie in Sydney and Singapore. She practised in employment and immigration law and was registered as a migration agent. Her public sector experience includes working as a Senior Legal Officer for DIAC in Canberra providing advice on refugee law, judicial review and lawful decision making.

Mila Foster

Part-time Member, Sydney | BComm, LLB | Appointed: 14 July 2003 (RRT), 14 November 2005 (MRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Mila Foster was admitted as a Legal Practitioner of the Supreme Court of NSW in 1997. She was working at the RRT as a Legal Officer at the time of her appointment, and had previously worked with the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW (1995-2000) and the St George Migrant Resource Centre (1991-1995).

Steve Georgiadis

Part-time Member, Adelaide | BSc, Grad.Dip. Ed., Grad. Dip. Social Science, Post Grad. Cert. in Mediation, LLB, Grad.Dip Legal Prac, Professional Certificate in Arbitration, Master of Conflict Management | Appointed: 1 July 2011 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2016

Steve Georgiadis works as a part-time member at the Social Security Appeals Tribunal and the Residential Tenancies Tribunal. He also works as a part time reviewer at the Independent Protection Assessment Office at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. He has wide ranging experience of review bodies and senior administration. Steve Georgiadis is currently a member of the Accident Compensation Advisory Committee, Law Society of South Australia and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee, Law Society of South Australia.

Brook Hely

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BA (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM | Appointed: 1 July 2009 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Brook Hely is admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Victorian and NSW Supreme Courts, as well as the High Court of Australia. He most recently worked for several years as a senior lawyer with the Australian Human Rights Commission. Prior to this, he worked as a solicitor in private practice litigation, primarily at Minter Ellison in Melbourne. He has been a volunteer solicitor with several community organisations, particularly the Fitzroy Legal Service and Kingsford Legal Service, as well as a former volunteer board member of the Victorian Council to Homeless Persons. He is also a former part-time Member of the Commonwealth Classification Review Board and former part-time lecturer at the University of NSW in discrimination law.

Diane Hubble

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BA/LLB | Appointed: 1 July 2006 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

In addition to her work for the Tribunals, Diane has been a Sessional Registrar of the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia since 2005. She has previously been a part-time Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal, the Mental Health Review Board, and the Professional Standards Committee of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. Diane was also an arbitrator for the Child Support Agency for many years, prior to which she worked as a lawyer for Victoria Legal Aid.

Lesley Hunt

Part-time Member, Brisbane | BA | Appointed: 1 July 2011 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2016

Lesley Hunt is a former lecturer in the Graduate Certificate in Australian Migration Law and Practice in the Legal Practice Centre at Griffith University. She was the co-principal of Migration Professional Education. Prior to joining the tribunals Lesley Hunt served as a apart time Member of the Migration Agents Conduct Advisory panel as well as a part time Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal. She has been a registered migration agent since 1998 and was previously a full-time member of the Refugee Review Tribunal from 1993-1997.

Sally Hunt

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA, LLB | Appointed: 1 July 2010 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Sally Hunt was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW in 2001. She has worked in the immigration law field for over 10 years, as a researcher and then as a practicing lawyer and migration agent in specialist immigration law practices. Most recently she was employed as a manager in the Sydney office of a global immigration law services firm. Prior to qualifying as a lawyer, she taught English as a second language for a number of years.

Rowena Irish

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA, LLB | Appointed: 1 July 2010 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Rowena Irish was a Registered Migration Agent and solicitor prior to her appointment at the Tribunals. She worked as an immigration lawyer at the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre Inc. (IARC) from 2004 to 2010, including as the acting Director/Principal Solicitor in 2009. She is one of the co-authors of The Immigration Kit (8th ed), a comprehensive plain English guide to Australia's immigration, refugee and citizenship laws and was the editor of, and regular contributor to, The Immigration News, a quarterly subscription publication on Australian immigration and citizenship issues. During her time at IARC Rowena was responsible for production of the highly regarded client information sheets on a range of immigration and citizenship topics, was a regular presenter of immigration and citizenship law seminars and was involved in immigration and citizenship law reform and consultative processes. Prior to joining IARC Rowena was employed at a top tier corporate law firm for six years.

Naida Isenberg

Part-time Member, Sydney | LLB, Dip. in Financial Management, Fellow of the institute of Chartered Secretaries | Appointed: 1 July 2011 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2016

Naida Isenberg is a part time Senior Member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and a Judicial Member of the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal. Her previous positions include Arbitrator at the NSW District Court, Senior Member of the Veterans’ Review Board, Deputy Director at the Australian Government Solicitor, and Director, Crown Legal Services for NSW. She is Deputy Chair of the Board of the War Widows Guild of Australia (NSW) Ltd and a Lieutenant–Colonel in the Army Reserve.

Andrew Jacovides

Part-time Member, Sydney | BSW, Assoc Dip Comm Welfare | Appointed: 15 September 1993 (RRT), 1 July 2004 (MRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Andrew Jacovides was previously employed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Deborah Jordan

Part-time Member, Melbourne | LLB | Appointed: 1 July 2007 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Deborah Jordan is admitted as a barrister and solicitor in the Supreme Court of Victoria, the Supreme Court of South Australia and in the High Court of Australia. She practised as a solicitor in private practice in South Australia and Victoria and then worked in the public sector, prior to being appointed to the Tribunals.

Suhad Kamand

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA/LLB | Appointed: 1 July 2009 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Suhad Kamand was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court in 2000, and worked as a migration lawyer from 2003 until July 2009. From September 2003 to July 2009, she was the Director/Principal Solicitor of the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre Inc (IARC), a not-for-profit community legal centre in NSW which specialises in Australian migration, refugee and citizenship law. At IARC, she was responsible for the legal practice and overall management of the centre. She has also edited and co-authored several publications including The Immigration Kit, 8th Edition, a comprehensive, plain language text book about Australian immigration and citizenship law, policy and practice; IARC’s Immigration News, a quarterly newsletter focussed on Australian immigration issues; and Domestic/ Family Violence and Australian Immigration Law: A Guide To The Law. She is also an experienced presenter of immigration law seminars aimed at practitioners and the general community, and has actively participated in immigration law reform. Prior to her work in immigration law, Suhad worked for several years as a solicitor in the corporate sector for a top tier law firm where she was involved in litigation and contract drafting.

Josephine Kelly

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA, LLB, Master of Taxation, Arbitrator and Mediator | Appointed: 1 July 2011 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2016

Josephine Kelly is a Barrister at the NSW Bar. She returned to the Bar after serving as a Senior Member at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for five years. Prior to her service at the AAT, she also practised as a Barrister at the NSW Bar. Josephine Kelly is currently a Vice President of the Anglo-Australian Lawyers’ Society.

Marten Kennedy

Part-time Member, Adelaide | BA, LLB(Hons), Grad. Dip. Legal Prac. | Appointed: 1 July 2011 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2016

Marten Kennedy served at the Social Security Appeals Tribunal as a Member and Assistant Senior Member prior to joining the tribunals. He has also practised as a lawyer and Senior Lawyer with the Australian Government Solicitor. He is currently a member of the Council of Australian Tribunals and the Australian Institute of Administrative Law.

Kay Kirmos

Part-time Member, Brisbane | BA, LLB | Appointed: 14 July 2003 (MRT), 14 November 2005 (RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Kay Kirmos was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1984. From 1984 until 1999 she practised as a solicitor, variously in a community legal service, for the State Government and in private practice. She worked in her own part-time legal practice from 1989 until 1999, and also conducted administrative reviews as a consultant for two Federal Government departments from 1992 until July 2003. She has been a Sessional Member of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal since 1999 and a part-time Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal since January 2007. In March 2010 she was appointed as a part-time adjudicator with the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Anthony Krohn

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BA, LLB, BTheol | Appointed: 1 July 2010 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Anthony Krohn practiced at the Victorian Bar since 1997 and has also performed rostered voluntary work for a community legal centre for cases of domestic violence. Prior to this, he was a Solicitor in an administrative law practice (1996-1997) and a Solicitor Case Worker for the Refugee Advice and Casework Service in South Australia and Victoria (1990-1995).

Suzanne Leal

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA (Hons), LLB | Appointed: 1 October 2001 (MRT), 1 July 2004 (RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Suzanne Leal was admitted to the Supreme Court of NSW in 1992. She was appointed to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal (NSW) as a part-time Member in November 2003. In 2006, she published a work of fiction entitled Border Street. She has worked as a criminal lawyer with the Legal Aid Commission of NSW, as a policy adviser at the Criminal Law Review Division of the NSW Attorney General's Department and as an author for the Australian Criminal Reports.

Gary Ledson

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BEc, Dip Ed | Appointed: 1 July 2007 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Gary Ledson is a retired College Principal. The last position he held was Principal of Mornington Secondary College.

Patricia Leehy

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA (Hons), Grad Dip Comm, Dip Arts | Appointed: 28 July 1997 (RRT), 1 July 2004 (MRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Patricia Leehy worked in various senior executive level positions within the Australian Public Service from 1980 to 1993, following 3 years with the Ethnic Communities' Council of NSW. She was the Registrar of the RRT from 1993 to 1997. In 1997 she worked as a consultant with the NSW Government Office of Community Housing. She also worked as a Member of the Immigration Review Tribunal in 1999.

Christine Long

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA (Hons), LLB | Appointed: 14 July 2003 (RRT), 14 November 2005 (MRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Christine Long has worked in various areas of public law, including as a lawyer for the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department, as a solicitor for the Australian Government Solicitor's Office, as Deputy Registrar for the Federal Court of Australia and as a Senior Assistant Director for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. She has also worked as a Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal and the NSW Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal. She is admitted as a solicitor in NSW.

Bruce MacCarthy

Part-time Member, Sydney | BSc, BEc | Appointed: 1 July 2009 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Bruce MacCarthy was a part-time Member of the RRT from 1999 to 2002. He was then appointed as a (full-time) Senior Member of the RRT from January 2003 to December 2008, and later as a Senior Member of the MRT from January 2006 to December 2008. He was re-appointed as a part-time Member on 1 July 2009. He has held a number of senior positions in the public sector, including Executive Officer of the Metric Conversion Board, Principal Investigation Officer in the Sydney office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman and Director (Benefits) in the NSW office of the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Rosemary Mathlin

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA, LLB | Appointed: 1 July 1993 (RRT), 1 July 2004 (MRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Rosemary Mathlin was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW and the High Court of Australia in 1983. From 1986 to 1991 she worked as a solicitor for the Legal Aid Commission of NSW in the Administrative Law Section. She was appointed a Community Representative on the Refugee Status Review Committee from February to June 1993, and was appointed to the Immigration Review Tribunal in February 1999.

Vanessa Moss

Part-time Member, Perth | BEc, LLB | Appointed: 1 July 2010 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Vanessa Moss worked as a Solicitor/Migration Agent at SCALES Community Legal Centre at Murdoch University from October 2006 and as an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in their School of Law from July 2008. Prior to this, she was the Principal Solicitor/ Project Manager at the Centre for Advocacy, Support and Education for Refugees Inc (2003-2006) and a Solicitor in the Civil Law Section of Legal Aid (1994-2002).

Sydelle Muling

Part-time Member, Melbourne | LLB, BA Legal Studies (HONS) | Appointed: 14 July 2003 (RRT), 14 November 2005 (MRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Sydelle Muling has previous experience as a Legal Officer and team leader in the RRT and the Australian Taxation Office. She was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of the ACT and the High Court of Australia in 2000. She is also a part-time Member on the Social Security Appeals Tribunal.

Andrew Mullin

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA (Hons), Master of Legal Studies | Appointed: 14 July 2003 (RRT), 14 November 2005 (MRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Andrew Mullin joined the then Department of Foreign Affairs in 1971 and served in Brazil and, as Deputy Head of Mission or Acting Head of Mission, in Sri Lanka, Samoa, Greece, Cyprus and South Korea. He was the Australian High Commissioner in Tonga from 1995 to 1999. He headed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) Human Rights Section in 1987-1988 and was a member of the Australian delegation to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1988. He was the DFAT speech writer from 1994-1995 and served as a United Nations electoral observer in Mozambique in 1994.

Alison Murphy

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BA, LLB | Appointed: 1 July 2010 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Alison Murphy works as a part time Member of the SSAT and the MHRB. Prior to this, she was the Principal Legal Officer/Special Legal Adviser, Native Title Services Victoria (2003-2007), Principal Legal Officer, Torres Strait Regional Authority (2000-2003), Deputy District Registrar (Native Title), Federal Court of Australia (2000) and a Solicitor with the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA Inc. (1997-2000).

Ann O'Toole

Part-time Member, Sydney | LLB (Hons) | Appointed: 14 July 2003 (RRT), 14 November 2005 (MRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Ann O'Toole was admitted to practise as a barrister in NSW in 1984. She practised as a barrister in London from 1983 to 1985. From 1985 until 1988 she worked as a Crown Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions in London. From 1989 to 1990 she was a senior investigative lawyer with the NSW Crime Commission. From 1990 to 2001 she was employed as a Principal Legal Officer with the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

Sophia Panagiotidis

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BA, Dip. Social Work, Dip. of Community Development, Dip. of Education, Certificate of Advanced Migration | Appointed: 1 July 2011 | Current term expires 30 June 2016

Sophia Panagiotidis is a part-time Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal. She has also been a course coordinator, tutor and lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at Swinburne University of Technology. She served as a member of the RRT from 1995 to 1997. Sophia Panagiotidis is also a current board member of the Medical Board of Australia, the Victorian Board of the Medical Board of Australia, the Victoria Law Foundation and a panel member for the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

Susan Pinto

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA (HONS), LLB, MA (Criminology) | Appointed: 14 July 2003 (MRT), 14 November 2005 (RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Susan Pinto has worked in administrative law for over 15 years. She was previously employed as a legal officer at the RRT. Prior to that she was a strategic analyst at the National Crime Authority and a senior researcher at the Australian Institute of Criminology. She is admitted as a Legal Practitioner in NSW.

Pauline Pope

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA | Appointed: 14 July 2003 (RRT), 14 November 2005 (MRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Pauline Pope worked as an officer of DIAC from 1975 to 2003, with two overseas postings to The Hague and Kuala Lumpur.

Rania Skaros

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA, LLB (Hons), Grad. Dip. Legal Prac. Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law | Appointed: 1 July 2011 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2016

Rania Skaros was the Director and a specialist immigration lawyer with Teleo Immigration Specialists before joining the tribunals. She was previously employed as a Senior Associate with Parish Patience Immigration Lawyers. Rania Skaros has lectured in the Australian Migration Law and Practice programme at the Australian National University. She was admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of NSW and the High Court of Australia.

Meena Sripathy

Part-time Member, Sydney | BA, LLB, LL.M | Appointed: 1 July 2011 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2016

Prior to joining the tribunals Meena Sripathy was the Principal Solicitor at the Refugee Advice and Casework Service. She has also worked for the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre NSW, Welfare Rights Centre NSW and the Legal Aid Commission of NSW. Meena Sripathy was employed as a Senior Legal Officer at the MRT-RRT. She has also worked as a Senior Investigations Officer at the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

Pamela Summers

Part-time Member, Sydney |  BA (Hons), Dip Ed | Appointed: 1 July 2009 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Pamela Summers commenced her career as a graduate entrant to DIAC in 1983 and has had overseas postings as Senior Migration Officer in Edinburgh and Manchester, and Principal Migration Officer in Los Angeles. She has previously held positions with the Tribunals from 1996 to 2009, including District Registrar of the RRT NSW, Director of Research and Information Services and Director of Policy and Caseload Strategy. 

Karen Synon

Part-time Member, Melbourne | MBA, Current Juris Doctor | Appointed: 1 October 2001 (RRT), 1 July 2004 (MRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2015

Karen Synon has an extensive professional background in community development, government and policy matters including as First Assistant Secretary for Employment for the Victorian Government and as a member of the Senate.

Alexis Wallace

Part-time Member, Brisbane | MSt (Oxon), LLM, LLB (Hons), BA, Grad. Dip. Legal Prac, Grad. Cert. Ed. (Higher Ed) | Appointed: 1 July 2011 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2016

Alexis Wallace was a Senior Associate at Minter Ellison Lawyers specialising in employer sponsored visa applications before her appointment to the tribunals. She also represented asylum seekers in detention on Christmas Island. She is the Senior Migration Law Reporter for the Federal Court Reports and the Federal Law Reports. In the past, she worked as a lawyer for the Refugee and Immigration Legal Service (RAILS). She has taught in several law schools including the University of Oxford, University of Buckingham, University of Queensland, Griffith University and Queensland University of Technology. She has a Masters degree in migration law from the University of Oxford.

Phillippa Wearne

Part-time Member, Sydney | B Juris, LLB, LLM | Appointed: 1 July 2006 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Phillippa Wearne was a part-time Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal until May 2010. She was a Deputy Registrar in the Equity Division of the Supreme Court of NSW from 2001 to 2006, where she was also the Registrar of the Protective List. Prior to that, she was a writer for a consumer law website, an electronic editor for a commercial publisher, and a lecturer at the Centre for Plain Legal Language, Faculty of Law, USYD. She lectured in commercial law at UNSW from 1987 to 1994.

Belinda Wells

Part-time Member, Adelaide | LLB, LLM  | Appointed: 1 July 2009 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Belinda Wells has a background in public and refugee law. She has advised government on constitutional and public law as a senior solicitor in the Crown Solicitor’s Office of SA, and has taught constitutional law and human rights law as a lecturer at Flinders University of SA. Belinda has held positions as a solicitor at South Brisbane Immigration and Community Legal Service (now RAILS), as Manager of the TPV/RRT Project at the Australian Refugee Association, and as Team Leader of the Migration Section at the Legal Services Commission of SA. She has also worked as a senior law reform officer at the Australian Law Reform Commission.

Carolyn Wilson

Part-time Member, Adelaide | BA LLB (Hons) | Appointed: 1 July 2009 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Carolyn Wilson is admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia and the High Court of Australia. She has worked in private practice as a solicitor in the area of administrative law, particularly judicial review. She has also worked as an archivist in local government. 

David Young

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BA, M Pub Pol, M Int'l & Comm Devlpt, M Int'l Hum Rts Law, Prof Cert Arb & Med | Appointed: 14 July 2003 (MRT), 14 November 2005 (RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2014

Prior to being appointed to the MRT, David Young spent 11 years at the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman in a variety of roles, including Chief Information Officer and Assistant Commonwealth Ombudsman. He was previously a senior adviser to the Victorian Government on crime prevention, law enforcement and counter-disaster planning. Educated at Melbourne and Oxford Universities and trained as a psychologist, mediator and arbitrator, he has also served as a consultant on alternative dispute resolution to the Victorian Small Business Commissioner's Office, and as a Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal and the Mental Health Review Board. He is a member of the International Association of Refugee Law Judges and the Australia and New Zealand Association for Psychology, Psychiatry and Law. 

Kirsten Young

Part-time Member, Melbourne | BA, LLB | Appointed: 1 July 2011 (MRT and RRT) | Current term expires: 30 June 2016

Kirsten Young worked with the human rights non-government organisation Displacement Solutions as Project Manager prior to joining the tribunals. She also had an extensive career with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) where she worked for almost two decades. She has held posts in South East Asia, Geneva, and the former Yugoslavia.