Lynden Esdaile, Executive Chairperson
Bachelor of Social Work, Masters in Public Policy, Member AHI
Chairperson of the HAC since its inception in 1995, Lynden has long experience in management and policy development at senior levels of Federal, State and local government in the areas of housing, community services, disability planning and cultural policy. She was the first manager of the Community Tenancy Scheme which developed community housing in NSW. She was appointed as Executive Chairperson of the Housing Appeals Committee when this position was created in 2001. She has been a Board member of the Australasian Housing Institute, the City West Housing Company and several arts organisations and a consultant in management, social, housing policy, cultural policy and strategic planning. In 2008 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study social housing in the UK, Ireland and Canada.
Lynn Houlahan, Deputy Chairperson
Diploma Welfare, Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), Post Graduate Diploma (Psychology)
Master of Arts (Special Education), JP
Lynn is a registered psychologist in private practice. She was formerly an Area Manager with the Department of Community Services and has extensive specialist knowledge of issues relating to children and adolescents and people with complex mental health problems and other disabilities. Historically Lynn was an inaugural member of the Guardianship Tribunal of New South Wales, and now sits, mainly on forensic matters, with the NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal. Lynn also works privately as a Consultant for a variety of non government and government service providers. Lynn has been Deputy Chair of the Committee since 1998.
Tacye Bowen, Presiding Chairperson
Bachelor of Arts (Hons), Diploma in Education (Social Science), Member AHI
Tacye has an extensive background in social housing, especially community housing. She has worked in, and been a Board member for, services addressing homelessness and providing affordable rental housing in Australia and the United Kingdom. She has qualifications in geography, economics and teaching. Tacye works as a consultant assisting community organisations and government departments in areas related to social housing provision and community management within mainstream and Aboriginal organisations. She has a special interest in the development of practical tools and policy guidelines to assist workers and managers achieve good practice in service delivery. She is an active member of the Australasian Housing Institute.
Bronwyn Richards- Presiding Chairperson
Advanced Welfare Certificate and Master of Arts in Social Policy (deferred)
Bronwyn has extensive experience as a community, legal and welfare-rights worker in the Illawarra area. She has been involved in advocacy for clients to other tribunals and has particular knowledge of social security policy and procedures and issues affecting families, victims of domestic violence and people with disabilities. Bronwyn worked with Wollongong City Council in the area of crime prevention and community renewal, using a community development approach, with a focus is on Drug and alcohol misuse and homelessness. Bronwyn is also a mediator with the Department of Fair Trading.
Stamatia Stamatellis- Presiding Chairperson
Bachelor of Arts (Communications), Bachelor of Laws, Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice
Stamatia is a lawyer and community worker with particular expertise in housing, social policy and issues affecting people of non-English speaking background (NESB). She has worked with South Sydney Womens’ Centre Co-operative, Western Sydney Tenants` Service, the NSW Council of Social Service, Intellectual Disability Rights Service and Legal Aid Commission. She is recently also been appointed as a member of the Guardianship Tribunal. Stamatia is of Greek background and speaks Greek.
Raymond Brazil
Master of Arts (Philosophy), Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Master of Dispute Resolution
Raymond is employed as a Family Mediator by Centacare, Sydney. He is also a Senior Case Officer at the Child Support Agency (conducting Change of Assessment conferences), a Conciliator at the Health Conciliation Registry and an Arbitrator at the Workers Compensation Commission. He currently works with the Aboriginal Legal Service. Prior to studying law, Raymond worked for several years as a community worker with young people and families of non-English speaking backgrounds.
Peter Davidson
Bachelor of Social Work
As Senior Policy Officer at the peak welfare body, the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), Peter deals with a range of social policy issues from employment and income support to tax policy. He is part of a policy team at ACOSS that puts the case to the Federal Government and the public for social reform to improve the lives of people on low incomes. He presents regularly on these issues at social policy conferences. He has experience as a social worker in the former Department of Social Security in Brisbane and Sydney and is studying for a Doctorate.
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NevaCollings
Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Economics, Master of Laws, Solicitor
Ms Collings has many years of experience undertaking research and consulting on social issues affecting Indigenous communities. Neva currently works as a Solicitor with the NSW Environmental Defenders Office. Neva has presented papers to the United Nations on threats to traditional knowledge in the Pacific region, consulted state wide a part of an independent review of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice Agreement and has reported on justice options for Indigenous young people for the NSW Department of Juvenile Justice.
Rebecca Gleeson
Bachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma in Conflict Resolution
Rebecca has an extensive background in complaints handling and mediation. Rebecca currently works for the Department of Fair Trading as a mediator dealing with disputes in strata schemes. It was her work at the NSW Ombudsman`s Office, reviewing complaints about decision making processes and the administrative conduct of government departments, that first developed her interest in mediation as an alternative approach to dispute resolution. Her mediation experience also includes matters related to family law, workplace disputes, building disputes and complaints to the NSW Ombudsman. She is a former Board member of the Australian Disputes Resolution Association. Rebecca also has considerable experience in issues related to the allocation of public housing and low income and special needs households as a result of her work at the Department of Housing in the 1980s.
Terry Chenery
Bachelor of Law
Terry Chenery was the Manager of the Aboriginal Complaints Unit with the NSW Ombudsman's office until 2005. In late 2005 he was appointed as Executive Officer to the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council. Terry has extensive knowledge and skills in the areas of health, justice, welfare and Indigenous issues. His family background is related to the Anaiwan people who originate in the New England area. Terry is currently on 6 months leave as a Committee member due to temporary appointment to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.
Angela Van Dyke
Bachelor of Social Science, Certificate IV in Workplace Assessment and Training
Angela has worked with a number of agencies, both government and community based. She has worked for the Attorney Generals Department, NSW Police Service, NSW TAFE, Department of Juvenile Justice, Liverpool Migrant Resource Centre and Liverpool Fairfield Disabled Persons Resource Service (as management member and President). She has spent the past five years at Fairfield City Council and is currently a policy Advisor for Social, Health and Housing. Angela has experience with both direct service delivery (casework) and community development. She has spent the past 15 years developing strategies (in partnership with other agencies) to address a range of social justice issues for people of NESB, and other marginalised / disadvantaged groups within the community. The past twenty years have also been spent working within the South West and Western suburbs of Sydney. Her cultural background is Croatian.
James (Jim) Allen
Diploma in Education, Member of the Batemans Bay Aboriginal Community
Jim is the Manager of Murra Mia Tenant Advice Service and is a Board member of the Aboriginal Housing Office. He is also a board member of the Batemans Bay Aboriginal Housing Corporation and former Chair of the Local Land Council. He was the Aboriginal member on the State Advisory Committee to the Minister for Housing for over 4 years and is a board member of the NSW Tenants’ Union. Jim has detailed understanding of housing policy and social issues affecting the Aboriginal community.
Neita Scott
Ms Scott has a long and distinguished record as a respected woman in the Aboriginal community in NSW. Neita is an active member on a number of Committees concerned with Indigenous welfare, housing, youth and women’s rights issues. Neita is a Wiradjuri woman from Narromine. She is a long term member of the Premier’s Council for Women and was until recently a member of the Aboriginal Housing Office Board.
Recently retired from Housing Appeals Committee:
John (Jack) Burns
Jack Burns is a retired public servant with many years experience in tribunal matters. Jack was a Public Service Association representative on the Government and Related Employees Appeals Tribunal (GREAT) for nine years and was an advocate to the NSW Conciliation Commission. He has been public housing tenant in Sydney for many years. He has a strong personal interest in social housing policy, disability services and issues affecting Aboriginal people. He was a valued member of the Housing Appeals Committee since its inception and retired due to ill health.
Kate Timbs
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, Diploma of Practical Legal Studies
Kate currently manages the Community Renewals and Investigations Section at the Australian Communications and Media Authority. She has a background in disability discrimination as a Conciliator for the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and has worked in legal and technical areas in the Child Support Agency and the Australian Communications and Media Authority. She has a special interest in administrative law, welfare and disability issues. Kate was a public housing tenant and lived for many years in public housing in the Waterloo area. She recently retired as a HAC member after being appointed as a full time member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal.
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