Temperate East Marine Parks Advisory Committee

Russell is the Director of East Marine Parks section in the Marine and Island Parks Branch of Parks Australia. He oversees management of the Coral Sea Marine Park, the Temperate East and the South-east Networks.

Russell has an extensive background in marine and terrestrial wildlife management (natural resource management) and has held the roles of Park Manager for Kakadu National Park and Director of Authorisations and Compliance within Parks Australia.   

Russell operated his own nature-based tourism business in the Kimberley and has extensive experience in tertiary education including lecturing and managing diverse teams in the TAFE system in multiple states.. He has a species of carnivorous plant (Byblis guehoi) named after him and  has also published two natural history books on the Kimberley region of Western Australia.  

Russell has an interest in climate change adaptation and management and is keen to support research and monitoring that informs best practice management of Australian Marine Parks.

Rosemary is a social scientist and is an Adjunct Research Professor at Charles Sturt University. She has conducted social research in the fields of natural resource management, sustainable tourism, interpretation and tour-guiding.

She undertakes applied research with industry partners including protected area management and tourism agencies, local councils and community-based organisations.  

Rosemary holds Ministerial appointments on the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Advisory Council and North Coast Regional Advisory Committee. Rosemary is a resident of the mid-north coast of NSW and brings extensive regional knowledge to the Advisory Committee.

Rob is a proud Gumbaynggirr/Dunghutti/Yuin man from Coffs Harbour.

He is interested in bringing together cultural knowledge and management for the benefit of Gagaal Wajarr (Sea Country) and has previously worked as the Coordinator of the Gumbaynggirr Sea Country Rangers and was involved in the development of an Indigenous Protected Area (Sea Country).  

Rob is a Senior Firefighter with ACT Fire and Rescue experienced in emergency response and rescue. Rob has considerable experience working with Aboriginal organisations on education and youth at risk programs. He has a strong connection with the Indigenous Aboriginal Marathon Project and competes in triathlons and ocean swimming races. Rob is a member of TriMob, the world's first all indigenous Triathlon club.

John is a lifetime recreational fisher and passionate about sport, game and spear fishing. He is a Life member, Director and Executive Officer of the Austalian National Sportfishing Association and has served on the boards of Ozfish, the Australian Recreational Fishing Federation and Recfish Australia.

John serves on various committees established by the Federal and NSW governments to address management and policy relevant to recreational and commercial fishing, marine parks, fishing safety, boating, resource sharing, endangered species preservation, coastal contamination and marine habitat preservation.  

John is also an Australian International Game Fishing Association member and serves on the Fisheries Research and Development Commission Research Steering Committee. Prior to retirement, John was a senior executive in the financial sector and is a qualified  accountant. He is a committed advocate for the fishing sector and a firm believer in balance of competing interests for preservation and management of the marine environment. In 2017, John was presented with the Mal Ramsay Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to recreational fishing.

Brian currently chairs the Lord Howe Island Marine Park Advisory Committee and has been a member since its inception in 1999. He has a history of involvement in the development, zoning and management of marine parks and he understands the complexities involved in managing multiple use marine protected areas.

Brian previously operated a scuba diving business on Norfolk Island for 25 years. Now living on Lord Howe Island, he brings an intimate knowledge of the waters of these two marine parks to the Committee. He has extensive knowledge of the Temperate East marine region, including its marine resources, local businesses, tourism industry and stakeholders.

Andrew is the Assistant Director of the Marine and Coastal Geoscience Team at Geoscience Australia. He is a highly experienced marine ecologist.

Andrew has extensive expertise in the management and conservation of marine biodiversity, seabed mapping and habitat characterisation, coral reef ecology, assessments of anthropogenic impacts on marine fauna, the development and implementation of ocean best practices and the application of evidence-based science to inform government policy and decision-making. He has specialist marine ecology and geoscience knowledge of the Temperate East marine region and broader Australian marine estate. 

Andrew has led and participated in national and international seabed mapping surveys for over a decade and is involved in the delivery of national marine datasets through Australia’s National Environmental Science Programme (NESP) – Marine and Coastal Hub, and other work programs at Geoscience Australia. 

Kate has over twenty years of experience in marine spatial planning and marine protected areas in Australia and the Pacific. Kate was involved in the development of Australia’s National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA), a precursor to Australian Marine Parks, in her former role as Director of the Australian Marine Conservation Society.

From 2021 to 2024, Kate held the role of Director of the Australian Committee for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ACIUCN), an international keystone organisation for protected area management. In this role, Kate worked alongside the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management (NAILSMA) to coordinate the first Reimagining Conservation Forum - Working Together for Healthy Country, which brought together Indigenous and non-Indigenous people across Australia to share strategies and lessons learnt. 

Now an independent consultant, Kate supports Pacific Island countries to prepare marine spatial plans, develop marine protected area networks, and enhance protected area management and community awareness initiatives.

Roberta is Head of Research, Development and Innovation and co-founder of Take 3 for the Sea, a proactive response to the escalating problem of plastic pollution choking the world’s oceans and broader environments.

Roberta’s career has been focused on communication, education and building awareness of the marine environment. This has ranged from developing an Educational and Advisory Strategy for Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in NSW to co-founding Take 3 for the Sea, an internationally recognised, award-winning charity.

Roberta has previously been a manager of NSW Solitary Islands Marine Reserve. This practical experience in MPA management has broadened her appreciation and understanding of managing competing interests in marine parks. Roberta believes that the benefits of marine parks need to be better understood by all and that communication, education and awareness programs are essential to meet this goal.

Chris is a Professor of Marine Science at Griffith University. His expertise is primarily in temperate marine ecosystems and intertidal and shelf sedimentary habitats.

He has 30 years’ experience in the provision of scientific advice and policy development in the UK, EU and Australia in areas of fisheries, aquaculture, conservation, marine spatial planning and water quality management. His work has contributed to understanding human impacts on marine systems and how they can be mitigated.  

Chris has previous experience participating in government marine management agencies advisory groups in the United Kingdom and Europe. He is currently President of the Australian Marine Sciences Association, whom he represents at Science and Technology Australia. Chris is also a member of the National Marine Science Committee and a member of the UN Pool of Experts for Reporting on the State of the Marine Environment. Chris is interested in the shared challenge of developing sustainable and evidence-based approaches to management of activities in our marine estate. 

Matthew is an Aquatic Ecologist with Ecological Service Professionals in Wynnum, Queensland. His background is in the fields of ecology and environmental science.

His experience is particularly in the field of coastal ecology, which includes near and offshore marine environments. His research interests include global change impacts of sea level rise and temperature change; eutrophication of coastal ecosystems; species range expansions; blue carbon storage; and water use of coastal wetland plants.

Matthew believes the Committee has an important role in helping marine parks to remain healthy, resilient, and well-managed, and to identify and advise on key and emerging priorities, particularly climate related impacts and other pressures, including ecosystem resilience and recovery.

Brendan  is Professor of Marine Science at Southern Cross University based in Coffs Harbour, near the Solitary Island Marine Park. He has experience as a marine researcher, marine protected area manager, consultant, government advisor, fisheries committee chair and an academic living and working on the Australian coast.

Brendan acts as a chair or scientific representative on several Australian Fisheries Management Authority committees, advising on Commonwealth fisheries in the south-east portion of the Australian Fishing Zone including the Temperate East region.

Brendan was Manager of the NSW Batemans Marine Park from 2007-2012. He has contributed to two independent scientific reviews of NSW marine parks. Brendan is passionate about contributing to the long-term sustainable development of the Australian Marine Parks Estate.

Jessica is a conservation marine ecologist, currently managing the Ghostnets Australia Program with OceanEarth Foundation.

The program works with remote and international communities on natural-based solutions to address the source of discarded, abandoned or lost marine fishing debris. She is also an adjunct research associate with Charles Sturt University and has lectured in both the environment and estuary management.

Jessica brings considerable experience working in community-led conservation programs, as well as community engagement and education. She is passionate about providing a pathway for diverse, representative and informed decision-making in environmental management and is excited about the opportunities appointment to the Committee will offer.

Kellie is the Principal Scientist and Director of Pendoley Environmental Pty Ltd. Kellie has 40 years’ experience as an environmental practitioner in the resource sector in Western Australia, focussing on marine turtle biology and artificial light at night (ALAN), monitoring, modelling and impact assessment.

Kellie’s PhD studies were on marine turtles and the environmental management of industrial activities in northwest Western Australia.  

Since the late 1990s Kellie has led the development of a novel method for measuring biologically focussed ALAN on a landscape scale. She routinely works with State and Federal regulatory agencies and most recently was lead author on the National Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife which were finalised in 2020 and subsequently adopted by the 133 signatory countries of the United Nations Convention of Migratory Species.  

Kellie prepared the first marine habitat map of nearshore waters of Norfolk Marine Park (her family home) and has close relationships with local Norfolk Islanders. Until recently Kellie was a member of the North-west Marine Park Advisory Committee.