Catalyst Australia

Richard has been President of Catalyst Australia since its inception in late 2007.

Richard Archer is an occupational health and safety consultant, author and a Director of SEARCH Foundation. He has been a Manager of Occupational Health and Safety for Comcare and union OHS officer. Richard has also worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

His main interests lie in the areas of regulation and the effects of globalisation on workers. He holds a PhD from the University of Sydney and Graduate Diploma in OHS from the University of Technology.

Susan Hopgood is both President of Education International (EI) and the Federal Secretary of the Australian Education Union (AEU). She is also a Vice-president the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and a member of a number of its committees.

Susan first started her career teaching mathematics in secondary schools in Victoria, Australia in 1974. She joined the VSTA (now named the AEU) as a young teacher, and became an active member and union representative at school, regional and state levels. In 1985, she began working with the union full-time in the position of Women’s Officer, a job she held until 1993.

Since then, Susan has held a number of positions in the education union: Victorian Branch General Secretary from 1993–1995; AEU Federal Women’s Officer from 1995–1996; and Deputy Federal Secretary from 1996–2006, during which time her responsibilities included international relations. She was elected Federal Secretary of the AEU in 2006, the first woman to achieve that position.

Susan is also extremely active in the broader Australian trade union movement. She is a Vice-president the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and a member of a number of its committees.

Susan has been Vice-President of Catalyst Australia since its inception in late 2007.

John Sutton is a founding member and current treasurer of Catalyst Australia.

John is an Associate Commissioner to the Productivity Commission. Prior to this John was National Secretary of the CFMEU. He has held various positions in the BWIU and CFMEU over the last 28 years. He has been vice- president of the ACTU and International President of the Trade Unions International of Building and Woodworkers.

David Carey is National Secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union (State Public Services Federation Group).

Alison Peters was elected to the Catalyst Committee of Management in December 2008.

She is the Director of the Council of Social Service of NSW (NCOSS) a position she has held since November 2007. Prior to this Alison was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Unions NSW for seven years.

Previously, Alison has held many positions within the trade union movement including Secretary of the Australian Services Union (NSW & ACT Services Branch), National Chairperson of the ASU and Vice President of the Labor Council of NSW (now Unions NSW). She has also been a delegate to several ACTU Congresses.

Alison is currently a director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and has been a director of Sydney Water and the NSW Working Women’s Centre. She has been a member of the Premier's Council for Women, the Cooperatives Council, the Privacy Advisory Committee, the Advisory Council for the International Year of the Volunteer and the Sydney University Work and Organisational Studies Advisory Board.

Alison holds degrees in Commerce (Industrial Relations) and Law from the University of NSW.

Paul Bastian is the National President of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU). Paul joined the Catalyst Committee of Management in 2010.

In his work with the AMWU, Paul has been a tireless campaigner against the asbestos industry and an advocate for asbestos victims.

A shipwright by trade, he completed a Law Degree while studying part time at the University of Technology, Sydney. Paul has been a trade union member since he was an apprentice and has been a trade union official with the AMWU since 1981. He has worked throughout the manufacturing industry, in the construction, shipbuilding and metals industries, in both metropolitan and regional areas of the state.

He is a member of the NSW Manufacturing Council, the NSW Workers Compensation Advisory Council and an executive board member of APHEDA.

Paul has a long history of involvement with community and union campaigns against asbestos and in August 2008 he represented the AMWU and International Metalworkers Federation (IMF) at an International Conference on asbestos, convened by the Vietnam Institute for Labour Protection.

He was appointed to the Board of the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute on 27th November 2007.

Chris Gambian joined Catalyst’s Committee of Management in 2011.

He has been an official with the Finance Sector Union since 1997, with responsibility for organising, training, communications, campaigning and bargaining. He was appointed as the union's National Director for Organising & Development in February 2009.

Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, a Masters degree in Labour Law, and is interested in human rights, environmental and economic justice issues.

He is also the Chair of the Powerhouse Youth Theatre in Fairfield, which aims to give young people a voice through arts.

Louise Tarrant is National Secretary of United Voice (formerly the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union).

David McKnight is Associate Professor in the Arts Faculty at the University of New South Wales and an expert on Australian political history.

Maree O’Halloran is currently Director (CEO) of the Welfare Rights Centre, where she also practises as a solicitor. The Welfare Rights Centre advocates for and assists some of the most disadvantaged people in the community. Ms O'Halloran has also worked as a teacher in public schools, TAFE and Corrective Services. She has been an active voice for the teaching community, having served in numerous positions, including president, of the NSW Teachers Federation, and served as a director of Teachers Federation Health and the SAS Trustee Corporation.

Ms O’Halloran was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2011 Australia Day Honours List, in recognition of her service to industrial relations and the education sector.

Jo-anne Schofield is the Executive Director of Catalyst Australia Inc. Prior to taking up this role, Jo-anne spent two years working in the NSW public sector.  She was formerly Assistant National Secretary of the Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union (now United Voice), having worked for that union for 14 years in a variety of research, legal and policy roles.

Jo-anne has previously served on the Board of industry superannuation, non-profit and vocational education and training bodies. She is currently a member of the NSW TAFE Advisory Board and has a BA (Hons) first class from the University of NSW.