Keynotes 2017
Confirmed Keynotes
Julie Inman Grant, Children’s eSafety Commissioner, Office of Children’s eSafety Commission
Julie has extensive experience in the non-profit and government sectors, and spent two decades working in senior public policy and safety roles in the tech industry at Microsoft, Twitter, and most recently Adobe.
Julie’s career began in Washington DC, working in the US Congress and the non-profit sector before taking on a role at Microsoft. Julie’s experience at Microsoft spanned 17 years, serving as one of the company’s first and longest-standing government relations professionals, ultimately in the role of Global Safety Director for safety policy and outreach.
At Twitter, Julie headed up Public Policy for Australia and South East Asia, managing a range of public policy issues, including online safety and countering violent extremism. Julie also built Twitter’s ‘Rules and Tools’ for safety, and conceptualised and piloted #PositionofStrength, which now serves as Twitter’s global female safety and empowerment program.
Most recently, Julie served as Director of Government Relations Asia Pacific at Adobe, where she worked with governments across the region on issues such as innovation and digital transformation, creativity and STEM skills development and cybersecurity.
Dr Michael Salter, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Western Sydney University
Dr Michael Salter is a senior lecturer in criminology at Western Sydney University. Michael specializes in the study of violence against women and children, with a focus on complex trauma, victim support and primary prevention. He is the author of Organised Sexual Abuse (Routledge, 2013) and Crime, Justice and Social Media (Routledge, 2017).
Dr Salter is currently a Chief Investigator on an ANROWS-funded research project undertaking a meta-evaluation of perpetrator programs in sexual assault, domestic violence and child sexual abuse with a focus on improving engagement and retention. As the leader of the violence strand within the Sexualities and Genders Research cluster, he is developing a primary prevention program for high schools in the Western Sydney region to reduce gendered violence, and mapping community understandings of domestic violence in refugee and migrant communities.
He has published widely on the needs and experienced of adult survivors of child sexual abuse, was an expert advisor to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. He also sits on the Scientific Advisory Council of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.
Assistant Commissioner, Dean McWhirter, Family Violence Command, Victoria Police
Assistant Commissioner Dean McWhirter has had a diverse career during his 35 years in Victoria Police. He has worked at various supervisory levels across Victoria Police including the Intelligence and Covert Support Department, Transit Safety Division, Ethical Standards Department, Traffic Camera Office and People Development Command.
In March 2015, Dean was appointed as the Assistant Commissioner, Family Violence Command. This Command is the first of its kind in any policing jurisdiction in Australia.
Invited Keynotes
The Program Committee would like to thank the keynote speakers of previous years for their contribution.
- Honourable Shannon Fentiman MP, Minister for Communities, Women and Youth, Minister for Child Safety, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Member for Waterford
- Mary Barry, Chief Executive Officer, Our Watch
- Moo Baulch, Chief Executive Officer, Domestic Violence NSW
- Todd Greenberg – Chief Executive Offocer, NRL
- Dr Adele Murdolo, Executive Director, Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health
- Rebecca Poulson, Author, Speaker and Domestic Violence Survivor Advocate who Inspires Change
- Jacqui Watt – Chief Executive Officer, No to Violence
- Antoinette Braybrook, Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service Victoria, National Convenor, National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services Forum
- Ms Jonty Bush, 2014 YWCA Inspirational Queenslander, 2009 Young Australian of the Year, 2009 USC Alumni of the Year
- Libby Davies, CEO White Ribbon
- Professor Patricia Easteal AM, University of Canberra
- Dr Michael Flood, Senior Lecturer, University of Wollongong
- John Hinchey, Victims of Crime Commissioner
- Michael Hogan, Director General, QLD Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability
- Dr Troy McEwan, Clinical and Forensic Psychology, School of Health Sciences, Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science at Swinburne University of Technology and Senior Psychologist at Forensicare Problem Behaviour Program
- Heather Nancarrow, CEO, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety Limited (ANROWS)
