Summit 2026 – Raising the bar
Adopting the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
Agenda
Time | Item | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
9:00 (15 min) | Start | |
Welcome to Country | Craig Madden | |
9:15 (5 min) | Minister opening address (video) | The Hon. Ryan Park MP |
9:20 (15 min) | Opening address | Clare Beech ASM |
9:35 (40 min) | Keynote: From patient to clinician, why safety and quality matters to me | Dr Ben Bravery |
10:15 (30 min) | The Clinical Excellence Commission, leading safety and quality across the system – working to support NSWA | Adjunct Professor Michael Nicholl |
10.45 (25 min) | Morning tea |
| Time | Item | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
11:10 (25 min) | From Floor to Board – everyone counts! | Adjunct Professor Anthony M. Schembri AM |
11:35 (30 min) | SAAS – Reflections from the workforce - our National Standards experience | Ian Debono |
12:05 (25 min) | Consumers, shared decision making, cultural safety and getting it right! | Lesa Towers |
12.30 (50 min) | Lunch |
| Time | Item | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
13:20 (10mins) | Workshop: Building our safety culture, foundations for adoption of the National Standards. | Host: Alan Morrison |
13.30 (30 min) | What does leadership “look” like? | QBE Guest speaker |
14.00 (30 min) | Building a clinical safety and quality culture – time to hear your voice | Workshop activity |
14:30 (20 min) | Afternoon tea |
| Time | Item | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
14:50 (60 min) | Workshop: Reporting back & the way forward | Al Morrison |
15:50 (10 min) | Summit 2026 wrap up | Clare Beech ASM |
15:55 | Summit 2026 close |
16:00 | Summit concludes |
Speaker profiles
Chris Bath
Chris has spent more than three decades front and centre in the media landscape.
She’s been reading news and reporting as a journalist since she was 21 years old, first on radio at Sydney’s 2UE, and then on the small screen aged 22 at Prime TV, before NBN TV in Newcastle snaffled her as their nightly news anchor.
After five wonderful years at NBN, Chris then spent almost 20 years at Australia’s Channel Seven as a network anchor. Chris hosted various national news and public affairs programs for Seven, interviewing anyone from Prime Ministers to pop stars. She’s anchored global events live from some of the biggest moments of the modern era, from natural disasters tragedies and commemorations, to royal weddings and funerals, to Federal and U-S elections. She’s even cha cha’ed and waltzed live on TV - to rave reviews - under a mirror ball on “Dancing With The Stars”.
Apart from TV, Chris has extensive experience in radio, hosting her own Evenings show on the ABC. She still anchors ABC Sydney’s Drive show from time to time. Her connection with her audience is driven by her genuineness and authenticity on air.
Chris is also an accomplished MC and facilitator. She emceed the prelude to the Sydney Olympics live on stage at the stadium, and has been the MC at a host of corporate events, awards nights, conferences and forums. She’s also a tireless MC for a multitude of not-for-profit organisations.
Craig Madden
Member, Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Craig Madden is a proud Gadigal/Bundjulang man who was born and raised in the inner city suburbs of Redfern and Alexandria were he still resides today. He has worked within the Aboriginal community for the past 25 years as an Aboriginal Employment Consultant for Australia Post and, currently, as Aboriginal Welfare and Community Liaison Officer for Corrective Services New South Wales.
Mr. Madden is a member of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, the Redfern Aboriginal Housing Company, Babana Aboriginal Men’s Group Redfern and a former director and current member of the Aboriginal Medical Service Redfern.
The Hon. Ryan Park MP
Minister for Health. Minister for Regional Health. Minister for the Illawarra and the South Coast. Member for Keira.
Ryan was born and raised in the Illawarra. As a teacher, Ryan worked at Lake Illawarra High School.
Ryan is very proud of his community; proud of where it comes from; proud of the “Gong”. He is enthusiastic and determined to make sure the region gets its fair share of funding for better services and infrastructure.
Ryan is someone with strong Labor values. He believes in well-resourced schools and first-class health services, investment in public infrastructure to drive jobs and support local economies, and helping those who need a hand in our community.
As Health Minister, Ryan is committed to building up our healthcare system so that people can receive the care they deserve when they need it, through improving access to care in cities and regional NSW, boosting an engaged and supported workforce and investing in health infrastructure where it’s needed most.
Interim Chief Executive, Clare Beech ASM
Clare has more than 20 years of ambulance experience spanning across clinical, operational and executive roles before being appointed as Interim Chief Executive in 2026.
Clare began her paramedic career working in rural and remote locations across Victoria, before joining NSW Ambulance in 2007. She qualified as an Intensive Care and Extended Care paramedics, before becoming Director of Clinical Operations (Sectors) and more recently Executive Director Clinical Capability, Safely & Quality.
In this role Clare led a diverse portfolio including Clinical Governance, Education, Virtual Care, Clinical Practice & Programs, Service Planning and Aboriginal Health. She also oversaw the implementation of the NSW Ambulance Virtual Clinical Care Centre (VCCC) which works to ensure patients are connected with the right care, at the right time and in the right place. This model represents the most significant reform and innovation project to be delivered over the life of the NSW Ambulance Strategic Plan and directly addresses the broader NSW Health priority to deliver high value, patient centered care.
Clare is a strong and well-respected leader. She encourages ownership, participation and innovation from her teams, always returning the focus to the needs of the patient and their experience in the out-of-hospital clinical setting.
Clare holds an unwavering commitment to ensuring excellence in clinical care, with post graduate qualifications in leadership, public administration, corporate governance and EMS operations management. She was appointed to the inaugural Paramedicine Board of Australia in 2017 in recognition of her experience and leadership in the industry.
Dr Ben Bravery
In 2011, while living in Beijing, China and building his own science communication business, Ben was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. He was 28 years old. He returned to Australia and underwent 18 months of treatment, which included radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery.
After treatment, Ben needed a change. He decided to become a doctor. He completed a MBBS with Honours from the University of Notre Dame Australia in 2018 and is now undertaking speciality training in Psychiatry.
Ben volunteers, advocates, writes and speaks about colorectal cancer, living with cancer, cancer in young adults, medicine and medical education. He has written for the ABC, Huffington Post, Cosmos and the China Daily. He’s appeared on ABC Radio, Sunrise, 9 News, 7 News and China Radio International.
In his previous life as a zoologist and science communicator, Ben worked for the Commonwealth government, Chinese government, a medical research facility and an environmental NGO. He’s lived and worked in Canberra, Darwin and Sydney, as well as in Hainan and Beijing in China.
Ben grew up in Queensland, Australia. In addition to his medical degree, he has a Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Queensland (majoring in zoology and animal behaviour) and a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication from the Australian National University.
Ben’s memoir, The Patient Doctor, was published in 2022 by Hachette Australia.
Adjunct Professor Michael Nicholl
Adjunct Professor Michael Nicholl has been the Chief Executive of the Clinical Excellence Commission since 2022. He leads the organisation’s work in providing NSW Health system-wide leadership in clinical governance and patient safety expertise.
Michael brings more than 40 years of experience as a clinician, health leader and advisor. He worked as a specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist and was the Senior Clinical Advisor in Obstetrics for NSW Health for 15 years. Michael’s career has focused on reducing harm, strengthening clinical governance, and improving how health services measure and manage risk.
Michael has worked nationally on patient safety with the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. In 2017, he received the NSW Public Sector Risk Leadership Award for his contribution to safer care.
Adjunct Professor, Anthony M. Schembri AM
Anthony Schembri commenced in July 2023 the role of Chief Executive of Northern Sydney Local Health District serving a population of nearly 1 million people with a budget over $2.7 billion and a workforce of 15,000 delivering quaternary, tertiary, acute, sub-acute, critical care, primary, mental health, addiction, community, public health and population health services. He holds Board appointments to the NORTH Foundation, Sydney Health Partners, Kolling Institute for Medical Research, NSW Ambulance and the Australian Institute of Health Innovation.
Anthony holds adjunct professorial appointments with the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney and in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Macquarie University. He is an Industry Professor with the Faculty of Health and the Graduate School of Health at the University of Technology Sydney.
Anthony was the CEO of the St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney for close to 10 years and held appointments as Board Director for the Central and Eastern Primary Health Network, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, National Centre for Clinical Research of Emerging Drugs of Concern, St Vincent’s Curran Foundation, and the Nursing Research Institute.
Anthony was employed in general manager roles at Liverpool Hospital, Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital and Fairfield Hospital and held the role of Clinical Director for Allied Health and various hospital social work roles.
He has held community leadership roles in Youth Services, LGBTI health and welfare, the Champions for Change and was an ambassador for Polished Man ending violence against children. He was a tribunal member for the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal and the Appeal Panel of the Tribunal and an Official Visitor for the then Community Services Commission. He was a surveyor with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards.
Anthony was awarded in 1998 the Premiers Community Service Award for his work as Deputy Chair of the NSW Government Youth Advisory Council. He was named in 2019 Queens Birthday Honours List, a Member of the Order of Australia and in 2023 awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from UNSW Sydney.
Anthony holds an Honours degree in Social Work from UNSW Sydney, a Graduate Diploma in Public Administration and Masters of Public Policy with merit from the University of Sydney and Certificate in Health and Human Rights from Harvard. He is an accredited social worker of over 30 years with the Australian Association of Social Workers and Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Managers and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Mr Ian Debono ASM
Ian Debono began his health career in nursing, working throughout New South Wales and South Australia in both regional and metropolitan hospitals. Ian joined SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) as a Paramedic in 1997 and has worked in a variety of leadership, education and clinical roles throughout his 29-year career. Ian has worked as an Extended Care Paramedic (ECP) and Emergency Operations Centre Clinician for the last 12 years.
Ian completed three years as the SAAS Clinical Lead for the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards. In this role, Ian led the organisation’s transition to the NSQHS Standards (Version 2), driving systemic quality improvements and securing full accreditation. A passionate advocate for patient safety and clinical education, Ian continues to influence contemporary paramedic practice through strong leadership and a commitment to clinical governance..
Lesa Towers
A Proud Gringai/Worimi/Awabakal woman from Newcastle NSW that moved to Coonabarabran 20 years ago.
Lesa is currently the Executive Director Aboriginal Health & Well Being for Western NSW Local Health District and has worked in many clinical and leadership roles across Western NSW LHD and has represented the districts Aboriginal workforce at a State and National level.
She is passionate about improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people and community and has been a dedicated strong advocate for the Aboriginal Health Practitioner profession since 2007. She is the current President of the NSW Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Council that regulates the profession within NSW.
Alan Morrison ASM FAC
Alan is currently the Acting Executive Director Clinical Capability, Safety and Quality. He has been a paramedic for 30 years and continues to practice clinically as an Intensive Care Paramedic. His substantive role is Associate Director Professional Engagement and Partnerships which focuses on the strategic connections between NSWA, the broader health system and other partner agencies. In this role, he is the NSW Ambulance lead on the NSW Health Paramedic Integrated Workforce project testing the concept of paramedicine inclusion in facility based multidisciplinary teams. Alan was the NSWA Director of Education for several years in which he oversaw the transition of foundation paramedic education from the vocational to the tertiary sector.
Alan chaired the Ambulance Health Services Working Group that produced the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standard Guide to assist the application and assessment of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards within an Ambulance Service.
Alan has a major interest and extensive experience in health practitioner regulation. He is the President of the Paramedicine Council, a position he has held since 2018. He is a member of the Health Professional Council Authority (HPCA) Aboriginal Advisory Committee and co-chaired the working group that developed the Joint NSW Health Professionals Councils and HPCA Aboriginal Cultural Safety Strategy. He has chaired the NSW Health Professional Councils Presidents’ Forum and was co-chair of the inaugural national Paramedicine Accreditation Committee for 7 years. Alan is an Adjunct Fellow with Western Sydney University and a Fellow of the Australasian College of Paramedicine. His interests span paramedicine practice, clinical education, health practitioner regulation, health service systems of care, workforce innovation and choral singing.
Schalk Viljoen, General Manager – Talisman Edge
Schalk is a seasoned business professional and Chartered Accountant who has led teams across multiple industries. With over 20 years of experience in finance, consulting, strategy execution and facilitation, he is a confident communicator who uses his passion for teams and his analytical problem-solving skills to enable the swift delivery of projects.
Schalk has extensive corporate and entrepreneurial experience, having previously worked for Deloitte (Audit & Assurance and Corporate Finance), the Standard Bank Group (South Africa), a junior mining company, and started and led a boutique management consultancy.
Schalk currently leads Talisman Edge, a team that helps organisations embed the values and behaviours that drive high performance, assist leaders to develop and implement business strategies, and equip teams and individuals to unlock their full potential through leadership development programs.