about us

Dr Millie Rooney, Co-Director

Millie is a social scientist, researcher and champion of participatory democracy and politics, based in nipaluna/Hobart, Tasmania. She co-directs the strategic and daily operations work of Australia reMADE, writes regularly and is sought after on panels, podcasts and forums for her work on the public good and more. Her social science expertise centres around community building and social capital.

As a carer for her family, as well as others in her community facing chronic illness and disability, Millie is passionate about care, inclusion and meeting the needs we all have to lead lives of connection, care and contribution. She’s also a wonderful tinkerer and maker of things, from garden beds to clothing, a skill she picked up from her parents. An avid ocean-dipper, amateur circus performer and enthusiastic roller-skater, Millie thrives on joy and community.

Millie brings a courageous and vulnerable leadership style that allows her to listen deeply to people from very different walks of life to find the deeper story and needs. Her authentic voice and relatable humour are there in everything she does. Find her on LinkedIn or Twitter @_MillieRooney.

Lilian Spencer, Co-Director

Lily is one of Australia’s leading impact communications specialists for mission-driven organisations and movements, based in Gubbi Gubbi Country, Queensland. She co-directs the strategic and daily work of Australia reMADE and hosts the reMAKERS podcast.

Lily is sought after for her depth of experience, framing and messaging expertise; and ability to connect big ideas simply – in ways that inspire and build common ground. She’s worked on history-making campaigns and movements, co-founded a social enterprise and raised millions of dollars from small donations to tackle our biggest challenges. She’s also appeared on stages from The Woodford Folk Festival to Progress Leaders and The Project.

Lily believes in building the new, helping the helpers and cherishing the good, as we upgrade our systems to reMAKE more of the world we want. Find her on LinkedIn or Instagram @LilySpencer_words.

Anna Wilson, Creative Director

Anna is a freelance designer, illustrator and photographer who has spent most of her adult life travelling the world. She loves storms and snow and is happiest running in the mountains or drawing in the streets of new cities. In a previous life she was a human geographer. This taught her about systems, analysis and nuance and fuelled a passion for celebrating difference and a love for the wild and the weedy. She loves to merge these two worlds and design and illustrate for organisations and causes and people that she believes in and cares about. She also producers the reMAKERS podcast.

You can see more of her work on her website and her instagram.

Louise Tarrant, Chair

Louise Tarrant is a lifelong unionist and spent many years with United Voice (including as National Secretary). United Voice is the union supporting people working in many low paid occupations such as cleaning, aged care, hospitality and early childhood education.

Louise is currently on the Board of Greenpeace Australia Pacific and is the current chair of the Australia reMADE Secretariat.

In her work Louise has witnessed the struggle of diverse people united by economic challenge come together to campaign for a better future for themselves and their families. United by a love of this country – particularly its beaches and warmth; its stability and freedoms compared to where many have come from; and the life-long opportunities a good education, health and welfare system offer.

Louise is passionate about dismantling the concentration of power and wealth that undermines our national sense of a fair go and fair play, that hollows out our democracy and puts business interests ahead of our environment. She is involved in Australia reMADE as a way of opening space for new conversations about the future – a future where people and planet come first.

Cassandra Goldie

Cassandra has been CEO of ACOSS since July 2010. With public policy expertise in economic and social issues, civil society, social justice and human rights, Cassandra has represented the interests of people who are disadvantaged, and civil society generally, in major national and international processes as well as in grassroots communities.

Cassandra has previously held senior roles in both the NFP and public sectors, including as Director of Sex and Age Discrimination with the Australian Human Rights Commission, Director and Principal Solicitor with the Darwin Community Legal Service and Senior Executive with Legal Aid in Western Australia.

Cassandra has a PhD from the University of New South Wales, a Masters of Law from University College London and is an Adjunct Professor with the Faculty of Law, UNSW.

In 2014, Cassandra was voted one of the Impact 25 Most Influential People in the Social Economy and recognised by the AFR in 2015 on their Annual Overt Power List. In 2018, Cassandra was recognised as one of Australia’s top 50 Outstanding LGBTI Executives by Deloitte.

Archie Law

Archie is Chair of the Sydney Peace Foundation which awards the annual Sydney Peace Prize. He was the founding Executive Director of ActionAid Australia, an anti-poverty agency active in over 40 countries. Archie has significant field experience and has worked in conflict affected environments with both the United Nations and non-governmental organisations in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Archie has been working on building a vision for the new Australia from the very beginning of this project.  He loves this country and is passionate about working with all Australians to create the country that we want. A country that treasures its culture and its people and shares its values with the world.

Kelly O’Shanassy

Kelly is the CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation and a sustainability leader, experienced in executive roles in business, government and the community sector. In her career, Kelly has led the charge to boost clean energy, save water and protect Australia’s rivers, reefs, forests and wildlife. She believes strongly in utilising ‘people power’ and ‘un-usual’ partnerships to advocate for a better future. Kelly believes if we work together, we can remake Australia into something better for people and nature.

Ann Porcino

Ann is a strategist, facilitator and consultant. Director of RPR Consulting she facilitates bold conversations about the critical issues of our time, inspiring hope and building strategies for change.  Ann has been part of building Australia reMADE since its beginnings and coordinated the work that turned discussions with people across the country into Australia Remade. She is also the Deputy Chair of the Secretariat.

Ann came to Australia from New York in the 1980s. She started work in Australia as a hospital CEO and then director of Australia’s health accreditation agency. She has decades of experience in senior management positions and as a strategic consultant across civil society and with government.  She works with many progressive organisations and leaders.  Ann is deeply committed to enabling the people she works with to build alliances, tackle underlying systems and find new ways of working to serve humanity and the planet.

Ann lives in Sydney close to her daughters, husband, friends and violin.

David Ritter

David is the Chief Executive Officer of Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

 Before taking up his present position, David worked for Greenpeace UK in a series of senior campaign positions. Prior to joining Greenpeace, David was one of Australia's leading Indigenous rights lawyers and the author of two books on native title. David's most recent book is The Coal Truth: The Fight to Stop Adani, Defeat the Big Polluters and Reclaim our Democracy.  He lives in Sydney with his partner and two daughters. 

 David has been involved with Australia reMADE since the beginning and is excited about the potential for this work as a key step towards our shared flourishing future.

Paul Oosting

Paul was the National Director of GetUp from 2015-2022. He led GetUp’s successful 2016 election campaign which focused on multiple areas such as stopping funding cuts to local hospitals, holding corporate tax dodgers to account and keeping climate action at the top of the agenda. In 2017, Paul ranked in the top 10 of the Australian Financial Review’s Power Index of the most covertly powerful people in 2017. Before joining GetUp, Paul led the successful campaign to stop Gunns’ proposed pulp mill in Tasmania. The campaign resulted in the protection of over 160,000 hectares of Tasmania’s ancient forests. 

Mark Zirnsak

Mark is the Senior Social Justice Advocate, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, Uniting Church in Australia. 

He was employed as the Synod Social Justice Development Officer in the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania in June 1999 and became Director of the Justice and International Mission Unit of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania in early 2004. In 2018 he became the Senior Social Justice Advocate. 

 He is chair of the Victorian InterChurch Gambling Taskforce,  a member of the Victorian Liquor Control Advisory Council, the Attorney General’s National Roundtable on Slavery and Human Trafficking, the Victorian Alcohol Policy Coalition, the Australian Open Government Forum, the Victorian Government Responsible Gambling Ministerial Advisory Council and the Asia-Pacific Financial Coalition Against Child Sexual Exploitation. Mark is also a member of the Secretariat for the Tax Justice Network in Australia and is actively involved in the anti-corruption movement Transparency International Australia.

 He has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Melbourne. He is married and has three children.