Nick Sabel

CEO, Common Equity New South Wales

Nick is CEO of Common Equity NSW, a Community Housing Provider and peak body for rental housing co-operatives in NSW.  Nick has worked in the social and affordable housing sector both in government and not for profit organisations for over 25 years.

He is passionate about increasing people’s access to safe, affordable and secure housing and supporting tenants’ agency and voice in the way this housing is delivered and managed.

The Hon Rose Jackson MLC

Minister for Housing, Homelessness, Youth, Mental Health and Water

Rose Jackson is a Labor Member of the NSW Legislative Council and serves as the Minister for Housing, Homelessness, Youth, Mental Health and Water. Since entering Parliament in 2019, Rose has led major reforms to build a fairer, more compassionate NSW.

She’s delivering the biggest reform of public housing in a generation – including the historic $6.6 billion Building Homes for NSW Program. As well as launching the state’s first Office for Youth, cracking down on water theft, mental health system reform and protecting public ownership of essential services.

Rose has also held a variety of roles within the labour and union movement including Assistant Secretary of NSW Labor and as an official for United Voice (now United Workers Union.) She is driven by her values: fairness, equity, and opportunity for all. She lives in Rockdale with her family and believes that young women, working parents, and everyday people deserve a seat at the table – and a strong voice in Parliament.

Josh Burns MP

Special Envoy for Social Housing and Homelessness

Josh Burns is an Australian Labor Party politician. He is the current Member of Parliament for the federal electorate of Macnamara in Melbourne, Victoria.

He was first elected in 2019 and has been re-elected in 2022 and, most recently, in the 2025 federal election.

Following his re-election in 2025, Josh was appointed as the Special Envoy for Social Housing and Homelessness in the second Albanese ministry. He serves as the Chair of this important committee, reflecting his commitment to human rights and civil liberties.

He also chairs the Foreign Affairs and Aid Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.

Liz Thomas

Managing Director Common Equity Housing Limited Chair, Australian Co-operative Housing Alliance (ACHA)

Since 2021, Liz has been the Managing Director of Common Equity Housing Ltd (CEHL), Australia’s largest cooperative housing provider. She is also Deputy Chair of CHIA Victoria and a Director of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM).

Liz has a deep commitment to sector-wide transformation that will strengthen the role of housing co-operatives within Australia’s housing system. As Chair of ACHA, Liz is a strong advocate for co-op housing as a scalable, people-centred response to housing affordability and security.

More broadly, Liz is an experienced Board Director and Chief Executive with more than 25 years’ leadership experience in social and affordable housing development, family violence and homelessness response services, and specialist housing projects. She brings a national policy and systems perspective to her CEHL and ACHA roles, with a particular focus on collaboration, sector leadership, and impact.

Tim Ross

CEO, Co-op Housing Federation of Canada (CHF)

David Pocock

Independent Senator for the ACT

Trina Jones

NSW Rental Commissioner

Associate Professor

Paul Thambar

Founding Director, Mutual Value Lab, Monash Business School

Alison Holloway

Principal & Partner, SGS Economics & Planning

Karren Walker

CEO, United Housing Co-op

Karren brings in excess of thirty years’ experience in the co-operative housing sector, including as a founding member of Sun Housing Co-op.  Karren was elected to the Board of Directors of Common Equity Housing Ltd (CEHL) in 2005, and subsequently to the role of Chair of CEHL in 2009, a position she held for 10 years.

In 2018 the BBCM Honour Roll recognised Karren for her outstanding service and dedication to the co-operative sector.

Holding previous senior management roles in the homelessness and social housing sectors, Karren joined United Housing Co-operative as CEO in August 2025, where she continues her passion for housing justice.

Tara Morelos

Common Equity New South Wales

Tara Morelos is a community arts worker who has lived in a housing co-operative for more than 40 years. Over the decades, she has managed events and creative projects that bring people together – experiences that have shaped her strong belief in the value of community.

Tara brings to the discussion a personal, first-hand perspective of the benefits and challenges of co-operative housing. She is passionate about creating stable, welcoming communities where people know their neighbours, support one another and have a genuine sense of belonging.

Reah Prodanovski

Common Equity Housing South Australia

Reah serves as Secretary and Maintenance Coordinator for YOCHI and as a Member Director on the CEHSA Board. After two years in crisis accommodation following domestic violence, the security of co‑operative housing gave her the stability to rebuild her life. Her governance roles have renewed her confidence and reaffirmed the value of her experience after time away from the workforce for parenting.

Liz O’Connor

SouthEast Housing Co-op, Victoria

Liz has been a member of co-operative housing for more than 35 years and has served on the Board of SouthEast Housing Co-operative for the past seven years.

Following her retirement from government employment after an 18-year career, Liz applied to join the Board, believing that the same commitment to governance, accountability, procedures, confidentiality, and ethical decision-making required in the public sector are equally important responsibilities of a Board Director.

Serving on the Board has been Liz’s way of giving back to the co-operative that has provided stability, security, and opportunity for both herself and her three sons over many years.

As a Director, Liz has actively contributed to the governance of the Co-operative, including thorough preparation for Board meetings and participation in strategic initiatives. She was appointed to the merger committee responsible for overseeing the successful merger between SouthEast Housing Co-operative and Eastern Suburb Rental Housing Co-operative, which was completed in January 2022.

Liz is committed to ongoing professional development and has successfully completed a number of Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) courses. She also regularly participates in monthly governance and leadership webinars to maintain and enhance her knowledge of contemporary board practice.

Emma Duffin

Common Equity Housing Ltd Victoria

Emma Duffin has been a member of Stockaders CERC in Ballarat, Victoria, since 2010 and has served as a director for 15 years.

Stockaders manages 22 properties and supports a diverse membership aged 28 to 85.

Emma is passionate about the opportunities, community and support that co-operative housing provides.  She is a full time carer.

Anne Gawen

Common Equity Housing South Australia

Anne Gawen has 20 years of experience as a CEO across community housing and the broader community services sector. Anne is subcontracted as a CEO coach and Governance expert consulting across the Northern Territory for community organisations.

Anne is noted for her strong strategic leadership, governance expertise, achievement of significant growth and commitment to positive housing and social outcomes.

Anne is the part-time CEO of Common Equity Housing SA and is excited about guiding them through its next chapter.

Alyce Holmes

Executive Director, Co-op & Housing Services, CEHL

Alyce has experience in the family violence, homelessness and tertiary education sectors, where she has led service design, training, and improvement projects to deliver better outcomes for vulnerable communities.

At CEHL, Alyce leads the team that supports CEHL’s housing co-operatives and works directly with co-op directors to support the long-term sustainability and impact of CEHL’s co-op housing program.

Alyce is motivated by the potential of co-op housing to deliver secure, community-driven housing.  She brings strong analytical expertise to her role, and she is passionate about how data can improve systems and outcomes.

Chris Jones

As part of the last of the £10 pom’s, Chris arrived in Australia with her husband and two young children in 1973. They now have six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Chris is the secretary of Herbert Street Village and has lived there since December 2024. Before retiring, she managed a self-storage company for 16 years.

After retiring, Chris suddenly had time to dedicate her energies to her writing, and has now published six fiction novellas. Her only regret is that she waited so long before finding the time to write. 

Chris’s hope for the ACHA presentation ‘Innovative Co-op Approaches’ will help others understand the need for community housing, because building these homes is building hope.

Barbara Matheson

Jens-Uwe Köhler

Jens-Uwe Köhler is CFO of Studentendorf Schlachtensee eG (www.studentendorf.berlin), a Berlin-based housing cooperative focused on providing affordable accommodation for students. He is a co-founder of the cooperative and has been involved in preserving a listed building as part of its work.

He studied German Literature at the Free University of Berlin. Outside of work, his interests include reading and travelling.

His professional focus combines financial management with leadership, applied to the goal of keeping student housing affordable.

Dr Sidsel Grimstad

Sidsel holds positions as Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Australia and as part-time Senior Researcher at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

After her PhD (2013) she has researched and taught on cooperative business models, housing cooperatives and cooperative education, including being the program convenor for Australia’s only postgraduate degree on co-operative management and organisation (2016-2020). She was part of the ARC funded research project on Australian Rental Housing Cooperatives (2019-2024) and led the ACHA Capability Building Project (2024) – developing a learning framework for rental co-operatives.

In 2024 she led a BCCM funded study tour for Australian housing decision-makers to explore the large rental housing cooperative sectors in Denmark, Austria and Switzerland. She has also written about the history of rental housing cooperatives in Australia, comparing it to Scandinavian housing cooperative sectors. She holds the Chair of the International Cooperative Alliance Asia Pacific Committee on Cooperative Research (2026-2030).

After living 22 years in Newcastle, NSW, she in mid-2025 moved to Oslo, Norway for personal reasons. Since August 2025 she has been on the board of Ostmann Borettslag, a small the equity-based housing cooperative in Oslo.

Melina Morrison

Melina Morrison is the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Co‑operatives and Mutuals (BCCM), the national apex body representing member‑owned businesses in Australia. She led the establishment of the organisation to strengthen recognition of co‑operatives and mutuals as a vital part of the global economy.

With more than three decades of experience in advocacy, communications and sector development, Melina has worked extensively with governments, international institutions and industry leaders to advance policy reform and improve access to capital for co‑operative and mutual enterprises.

She has played a key role in building the evidence base for the sector, including leading national mapping of its economic contribution and developing frameworks to measure its social and economic value.

Melina is a leading advocate for member‑owned business models that expand economic participation and strengthen communities globally.

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Dr Marcus Spiller

Marcus is a founding partner at SGS Economics & Planning Pty Ltd, an honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne and a Life Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia.

He is currently the Deputy Chair of the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council.

Holding degrees in urban planning and economics, Marcus’s expertise covers urban governance, housing policy, infrastructure funding and the productivity of cities and regions.

Marcus has operated as an independent consultant for more than four decades.  Throughout his career he has undertaken numerous secondments and part time appointments including lecturer in urban economics at Melbourne University, adviser to the Minister for Planning and Housing in Victoria, Senior Executive in the Queensland Department of Housing, Local Government and Planning and executive adviser to the Commonwealth Government on urban policy.

He is a principal contributor and co-editor of two books covering metropolitan governance, and infrastructure funding and management.

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Tim Von Ess

Tim Von Ess is Head of Impact Lending at Bank Australia, leading a team that provides commercial debt funding to projects delivering measurable social and environmental outcomes. He has over 20 years’ experience across lending, risk and leadership roles, and previously led Australia’s first superannuation-backed social impact investment mandate at Social Ventures Australia. Tim holds degrees in Commerce and Law, and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

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Tom King

Tom is a seasoned finance executive with over 25 years’ experience across multinational corporations, government enterprises, and purpose-driven organisations. He has held senior roles at AXA, ANZ, Australia Post and IntoWork Australia, as well as non-executive directorships in the community health sector.

Tom brings deep expertise in financial governance, strategic investment, M&A and performance improvement to CEHL and the leadership of the organisation’s finance and investment functions and the management of more than 2,200 properties across Victoria.

Tom is passionate about building sustainable housing models and is motivated by a commitment to align financial rigour with social purpose.

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Chandrika Leslie

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Steven Morrissey

Scott Lappan-Newton

Rebecca Pinkstone

Rebecca Pinkstone has two decades of experience in the housing sector working in government and community housing. She is the inaugural Chief Executive of Homes NSW, a division within the Department of Communities and Justice.

Homes NSW is responsible for system stewardship across the affordable, social and homelessness sectors to ensure we deliver more homes and better services for our community. Homes NSW manages 96,000 public housing properties across NSW, providing a safe and secure home for 260,000 people.