Jeannie Marie Paterson teaches and researches in the areas of consumer protection and consumer banking law, and the regulation of emerging technologies. Her work focuses on themes of fairness, safety/reliability and accountability in consumer products, along with support for consumers experiencing vulnerability.
Jeannie is the co-director of the Centre for AI and Digital Ethics, and co-leader of the Digital Ethics research stream at the Melbourne Social Equity Institute. Jeannie is an affiliate researcher with the Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making and Society.
Dr Katharine Kemp is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, UNSW Sydney, and Non-Resident Research Fellow at Loyola University Chicago Consumer Antitrust Studies Institute. Katharine’s research focuses on competition, consumer protection and data privacy regulation. She has published widely in these fields, including ‘Misuse of Market Power: Rationale and Reform’ (Cambridge University Press), ‘Competition Law of South Africa’ (LexisNexis), and numerous peer-reviewed articles.
Katharine is the Co-Leader of the ‘Data as a Source of Market Power’ research stream for The Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation. She also teaches and convenes courses in Data Privacy Law; Fintech; and Contracts at UNSW Law. Katharine previously practised as a commercial lawyer at Allens and as a barrister at the Melbourne Bar, and consulted to the Competition Commission of South Africa during the six years that she lived and worked in South Africa.
Christina currently leads the Consumer Insights Team at CHOICE which provides original research and insights into CHOICE’s publications, submissions and internal decision making. Christina has a particular interest in research that leads to actions and improvements for consumers.
Christina is a member of The Research Society and committed to its Code of Professional Behaviour. Jeannie is the co-director of the Centre for AI and Digital Ethics, and co-leader of the Digital Ethics research stream at the Melbourne Social Equity Institute. Jeannie is an affiliate researcher with the Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making and Society. Christina currently leads the Consumer Insights Team at CHOICE which provides original research and insights into CHOICE’s publications, submissions and internal decision making. Christina has a particular interest in research that leads to actions and improvements for consumers. Christina is a member of The Research Society and committed to its Code of Professional Behaviour.
Drew is the Policy & Advocacy Officer at the Financial Rights Legal Centre in Sydney.
Drew has worked in policy development and advocacy for over 20 years. Prior to his work in the financial services sector, Drew worked in film, television and media sector policy focusing on the rights of actors, directors, journalists, and local technicians and crew, as well as support for local content rules. Drew has also worked as a journalist for outlets such as ABC TV’s Media Watch and TV Week.
At the Financial Rights Legal Centre Drew has focused on insurance policy issues including researching and drafting the Guilty Until Proven Innocent Report into insurance investigations and both the General and Life Insurance Codes of Practice. He has also worked in credit and debt space, including the Banking Code of Practice, Royal Commission and more recently, the implementation of open banking and the Consumer Data Right.
Drew has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of NSW and a Bachelor of Arts (Mass Communications) from Macquarie University.
Eloise Zoppos is a Principal Consultant and applied academic researcher at the ACRS (Australian Consumer and Retail Studies), a research and insights consultancy operating out of the Monash Business School.
She has extensive research experience across the private and public sectors. She currently co-leads ACRS and her research focuses on various aspects of the consumer experience – ranging from decision making and behaviour, national and global trend analysis, and environmental and societal drivers.
She is also a regular contributor at conferences and discussion panels, and academic journals, publications and media outlets, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a PhD in Sociology.
Dr Kayleen Manwaring is a Senior Lecturer at UNSW Law & Justice, and from 2022-2023 she is Senior Research Fellow in the UNSW Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation. She joined the School of Private & Commercial Law in 2021, transferring from UNSW Business after a number of years teaching corporations law and intellectual property to business students.
Her research concentrates on the intersection of sociotechnical change and private and commercial law. She focuses on consumer protection, the law of contract, intellectual property and corporations law. She has previously published work on manipulation of consumers, the Internet of Things, ubiquitous/pervasive computing, cyber security, insurance and AI, ambient intelligence, online contracting, directors' duties, network neutrality, copyright and digital technologies, privacy, spam and communications law. Her work has been cited by the Organisation for Economic Development, the World Economic Forum, the Australian Human Rights Commission, the NSW Law Reform Commission, the Australian Council of Learned Academies, the US Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Austrian (EU) Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology, the Consumer Policy Research Centre and the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN). She has been commissioned to write research reports for the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre, the International Association of Privacy Professionals (ANZ Chapter) and the Australian Council of Learned Academies.
She has tertiary qualifications in law, communications and languages. Prior to becoming an academic, she spent many years working as a commercial lawyer, as in-house counsel and in legal knowledge management, in Sydney and London, for Blake Dawson (now Ashurst), AMP, Freehills (now Herbert Smith Freehills) and SJ Berwin (later King & Wood Mallesons). Her work in practice primarily focused on commercial and consumer contracts in the area of technology acquisition and licensing, intellectual property, and communications. Her first professional job was as an information consultant for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).
Delia Rickard was appointed Deputy Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in June 2012. She has extensive public service experience and a passion for consumer protection, and has worked in a variety of senior roles, primarily at the ACCC and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). She is also an Associate Member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
She is also a trustee of the Jan Pentland Foundation, which provides scholarships for those who want to work as financial counsellors, and is the Chair of Good Shepherd’s Advisory Committee on Financial Inclusion Action Plans.
She was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2011 for her contribution to consumer protection and financial services. She has also been awarded the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2022 was named the inaugural winner of the Law Council of Australia’s Consumer Rights Award.
Simon was appointed part-time commissioner for the Essential Services Commission in April 2019. He has nearly 30 years' experience advising on economic, regulatory and social policy.
Simon's previous roles include senior executive positions in the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, the Department of Treasury and Finance, the Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission Secretariat, WorkSafe, and the Productivity Commission.
From 2011 to 2018 he was the Director, Policy, Programs and Evaluation, Management Consulting at KPMG Australia.
Heather Holst (PhD, History, University of Melbourne) worked for many years in homelessness and affordable housing including as CEO of HomeGround and Deputy CEO of Launch Housing before being appointed Victoria’s first Commissioner for Residential Tenancies in 2018. The Commissioner role was introduced to give stronger representation to Victorian renters and residents of rooming houses, caravan parks and specialist disability accommodation.
Heather was a member of the independent panel reviewing the regulation of social and affordable housing in Victoria that reported in 2022. Heather is a board member of the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness and of Dhelkaya Health. Her publications include a book, Making a Home, A History of Castlemaine as well as chapters and articles. She is collaborating with Professor Anne O’Brien on the ARC research project, 'Homelessness and Homeless People: an Australian History'.