Topic: Opening Address

Phoebe Mansell is the ANMF Tasmanian Branch Member Operations Manager and currently Acting Branch Secretary during Emily Shepherd’s period of leave. With nine years of experience in organising and statewide industrial matters, Phoebe brings a strong focus on member advocacy and workplace support. She has worked closely with Emily on key campaigns and industrial issues, and is committed to continuing this important work. Members can expect to see Phoebe actively engaging in workplaces across Tasmania, supporting nurses, midwives, and care workers. Phoebe is proud to represent and advocate for members during this time of ongoing challenges and opportunities in healthcare.

Topic: Grass Roots Organising 

Kristyn joined Reveille Strategy in 2017 as a director.

Motivated by a desire to impact for the common good, Kristyn has worked for over 30 years in movement building work as an organiser, campaigner, educator and senior leader.

Reveille, a nod to community organiser Saul Alinsky’s work, is dedicated to helping ordinary people make transformative change across faith, climate, environmental and union movements.

In addition to paid work, Kristyn has practiced leadership within her local community, her church, in the Sydney Alliance and is currently a board member of Common Grace and Coast Community Care.

For over 10 years, Kristyn worked in the Australian Services Union, 7 of those years as the Branch Secretary of the NSW Services and Airlines Branch, organising and campaigning for workers’ rights.

Following the ASU, Kristyn moved to the Australian Council of Trade Unions Organising Centre. First as an educator in Organising Works and finally as Director of Leadership Programs. Kristyn was privileged to work with almost every union and every type of unionist through strategic planning, campaign work, leader development and organisational change. One of her proudest achievements was the NexGen organising conference in 2017.

Kristyn’s broad experience enables her to facilitate and challenge leaders to think about their work across all levels and functions within an organisation in order to achieve purpose.

Topic: ANMF Federal Office Overview - key priorities and activities over the last 12 months

Sally-Anne began nursing as an AIN in aged care and has progressed through oncology and critical care roles to become a Nursing Director. Her passion for nursing sparked a strong interest in leadership, advanced practice, and patient safety. First-hand experience showed her the vital role nurses play in patient advocacy and shaping health and aged care systems. She believes our collective expertise is key to strategic planning and policy development. Through her professional and union roles, Sally-Anne works to advance and protect the nursing, midwifery, and care professions, proudly representing ANMF members alongside the experienced ANMF Federal Leadership Team.

Topic: Health and Climate Change Action

Catelyn is the Climate Change Officer at ANMF Federal. Co-founder and previous President of Climate Action Nurses, Catelyn is a proud Registered Nurse, humanitarian and passionate advocate for regenerative ecology. Through her work volunteering with organisations such as the Oaktree Foundation, AusAid, the Australian College of Nursing and the Climate and Health Alliance; Catelyn fervently contributes to her life mission of spreading conscious kindness. Catelyn was a 2022 Westpac Future Leaders scholar and has completed a Master of Leadership (Health and Human Services) through the University of Tasmania. She has presented on early-career nurse leadership and environmental responsibility across a range of platforms including the Planetary Health Conference, New Zealand, Australian College of Nursing National Nursing Forum and the South Pacific Nurses Forum.

Topic: Campaign Success

Alison has over 25 years of clinical experience and is a dedicated and versatile Nurse Practitioner and Paramedic. Her background includes roles in Emergency, Quality and Safety, Aged Care, and Primary Care settings, where she has demonstrated expertise in clinical care, leadership, and project management. Active in professional advocacy including current State Chair of the ACNP and membership to the Tasmanian Health Senate, Alison strives to influence policy and legislation around inclusion of non-medical models into future planning. Alison is committed to advancing healthcare practices and improving patient outcomes especially in regional and remote areas.

Topic: Campaign Success

Kerrie is passionate about helping progress health care reform in primary health care. She has worked in general practice for the past 18 years, initially as a practice nurse and for the past 13 years as a nurse practitioner. She is co-owner of Cygnet Family Practice, a general practice serving the Huon Valley. Kerrie has become increasingly aware of people not being able to access health care on the day they need it. She successfully applied for a state funded grant in 2022 to develop and implement an innovative model of care providing an Urgent and After-Hours Service. This model uses the knowledge, skills and expertise of a nurse practitioner and community paramedic. This model is currently proving to be a solution to the crisis in accessing safe, quality and expert health care in rural Australia.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Jacquie Petrusma, Tasmanian Health Minister, will not be attending the political panel and Q&A session. Bridget Archer, State Liberal Candidate for Bass will be attending and participating on her behalf.

A highly experienced and qualified leader and professional, Jacquie has been a Member of Parliament for over 13 years and a Minister in the Tasmanian Government for nearly seven years for a wide range of Portfolios, with extensive organisational and strategic policy experience across Local, State and Federal Government Agencies and Departments.

Jacquie is also a Registered Nurse and worked in State and Federal Government and senior levels in Aged Care. Jacquie has a Commerce Degree, worked as a National Sales Manager in a global medical company, owned her own business and been involved in many community/not-for-profit organisations.

Jacquie has had a Cochlear Implant since 2017 and is very passionate about helping children, young people and adults with disability to be included and reach their full potential. Jacquie also has lived experience of family and sexual violence and is very passionate about giving back to this inspirational sector.

Jacquie’s career has always focused on being in service to others and helping people to live longer, happier and healthier lives and bringing her energy, initiative, compassion, experience and drive to the many challenges faced by Australians.

Ella is driven by the values of equality, fairness and social-justice and the fundamental belief that every person has a voice that should be heard, and treated with dignity and respect.

Ella was elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2021 and 2024 after strong grassroots campaigns that built on her long history of community involvement, work and volunteering over many decades. She was an unlikely winner in 2018, with her success very much down to her positive campaign, dedicated volunteers, and thousands of conversations.

Before being elected, Ella worked in the Tasmanian state-service and the alcohol and drug sector. She was a volunteer board member on many health NGOs including Women’s Health Tasmania, TasCAHRD, TasCOSS, TasDeaf and Ten Lives Cat Centre.

She’s been a single mum since her daughters were aged five and two. Early on she had to rely on people more than she ever thought she would and knows she’s lucky to have a supportive family.

Ella loves the vibrancy of our communities and being from a Lebanese background, is proud to represent the most multicultural electorate in the state.  Since being elected, Ella has championed progressive law reform from opposition and stood up for our diverse communities.

A passionate advocate for health, small business, and regional communities, Rebekah brings lived experience, grit, and deep empathy to her role in Parliament. Born in Sydney in 1978, Rebekah’s early life was shaped by both family hardship and sporting excellence. She built a strong career in health and fitness before transitioning into pharmaceutical business consulting, where she worked closely with pharmacies to improve patient outcomes and access to affordable medications.

Rebekah’s move to Tasmania was driven by love for both her husband Alex and for the Launceston community they now call home. Together, they built several successful accommodation and construction businesses while raising three resilient children. Rebekah’s experience of losing her baby son Emmett in December last year has deeply shaped her perspective and driven her 2025 focus on improving maternity care and women’s health services across Tasmania.

Her journey through medical adversity and business ownership fuels her fight for a fairer health system and cost-of-living relief for Tasmanians. Rebekah entered politics after questioning an unexpected land tax bill, sparking a deeper desire to challenge unfair systems. Grounded, tenacious, and community-focused, Rebekah now uses her seat in Parliament to ensure everyday Tasmanians are seen, heard, and supported.

Cecily started her career as an RN in orthopaedics and urology in NSW, before specialising in hepatology in the UK for three years. Later, she worked across several roles on surgical wards at Launceston General Hospital. More recently, Cecily has been a counsellor both in a government service and private practice. Cecily is passionate about Tasmanians having all they need to live well, and that includes ensuring our health system is properly funded and nurses are looked after with the conditions and resources they need to do their job.