IPAA Victoria Celebrates 2024 Fellows at Annual Awards and End of Year Celebration

Marian Chapman is the Deputy Secretary for Courts, Criminal and Civil Law, with a long history of working in the public service in both Australia and the United Kingdom. Before joining the Department of Justice and Community Safety, Marian most recently worked in the Department of Treasury and Finance where she held executive roles as General Counsel, Executive Director, Corporate Delivery Services and Executive Director, Commercial Transactions. Marian’s work in the United Kingdom spanned both local and central government levels and she has also worked in private legal practice. 

Appointed as the inaugural Commissioner of Wage Inspectorate Victoria, Robert led development of its Strategy and Outcomes Framework, implementation of Australia’s first criminal wage theft laws and the transition to new ‘risk based’ child employment regulation. 

Previously, as Director at the Department of Premier and Cabinet, he oversaw the rollout of compliance functions for owner driver and forestry contractor laws and new long service leave legislation.  

Robert previously held senior executive and leadership positions as a regulator in the Commonwealth public service, including compliance, education, policy and corporate services roles. 

Robert holds a bachelor’s degree in Business (Human Resource Management), postgraduate qualifications in Public Sector Management, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has also completed studies through the Governance Institute of Australia and Harvard Kennedy School in the United States.

Brigid Monagle was appointed as Victorian Public Sector Commissioner in February 2023. The Commissioner is responsible for driving excellence, professionalism, and integrity in the sector.  

She is a senior public servant who previously acted as Secretary for the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH).      

Prior to that Brigid was the Associate Secretary at DFFH and before that she also held several Deputy Secretary roles in that department.  

In 2020, Brigid was seconded to the then-Department of Health and Human Services to serve as Deputy Secretary, Public Health Policy and Strategy during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.    

In 2018, Brigid established and led the Fairer Victoria Division as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC).  

Brigid is committed to supporting Victorian public sector employees to continue to meet the high standards that the community rightly expects of the sector.    

She holds a Master of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons).   

Previously, Kate was the department’s Executive Director, Legal and General Counsel.   

Kate holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours), a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Employment and Labour Relations Law from the University of Melbourne. In 2022, Kate was awarded a PSM for outstanding public service to leadership and the delivery of improved products and services in the education sector.   

Congratulations to this year’s Fellows for their remarkable achievements and dedication to public service.  

Despite being banned in 2003, asbestos remains prevalent in the built environment with asbestos-related diseases continue to kill 4,000 Australians each year. 

Simone is a trusted advisor and influencer, with experience across occupational health and safety, workers’ compensation, workplace relations, health and international development policy in local, national and globally spheres.   

Simone Stevenson was appointed the inaugural CEO of the Victorian Asbestos Eradication Agency in December 2016.  Her leadership drove the creation of a world-first solution to this ongoing, wicked problem – the AIRSystem – an innovative and practical approach to asbestos management that is saving lives.   

Her leadership is seen through her central role in developing the National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Management and Awareness, on the Commonwealth Asbestos Safety and Eradication Council, as Co-Chair of the Jurisdictional Asbestos Awareness Committee, Chair of the Victorian Asbestos Forum, and of the Victorian Union and Employer Stakeholder Forum, and previously as global partnerships lead for the Fred Hollows Foundation. 

I was educated at the University of Melbourne, where I wrote a Ph. D. thesis on the 1917 Australian Federal election. Much to my surprise, I ended up working at the State Electoral Office, which became the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC). I always appreciated the excitement and sense of achievement of working at State elections, from 1988 (when Premier John Cain came and spoke) to 2022. My work at the VEC has focused on research and communication. High water marks have been helping to bring in the Electoral Act 2002, which completely revamped Victoria’s electoral legislation, and working on three redistributions as secretary of the Electoral Boundaries Commission. 

It has been a privilege to work for the VEC, an impartial organisation independent of the government of the day, whose core mission is to enable all Victorians to participate fully in our democracy.