Expert reference group profiles for external members

Professor James Ward is a Pitjantjatjara and Narungga man, an infectious diseases epidemiologist and a national leader in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research. He is currently the Director of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and Professor within the School of Public Health at the University of Queensland.

Shane Hamilton is a Wakka Wakka and Bundjalung man from Queensland. He is a respected leader with executive experience in both government and corporate enterprises. He is currently the Deputy Secretary Aboriginal Affairs.

Dr Shields is an Aboriginal woman of the Bundjalung people. The former NSW Deputy Mental Health Commissioner is a member of the NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal and of the Aboriginal Health & Medical research Ethics Committee. She has an Order of Australia for the development of Aboriginal mental health services.

Dr Lyndal Bugeja has qualifications in criminology and a research doctorate in public health. She has designed and led a number of collaborative research studies that have culminated in the development of evidence-based recommendations to mitigate the risk of injury and violence. 

Hugh Dillon retired as a Deputy State Coroner and magistrate at the end of 2016. Before his appointment as a magistrate, he practised law with the New South Wales Council of Social Service, the New South Wales Ombudsman’s Office and the Commonwealth DPP. 

Prior to joining Legal Aid NSW, David spent several years working in the Northern Territory as a solicitor for Aboriginal Legal Aid. With a background in criminal defence, he has also practised extensively in the coronial jurisdiction. He managed the Coronial Inquest Unit at Legal Aid until late 2022, appearing in public interest matters on behalf of families, including death in custody matters.

Uncle Richie is a Bidjara man, and lives in Scone. He leads didgeridoo-making workshops in the community and in custody and gives regular performances. 

Sandra Bailey is a Yorta Yorta woman. She has a Bachelor of Law (Melb) and has worked as a solicitor with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service. Sandra was appointed Head of the Victorian Issues Unit of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody which examined the contributing factors to the over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the criminal justice system.  She has extensive experience in the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector. She is currently involved in Aboriginal community driven health research, and is Senior Adviser at the Sax Institute and the Brien Holden Foundation.