Speakers
Natalie Boal
Peter Severin
David Brown
Plenary
Natalie is a highly skilled and experienced leader, with over a decade of experience delivering complex and strategic projects for government with a focus on the human services sector. She has a strong track record of success in managing teams, driving change, and implementing significant reform projects.
Prior to taking on the role of Executive Director, ICPA, Natalie ran the South Australian Department for Correctional Services’ Strategic Policy, Projects, and Partnerships Unit. She has also been responsible for successfully delivering significant operational reforms within South Australia’s prison system. Natalie has formal qualifications in project management and is an expert in program and project management methodologies.
Peter has been the Commissioner, Corrective Services New South Wales, Australia since September 2012 and retired in August 2021. Prior to this appointment Peter was the Chief Executive of the Department for Correctional Services in South Australia from July 2003 and worked with the Department of Corrective Services in Queensland, Australia for almost 15 years, his last position was Deputy Director-General. Peter started his corrections career in Germany in 1980.
New South Wales is one of eight States and Territories in Australia and Corrective Services New South Wales has responsibility for prisons and community corrections. It is the largest Australian corrections jurisdiction.
Peter has a strong background in corrections operation, in particular offender management and intervention. He has extensive experience in prison management and policy formulation. Peter also presided over significant prison infrastructure design, construction and commissioning and has particular expertise in the development of service standards for the delivery of correctional services by the private sector and contract management.
Peter holds a Masters of Public Administration and Bachelor of Social Work degree.
David Brown graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Arts, double major in Government in 1992. In January 1993 he joined the Queensland Corrective Services Commission as a Custodial Correctional Officer. Mr Brown has enjoyed a wide and varied career in corrections with experience across three jurisdictions. He has worked in both the private and public sector in a range of senior management roles.
In summary, his experience includes:
His academic qualifications include:
Appointed as Chief Executive of the Department for Correctional Services in South Australia in September 2012, he has overseen a critical period of growth and reform across the Department. He has played a key role in strengthening security and emergency management standards across the system; placing a renewed focus on offender rehabilitation, education and vocation training; and building community partnerships to improve reintegration of offender back into society once they leave prison. Mr Brown is passionate about creating an integrated approach to offender management that involves meaningful activity combined with targeted rehabilitation.
The South Australian Department for Correctional Services is pursuing the ambitious goal of reducing re-offending by 20% by 2026. David Brown is focused on implementing strategies that drive down the rate of re-offending including increased investment in rehabilitation programs, strengthening alternatives to custody such as Home Detention and building better prison services. Leadership development and succession planning has been a key focus during his time in South Australia and he believes the Department for Correctional Services is well positioned with an experienced Executive and Senior Management group.
Joe Szakacs MP was first elected as the Member for Cheltenham in February 2019, in a by-election. He was appointed Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services in March 2022 after the election of the Malinauskas Government.
Before entering politics, Joe held leading roles in the trade union movement, practised law and was a company director in the superannuation and insurance industries. Joe was elected Secretary of SA Unions, the peak body for trade unions in South Australia in 2013 and lead the organisation for five years. During his tenure he held national positions with the Australian Council of Trade Unions including the National Executive and the National Growth and Campaigns Committee.
Joe was a member of the Board of Directors of Statewide Super and served as Chairman of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee and on the Investment Committee. He participated in global forums for workers capital and pension funds, including the Global Union’s Committee on Workers’ Capital and the United Nations Principals of Responsible Investment.
Joe has also held director roles on the boards of South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission and Return to Work SA.
Joe was born at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and raised in Royal Park. He attended local primary and secondary schools. He studied law at Flinders University.
In his teens, Joe was a competitive swimmer, holding the state 50m freestyle title and representing Australia at the 2002-03 FINA Swimming World Cup. He won swimming scholarships to the South Australian Institute of Sport and the University of Missouri.
Joe loves spending plenty of time with wife Hannah and children Patrick and Olivia. He is an avid support of the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles and tries to get to games when possible.