The Council's role
The Victorian Children's Council is established under the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 to provide the Premier and relevant ministers with independent and expert advice relating to policies and services that enhance the health, wellbeing, development and safety of children.
The Council meets every 2 months or as required.
Members
The Ministers for Children, Education and Health jointly appoint Council members for their expertise in policies and services that enhance the health, wellbeing, development or safety of children. Members are appointed on the basis of their individual attributes, not as representatives of their organisations or interest groups.
Interim Chair: Dr Annie Moulden
Dr Moulden is a paediatrician with 35 years’ experience in managing medical, developmental and behavioural issues in children of all ages in collaboration with their families. She currently holds leadership roles as a Director at the Victorian Children’s Clinic and Medical Lead for Quality & Safety at the Royal Children’s Hospital. Previously, Dr Moulden was the Clinical Lead of the Paediatric Clinical Network, Safer Care Victoria.
As a member of the Child and Adolescent Committee of the Consultative Council for Obstetric and Paediatric Morbidity and Mortality, Dr Moulden is acutely aware of, and keen to address, the significant disparities in health outcomes for our most vulnerable children and their families. In 2011, she was awarded an Order of Australia for her contribution to paediatrics and patient safety.
Dr Moulden’s term as Interim Chair concludes on 8 May 2025 and her term as member concludes on 30 June 2025.
Professor Vicki Anderson
Professor Anderson is the Director of Clinical Sciences Research at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, a Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne and NHMRC Investigator Fellow. Previously she was Director of Psychology at the Royal Children’s Hospital for 20 years.
Professor Anderson is a board member on multiple professional organisations locally (Parkville Institute), and internationally (International Concussion in Sport Group, International Paediatric Brain Injury Society (Foundation member), International Brain Injury Association) and past president, Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment and International Neuropsychological Society.
Professor Anderson has published over 600 peer reviewed papers, 6 books, and has been awarded over $55 million in research funding. Her research and clinical interests are in understanding and improving effective and accessible clinical care, and optimising outcomes for these children with brain insults and their families.
Major achievements include novel diagnostic tools; child mental health treatments; e-health parent mental health interventions; and digital health tools for monitoring and treating concussion.
Professor Anderson’s term in office concludes on 30 November 2027.
Mr Robert Boucher
Mr Robert Boucher is the current Principal of Swifts Creek P-12 School, a school of 120 students located in East Gippsland. Through his work in education for nearly thirty years in both Victoria and NSW, Mr Boucher has experience of the complexity of challenges that many children face and the need for strong systems to enable all children to be the best they can be.
Mr Boucher has been involved in extensive investigations into the needs of young people in rural and remote communities, which have led to outcomes including establishing an Early Years Learning Centre, supported by a model of ongoing professional learning for the staff and the community.
Mr Boucher’s term in office concludes on 30 June 2025.
Reserve Magistrate Jennifer Bowles
Ms Jennifer Bowles was appointed a magistrate in 1998. In July 2024 she retired as a full time Magistrate and was appointed a Reserve Magistrate. For more than 18 years, she sat in the Children’s Court of Victoria. Ms Bowles is passionate about the law especially in relation to vulnerable children and families.
Ms. Bowles was the Supervising Magistrate of the Children’s Koori Court, chairs the Crossover Advisory Group Committee and remains a member of the Judicial Officers’ Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Committee. She co-established the innovative specialist Children’s Court Sexual Offences and Abuse Lists. Ms Bowles represented the Children’s Court regarding legislative reforms including the extension of therapeutic treatment orders, s. 354A Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 diversionary counselling program for sexual offending and terrorism deradicalisation orders.
Ms Bowles has been an associate researcher concerning crossover children conducted by Monash University and is a co-author of 2 textbooks. In 2014, Ms Bowles was awarded a Churchill Fellowship reviewing treatment options for young people suffering substance abuse. In 2022, she was awarded the Dr Patricia Brown Award for Excellence in the Children’s Court of Victoria.
Ms Bowles’ term in office concludes on 30 November 2027.
Dr Chris Cooper
Dr Chris Cooper has been a paediatrician in Geelong and regional Victoria for 25 years, working as a clinician, educator, and administrator across both public and private health sectors. Passionate about improving healthcare for vulnerable children, Dr Cooper currently leads a multidisciplinary team at Barwon Health North, focusing on early childhood development, out-of-home care, and the ‘First 1000 Days’ clinic.
Previously, Dr Cooper served as a Visiting Medical Officer at University Hospital Geelong, managing paediatric inpatient care, neonatal services, and intensive care. As former Director of Children’s Services at Barwon Health (2015-2020), he played a key role in service development and quality improvement.
Dr Cooper has a commitment to enhancing paediatric healthcare through clinical leadership, education, and policy contributions at both regional and state levels.
Dr Cooper’s term in office concludes on 30 November 2027.
Professor Tricia Eadie
Professor Tricia Eadie is Director of the Research in Effective Education in Early Childhood (REEaCh) Centre in the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne.
Professor Eadie brings over 35 years’ experience in work across the health, early intervention, and education sectors. Her research has made significant contributions to understanding young children’s developmental pathways and the interventions which improve children’s trajectories, with a particular focus on language and adult-child interactions.
Professor Eadie has led large‐scale and longitudinal projects that included monitoring children's development and providing professional learning programs across education and health sectors with a focus on children’s learning and development. Her work contributes to the evidence of the positive role early education can play in addressing the growing equity gap in Australian communities. Professor Eadie is a Fellow of Speech Pathology Australia and a Non-Executive Board Member of KU Children’s Services.
Professor Eadie’s term in office concludes on 30 November 2027.
Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon
Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon is an internationally recognised expert on the prevention of violence against women and children. As a Professor (Practice) with the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University and an Honorary Professorial Fellow at Melbourne Law School, Professor Fitz-Gibbon combines academic excellence with practical expertise to drive systemic change. In 2024, Professor Fitz-Gibbon founded Sequre Consulting, where she serves as Principal Consultant. Her research focuses on improving system responses, early intervention, and ensuring that children's voices and experiences shape prevention efforts. Professor Fitz-Gibbon’s research has been cited by the High Court of Australia, has been published in 8 books and more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles.
Professor Fitz-Gibbon has advised Australian federal and state governments on violence prevention policies and justice system responses, and led national consultations on violence against women and children. In 2021, Professor Fitz-Gibbon was appointed by the Victorian Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence as Chair of Respect Victoria, the state’s dedicated agency for the prevention of family violence and violence against women.
Professor Fitzgibbon’s term in office concludes on 30 November 2027.
Dr Susana Gavidia-Payne
Dr Gavidia-Payne is an Adjunct Associate Professor in Educational and Developmental Psychology at RMIT University. Dr Gavidia-Payne’s expertise lies in the field of early childhood intervention (ECI), having worked extensively with young children with disabilities and their families as a practising psychologist, ECI service manager and academic for the last 35 years.
Dr Gavidia-Payne has been awarded research grants and tenders, generating numerous reports and practical resources related to child development, parenting, and family well-being. Dr Gavidia-Payne has published widely in a range of peer-reviewed national and international journals, receiving research awards in 2009 and 2015 for publications on ECI-related topics. She is a member of the Coordinating Committee for the International Society on Early Intervention (ISEI) and a former President of the Victorian chapter of Early Childhood Intervention Australia.
Dr Gavidia-Payne’s term in office concludes on 30 June 2025.
Professor Rosemary Sheehan
Professor Sheehan is an Emeritus Professor at the Department of Social Work, Monash University. She has 17 years’ experience as a Dispute Resolution Convenor in the Children's Court of Victoria, mediating disputes between parents and the child protection authority. Professor Sheehan has been a member of the Women’s Correctional Services Advisory Committee and the Victorian Child Death Review Committee and provided academic consultancy for the Victorian Government’s review of child protection legislation. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia and a member of the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts.
Professor Sheehan has written and taught courses in human development, mental health and forensic studies in Monash undergraduate and postgraduate social work programs and has a prominent role in funded research in child welfare. She has written extensively in child welfare and the law, family violence, mental health and working with women offenders. Professional practice collaborations have included the implementation of a specialist list project to manage child sexual abuse cases in the Family Division of the Melbourne Children’s Court, the management of child protection cumulative harm matters within the legal process, and children’s access to their imprisoned parents.
Professor Sheehan’s term in office concludes on 30 June 2025.
Professor John Tobin
Professor Tobin holds the Francine V McNiff Chair in International Human Rights Law in the Melbourne Law School at The University of Melbourne where he is Co-Director of Studies for the Human Rights Program in the Master of Laws and Director of Research in Human Rights within the Institute for International Law and the Humanities.
Professor Tobin is a recognised expert in children's rights and the right to health. He has provided child rights training and advice as a consultant and on a pro bono basis to organisations such as UNICEF, Law Reform Commissions, the Law Institute of Victoria, Judicial College of Victoria, the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission, NGOs, statutory bodies, government departments, and community groups. Professor Tobin is the Chief Examiner of the Law Institute of Victoria Child Law Specialisation Program, an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Children's Rights and an Advisory Board Member and Faculty Advisor to the Melbourne Journal of International Law. Prior to becoming an academic, he worked as a commercial lawyer, legal aid lawyer with the Youth Legal Service at Victoria Legal Aid and was a legal officer with the (then) Department of Justice.
Professor Tobin’s term in office concludes on 30 June 2025.
Ms Deb Tsorbaris
Ms Tsorbaris is Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, Victoria’s peak body for child and family services. Ms Tsorbaris has worked in health and community services for 32 years, holding executive positions in organisations working across youth services; disability, drug and alcohol support services; and employment programs.
Ms Tsorbaris was the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Council to Homeless Persons from 2003 to 2009, and the Director of Human Services Design at the Department of Human Services, responsible for leading the design and development of integrated human services to improve outcomes for clients. Ms Tsorbaris holds a Master of Social Policy and Management and a Diploma of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation from RMIT University.
Ms Tsorbaris’ term in office concludes on 30 June 2025.
Contact
The Victorian Children's Council can be contacted by email: VCCsecretariat@education.vic.gov.au
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