The Honourable Pat Conroy MP is the Minister for Defence Industry, Minister for International Development and the Pacific and the Federal Member for Shortland.

Pat was elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Charlton in 2013 and, following an electoral redistribution, as the Member for Shortland in 2016 and again in 2019 and 2022.
From 2016 to 2019, Pat was Shadow Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy and Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure. In 2019, he was appointed Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Shadow Minister Assisting for Defence and Shadow Minister Assisting for Climate Change and Energy.

From 2008 to 2013, he was Principal Policy Adviser and then Deputy Chief of Staff to the Hon. Greg Combet, AM, MP, who served as a Minister in the Rudd and Gillard Labor Governments. In these roles, Pat worked in developing significant policies in areas including Defence Materiel, Defence Science and Industry and Innovation. 

Born in 1979, Pat was raised on the NSW Central Coast and went on to study Economics at the University of Sydney, graduating with Honours in 2000.
Pat is married with two children and lives in his electorate of Shortland which covers the Eastern Lake Macquarie area and the Northern Central Coast. He enjoys cooking, playing rugby union and watching rugby league.

In March 2020, Sarah founded Precision Public Affairs (PPA) - a boutique public affairs company based in the heart of Australia’s decision-making capital, Canberra.
PPA is a bipartisan and apolitical firm that provides clients with a range of tailored strategies to achieve their organisational objectives including, Corporate Affairs, Bipartisan Government Relations and Public Policy, Parliamentary Protocol and Strategic Engagement, Market Access and Business Development Support.
With ten years’ experience working at the highest level of the Australian Federal Government, including for two Prime Ministers and three Federal Ministers, Sarah has a proven understanding of the Australian regulatory environment, government policy, procedure and protocol, as well as an extensive network spanning the ministry, backbench and federal government departments.
In between her time on the Hill in the Australian Parliament, Sarah honed her corporate public affairs, marketing and media management skills in the Global Markets Division of Deutsche Bank and spent four years within News Corporation’s Corporate Affairs team in Sydney, working directly to the Australian Chairman, John Hartigan. She is a former Managing Director of Nexus Public Affairs, is AIDN ACT Vice President and currently serves on the AIDN National Board as Treasurer. Sarah recently initiated and delivered the Inaugural AIDN Policy Symposium and Sovereign Capability Showcase – the first time the Australian Defence Industry had convened in the Australian Parliament since federation, which saw 310+ Australian Defence Industry members meet in Canberra with the Minister for Defence Industry, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry and senior Department of Defence officials, including the Secretary of Defence and Deputy Secretary of CASG.
Sarah is known for her strong and trusted rapport with her clients and colleagues, and her twice national award-winning project management expertise.

The Honourable Luke Howarth MP is the Federal member for Petrie and Shadow Minister for Defence. Industry and Defence Personnel. He was first elected to represent the Petrie electorate in 2013 and has successfully contested three federal elections since.

His tireless efforts for the local community, sporting and volunteer organisations, and advocacy for small and medium business keeps him on the ground talking to people, which is why he began his journey into politics.

In 2019 Luke was appointed as the Assistant Shadow Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Service and subsequently also adding Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services in 2020. His background as a small business owner saw him help pioneer the Jobseeker Bootcamps. With a passion to see people gain meaningful employment, Luke works to connect employers with genuine jobseekers to empower them in the job market with resume writing and interview tips, and understanding of employer’s mindset. He is also determined to develop the financial literacy of our younger generations.

In May 2022, Luke retained the seat of Petrie in the Federal Election for his fourth term in Parliament and was also appointed as Shadow Minister for Defence Industry and Shadow Minister for Defence Personnel.

He is passionate about the recruitment and retention of ADF personnel, the chaplaincy program, helping SME businesses thrive in the defence industry, and ensuring our defence force and security agencies have the resources they need to keep Australia safe.  

William heads commercial expansion for Momentum defence and security business, and is responsible for the growth of a range of market and business intelligence platforms connected to this portfolio, including Defence Connect and Cyber Security Connect. William is an experienced sales executive with extensive knowledge working in government and policy-related industries. He has worked closely with numerous organisations, from large multinationals to government and the SME sector, to support business growth initiatives.

Mick spent 35 years in the Australian Army and had the honour of commanding soldiers at troop, squadron, regiment, task force and brigade levels. He has a long-standing interest in military history and strategy, advanced technologies, organizational innovation, and adaptation theory. He was inaugural President of the Defence Entrepreneurs Forum (Australia) and is a member of the Military Writers Guild. He is a keen author on the interface of military strategy, innovation, and advanced technologies, as well as how institutions can develop their intellectual edge.

In February 2022, Mick retired from the Australia Army. In the same month, his book War Transformed was published by USNI Books. He is an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, and a non-resident fellow of the Lowy Institute in Sydney. In January 2023 Mick was also appointed as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.

He runs his own strategic advisory company and is a regular columnist in the Sydney Morning Herald and ABC Australia. His next book, White Sun War, will be published in April 2023 by Casemate Books. It is a fictional account of a future war over Taiwan.

The Hon. Matt Thistlethwaite MP is the Assistant Minister for Defence, Assistant Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Assistant Minister for the Republic and the Federal Member for Kingsford Smith.

Matt was an Australian Senator from 2011-2013 and elected to the House of Representatives in 2013.

Matt was a Senator for New South Wales in the Australian Senate from 2011 to 2013 during which time he served as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport.

Matt grew up in Maroubra and completed high school at Marist Brothers Pagewood.

He is an active community volunteer and passionate advocate for advancing the interests of vulnerable and disadvantaged people.

Matt has extensive experience representing workers as a lawyer and trade union official in a range of industries. He is a former General Secretary of NSW Labor and was an Assistant Secretary at Unions NSW, as well as a former Vice President of the Australian Workers Union. Matt has worked as a Senior Consultant with law firm King and Wood Mallesons.

Matt is a former director of the State Transit Authority of NSW. He has been an active surf lifesaver for over 38 years and served four years as President of Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club. He was also the President of Maroubra PCYC and received a distinguished service award from PCYC NSW.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Economics from UNSW, Diploma of Law, and a Diploma of Modern Languages in Chinese. He has a HSK 3 Chinese language qualification.

Matt lives in Matraville with his wife Rachel and their four daughters.

Dr Samantha Hoffman is a Senior Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and an independent consultant. Her work has helped shape global approaches to understanding challenges posed by the Chinese party-state's approach to state security, including the ways it harnesses technology for security and propaganda purposes.

Samantha has an independent consultancy, where she offers tailored briefings and research to private sector clients and government, including the U.S. Department of Defense. Dr Hoffman's analysis is widely sought after: she has publicly testified in the United States Congress, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, and the European Parliament.

She has been frequently quoted in international media, including in outlets such as the BBC, The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, and The Guardian.

Dr Hoffman holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Nottingham (2017), an MSc in Modern Chinese Studies from the University of Oxford (2011), a BA in International Affairs from Florida State University (2010), and a BA in Chinese Language and Culture from Florida State University (2010).