Quest Events would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the official event advisory panel who contributed their valuable time and expertise to ensure the agenda for this event is timely and relevant for all stakeholders working towards national security.
Clare Birgin
Director Counter Terrorism Operations
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Clare Birgin is the Director, Counter-Terrorism Middle East, South Asia and Africa in the International Security Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She works on the full range of issues related to Australia’s international counter-terrorism engagement with a current focus on the issue of foreign terrorist fighters. She has a strong background in security issues and Eastern and Central Europe. She has served as Ambassador in Belgrade and Budapest, with previous postings in Washington, Geneva, Moscow and Warsaw.
Duncan Price
Principal Security Advisor
QGC
Duncan started his professional career as an Infantry Officer in the Australian Regular Army. After nine years' service he moved to the United Kingdom to work in the Security, Facilities Management and Event Industry. Returning to Australia in 2011, Duncan is now the Principal Security Advisor to QGC - A BG Group Business. He has overseen the transition of security arrangements for both the Upstream and Midstream Assets from a project construction phase to operations. His remit includes threat assessment, security in design, hardware and systems, information security, guarding operations, maritime security and crisis management. Duncan is a graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy and the Royal Military College Duntroon. His I currently studying for a Master's Degree in Risk Management.
Jason Brown
National Security Director
Thales
Jason Brown is the National Security Director for Thales in Australia and New Zealand. He is responsible for security liaison with government, law enforcement and intelligence communities to develop cooperative arrangements to minimise risk to Thales and those in the community that it supports. He is also responsible to ensure compliance with international and Commonwealth requirements for national security and relevant federal and state laws.
Before joining Thales in 2004 Jason had 27 years experience in Commonwealth Government with appointments which include;
- Assistant Secretary - Defence Imagery and the Geospatial Organisation
- Director General - Safety, Compensation and People Development
- Assistant Secretary - Defence Security
- Various appointments in the Attorney General's Security portfolio in the areas of counter terrorism and security policy and investigations
Jason has a number of publications in the areas of client service, intelligence management and security. He is internationally known speaker in the areas of intelligence, security, innovation, export control, scenario and strategic planning. He is a Fellow of the British Security Institute and ARPI, a member of ASIS International, the National Gallery of Australia Foundation, the Risk Management Institution of Australasia and University House – Australian National University. He holds Security Professional Chartered status in the UK and Registered Professional status with SPR-A. He was awarded the Australian Security Medal for Conspicuous Service in February 2011. In 2013 IFSEC International recognised him in the top 40 influential persons in Security and Fire Management.
Jason has been involved in a range of non-security related public activities, including Chair of Lake Tuggeranong College Board, Vice President of the Burragate Rural Fire Brigade, supporter of the iLead mentoring program and donor support for the National Gallery of Australia Foundation, Victorian National Gallery and the National Parks of NSW.
Kate Drews
Market Leader - Property and Buildings - Defence, Aviation and Transport Security
GHD
Kate has 20 years of Defence and security industry experience and has held senior leadership roles in related Commonwealth and industry organisations. Her career began in the Australian Defence Force as an Army Officer. After more than 10 years in the Army, Kate left to commence a career as a management consultant. She is currently the South Queensland Market Leader for Property and Buildings for GHD. As a licensed security consultant, she provides security, risk and threat assessment advice into the transport, mining, Defence, aviation and construction sectors. She has extensive experience in the planning and delivery of complex security infrastructure projects for public and private sector clients. She has been the Project Director for the delivery of over $1B of Queensland Government high security projects and Commonwealth buildings and infrastructure security and Defence projects.
Andrew Gustke
Detective Inspector
Victoria Police
Andrew joined the Victoria Police in January 1983 and performed general duties in and around Melbourne until 1988 when he was successful in becoming a Detective. In 1991 he was selected to work on the Zenith Task Force which was a protracted murder investigation into the abduction, rape and murder of a 6 year old girl. Andrew played an important part in the prosecution and conviction of a man who received life imprisonment never to be released for this murder.
In 1993 he transferred to the Victoria Police Homicide Squad where he investigated murders, fatal police shootings and deaths in custody. In 1996 Andrew transferred to the Major Fraud Group and was the team leader in a complex and protracted Fraud Investigation which eventually led him to give evidence in Frankfurt Germany.
In 2004 he was awarded the Tynan / Eyre Memorial Scholarship. Andrew was studying covert electronic evidence gathering techniques. This took Andrew to New York, the FBI, NYPD and the DEA. Then to Washington D.C. to the FBI research facility in Quantico, Virginia, RCMP in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Andrew returned to the Crime Command in 2007. In 2009 in was selected to be the Victoria Police Senior Investigating Officer for Operation Neath which successfully prevented a Terrorist Attack in Sydney at the Holsworthy Army Base. He was on assignment to the Joint Counter Terrorism Team until July 2011. He was awarded the Australian Federal Police Operational Medal for his leadership during Operation Neath. He is currently Detective Inspector at the Victoria Police, Crime Command and the Victoria Police Representative for the Counter Terrorism investigation capability. He is considered an expert in his field on counter terrorism in Australia and presents at the Senior Investigating Officers course held around Australia. He has also presented on several occasions overseas to international law enforcement agencies and to the National Security College in Canberra. He is currently the Officer in charge of the Purana Task Force which is responsible for the investigation of Serious and Organized Crime and Corruption within Sport and Prisons.
Matthew Curtis
Chair
Australasian Council of Security Professionals
Matthew is a Registered Security Professional and has advised national and corporate leaders for 15 years on security governance, management and risk. Prior to this he was a member of the Australian Diplomatic Corps for 20 years. He has worked and led in fields ranging through diplomacy, policy development and implementation, legal and litigation matters, industry regulation and negotiation. His consulting draws on high-level strategic and relationship management skills as well as effective policy and operational experience and has included:
- National security – national counter-terrorism arrangements, critical infrastructure security, transport security and national security decision support
- Jurisdiction-level emergency management governance arrangements and review
- Security risk, governance, management, policy and planning
- Security management and intelligence systems
Matthew is Chair of the Australasian Council of Security Professionals, the peak representational body for the Security Profession. He was a member of Australia’s Diplomatic Corps for 20 years. He is a graduate of Chinese history, military politics and language and has worked, lived and travelled extensively throughout the Asia Pacific and Middle East.
He brings a unique body of knowledge to the increasingly ambiguous and concerning strategic security issues now emerging.