Our Governance

Our Governance

Our Legislation

Our Legislation

Health and Wellbeing Queensland was established on 1 July 2019, as an independent statutory body within the portfolio of the Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services to improve the health and wellbeing of the Queensland population.

The Health and Wellbeing Act 2019 is the governing legislation for Health and Wellbeing Queensland and identifies the main functions to be:

  • to facilitate and commission activities to prevent illness and promote health and wellbeing;
  • to develop partnerships and collaborate with other entities to further its objective or carry out its functions under the act;
  • to give grants for activities to further its objective or carry out its functions under the act;
  • to monitor and evaluate activities to prevent illness and promote health and wellbeing;
  • to develop policy and advise the Minister and government entities about preventing illness and promoting health and wellbeing;
  • to coordinate the exchange of information about activities to prevent illness and promote health and wellbeing.

Our Board

Our Board

Health and Wellbeing Queensland is governed by a board appointed by the Governor in Council.

The board is appointed under the Health and Wellbeing Act 2019, which requires a member to have qualifications and experience in areas including law, business, public health, academia, community service organisations or the not-for-profit sector or other areas the Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services considers relevant.   The Act also requires that at least one board member must be an Aboriginal person or a Torres Strait Islander.

Mr Stephen Ryan is a professional board member, senior executive and educator with over 40 years’ experience in strategic leadership, governance and service delivery.

Mr Ryan has had extensive exposure across the public, union, superannuation and not-for-profit sectors in his various roles as a secondary school teacher, a Trustee of the QSuper Board and a Director of Qinvest. Mr Ryan is also the Chairperson and a Director of the Residential Tenancies Authority Queensland and an ex-officio member of its Risk and Audit Committee; he is also a Director of GROW, a national not-for-profit community-based organisation helping Australians recover from mental illness through programs of mutual support and personal development. Further, Mr Ryan was previously an executive member and President of the Queensland Teachers’ Union.

As Director-General, Department of Tourism and Sport, Mr Hopper is leading the Government’s objectives to drive economic growth and support jobs through strengthening and growing the state’s tourism and innovation sectors. Through grant funding, infrastructure and planning, major events, world-class venues, and support for the state’s elite athletes via the Queensland Academy of Sport, Mr Hopper is leading government support of Queensland’s success in sport and active recreation. Mr Hopper has enjoyed a highly successful career in government, tourism, sport and major events. He has extensive experience in sports administration, operations, governance, asset management and venue leasing, has a detailed understanding of the private and public sectors and is recognised for his leadership skills, strategic thinking, commercial acumen and communication skills.

Dr Rosengren commenced as Director-General, Queensland Health on 1 November 2024. He is a Senior Staff Specialist in Emergency Medicine with more than 20 years of clinical and leadership experience in both public and private hospital sectors.

While continuing to work as a clinician, he has also undertaken executive roles where he has overseen the delivery and performance of acute public hospital services at a large scale. This includes as Chief Operating Officer for Queensland Health, Executive Director of Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and as Chief Operating Officer for Metro North Hospital and Health Service. He has also been Acting Executive Director of Organisational Development at Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service.

Dr Rosengren has held several representative roles with the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and oversaw the Metropolitan Emergency Department Access Initiative project in 2012. He was the Chair of the Queensland Clinical Senate between 2012 and 2019.

Ms Kathy Parton is the Acting Director-General of the Department of Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Multiculturalism. Kathy is a senior executive with more than 20 years’ experience in government, working across departments and statutory bodies and has led strategic policy, legislation and reform for the department in recent years.

Ms Parton holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and journalism, has undertaken postgraduate study in writing, editing and publishing and has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course. Ms Parton has previously held Deputy Director-General roles in the Department of Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs and the Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, where she specialised in leading policy and legislation reform, and overseeing governance and corporate services.

Ms Parton also spent three years leading communication and strategic engagement at the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, a statutory body established following the 2010–2011 Queensland floods. She previously managed communications and media for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and led the Queensland Government’s Crisis Communication Network in the wake of the 2010–2011 floods and Cyclone Yasi.

Emeritus Professor Lowe is a highly experienced, widely published and highly awarded expert on urban development, sustainability, environmental science and public health. One of Australia’s most respected environmental scientists, Emeritus Professor Lowe is an adjunct professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast and an emeritus professor of science, technology and society at Griffith University where he was previously Head of the School of Science.

Emeritus Professor Lowe holds earned degrees from the University of New South Wales and the University of York as well as honorary doctorates from Griffith University and the University of the Sunshine Coast. Emeritus Professor Lowe’s principal research interests are in the broad area of policy decisions influencing the use of science and technology, especially in the fields of energy and environment.

Dr Spierings is a Gaangulu man and brings his expertise in Indigenous health, community health access, health research, academia, and the not-for-profit sector. Dr Spierings is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at the University of Queensland, investigating COVID-19 health messaging in Indigenous communities, patient centred models of care, health governance and Aboriginal men’s health. Dr Spierings is also a non-Executive Director for the Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast Primary Health Network. In 2015, Dr Spierings was appointed by the Australian Government to serve as the Australian Youth Delegate to the United Nations. He has previously worked in various policy and community development roles and the construction industry.

Mrs Taylor-Johnson has more than 40 years’ experience working in the health sector and studying in the fields of behavioural science and social welfare. Mrs Taylor-Johnson was instrumental in the development of the first Queensland Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health Policy and holds a range of senior advisory positions in government and the not-for-profit sector, and numerous board directorships including with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH), Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council and Health Workforce Queensland.

Throughout her career Mrs Taylor-Johnson has held leadership roles and chair positions, which have provided the opportunity to build on the further establishment of the Murri Independent Community School in Brisbane, Queensland Trachoma and Eye Health and the development and implementation of the Queensland Police Service Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment Strategy.

Ms Voloschenko is a health professional with more than 30 years’ experience encompassing public health, health promotion, health protection and population health. Ms Voloschenko is an independent consumer advisor and strategic planner on matters relating to the health of populations and communities who live in Queensland. Throughout her career, Ms Voloschenko has been involved in the development of major public health and health promotion campaigns, which included community education and associated workforce both nationally and at a state level. For many years, Ms Voloschenko has championed health issues including health literacy and challenges facing culturally and linguistically diverse Queenslanders. She also advocates for equity and inclusion for all. As a result of her efforts, Ms Voloschenko was awarded an Outstanding Individual Achiever Award by Multicultural Queensland in 2019.

Ms Jane Williams is an experienced registered nurse and holds qualifications in management, community service coordination and rural and remote health. Since 1992, Ms Williams has worked in rural and remote areas of Western Queensland and continues to practice as a wellness nurse at the Barcaldine Medical Centre and cares for people with chronic disease and mental illness. Living and working as part of a rural and remote community has provided Ms Williams with valuable insights to the issues and challenges facing these communities.

Ms Williams also holds a number of key board appointments including Chair of the Central West Hospital and Health Board, Queensland Music Festival, CheckUP, Royal Flying Doctors Service (Queensland) Foundation, Queensland Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Advisory Council and Central West Rural Wellness Network.

Last updated 4 February 2025