Our Staff

Carla Wilshire OAM is the founding CEO of The Social Policy Group (SPG). She has a background in public policy development and impact strategy, corporate governance, and tertiary research. Before establishing SPG, Carla worked in senior roles in the public service and as an advisor to the Government, principally in migration and settlement, including as Chief of Staff to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. She also held academic and consulting positions in Australia and abroad. Carla is the Board Director of The Australian Centre for Social Innovation, the co-founder and Deputy Chair of the Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership and the Judicial Council on Diversity & Inclusion, as well as a member of the Council of Harmony Alliance, the national migrant and refugee women's alliance.

Jamila Padhee is the Leader of Operations with the Social Policy Group.   She was previously a Co-CEO with the Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT), and Deputy CEO of Multicultural Australia.   She has been working with people from refugee backgrounds, people seeking asylum and migrants for over 20 years in a variety of casework, community development and leadership roles. Jamila is passionate about multiculturalism and the strengths and opportunities of our cultural diversity.  Jamila has a Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts (Anthropology).

Gail is the Special Advisor with The Social Policy Group. For over 20 years, Gail Ker OAM’s vast industry experience and arguably unrivalled expertise in the Australian multicultural, humanitarian and community sectors has seen her change countless lives for the better. A nationally lauded and award winning visionary, Gail was formerly the CEO of Access Community Services Ltd where she lead in creating social, cultural and economic experiences and opportunities that transformed the lives of individuals and communities. Renowned for her expertise in innovative service solutions, Gail is a recognised thought leader in needs-based community planning, innovative business models, social cohesion, strategic partnerships, employment pathways, funding opportunities and strategic direction.

Ine focuses on supporting migrant and refugee communities in Australia through developing multilingual digital solutions and promoting access to social infrastructure that supports community resilience and social cohesion. Previously, she has worked at UNHCR and in the diplomatic space across multiple countries, including Australia. Ine has a keen interest in sports, especially its potential to unite and strengthen communities and is the president of the ANU Australian Football Club. Ine holds a Master of Arts in History (2016) from the University of Ghent and a Master in International Relations and Diplomacy (2019) from the University of Antwerp.

Sara has almost twenty years of experience working in democracy, governance, and election-related fields. Her focus has been on developing policy, strengthening public institutions, assessing capacity development needs, and developing the capacity of government officials, civil society, and policymakers. Sara has worked with UNDP, UNICEF and the International Institute for Democracy for Electoral Assistance in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle. Most recently she worked for the Australian Electoral Commission. Sara holds a Master of Social Science (M.S.S), with a Major in Political Science.

Nuria supports the work of Harmony Alliance and facilitates SPG’s work to support the COVID-19 Vaccination Program rollout to migrant and refugee communities in Australia. She is passionate about women’s rights and the rights of migrants and refugees. Nuria migrated to Australia from Spain and actively participates in the Spanish-speaking community in Canberra. She also volunteered as a co-presenter on the Spanish community radio program. Nuria holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Policy from Miguel Hernandez Universidad of Elche in Spain. She also completed a one-year exchange program in Cracow, Poland. Before joining SPG, she worked in the legal, aged care, education and diplomatic fields in Australia and Europe.

Nick works on policy and projects in the SPG Settlement and Community Capacity Building team. Nick helps facilitate the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) Community of Practice (CoP) and supports the Ukrainian Community and Settlement Support (UCASS) grant program. Nick also facilitates research, consultation, and policy formulation in settlement and community capacity building. Nick has a background in humanitarian-development research as well as evaluation and learning, having previously conducted research for non-government organisations, the United Nations, foundations, and donor governments, with a focus on Afghanistan. Nick holds a Master of International Relations from the University of Melbourne.

Tarina manages the SPG’s health and mental health portfolios, aiming to improve health and mental health system access for migrant and refugee communities. This involves providing Secretariat support to the Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership and engaging with stakeholders across the health and community sector, both nationally and internationally. Tarina’s career has focused on supporting the rights and wellbeing of migrants and refugees. She has worked across federal and local government and in the non government sector in the fields of multilateral engagement, humanitarian and protection response to displacement and in community capacity building. Tarina holds a Master of Development Studies in Refugee and Forced Migration from the University of New South Wales. Based in Sydney, she has worked in Jordan and Thailand as well as Geneva and Canberra.

Raylynn is a public health professional with 8 years experience in global health and international development. Raylynn has experience working across the Indo-Pacific region and in-country in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Cambodia. Raylynn’s work has focused on health system strengthening through service delivery, governance, policy, gender, youth leadership and community engagement within both non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and communicable diseases including multidrug-resistant TB, and HIV/AIDS. Raylynn is particularly interested in Climate Change and Public Health and deeply committed to sustainability and the empowerment of individuals and communities to map out their own future pathways. Raylynn has qualifications in health sciences, and humanitarian health and is completing a Masters of Global Health through the University of Sydney. Prior to joining TSPG Raylynn previously worked with, the Burnet Institute, civil society organisations (CSO) in PNG, UNAIDS in Cambodia and Abt Associates.

Olga conducts data analysis and evaluation and monitoring processes with her extensive knowledge of analytical tools to strengthen the impact of SPG's work. Olga contributes to a range of policy and research projects. She is also a Board Director of Forcibly Displaced People Network. She holds a Bachelor of International Economics and Management (2016) from Kyiv National Economic University in Ukraine and a Master of Science in Economic Behaviour and Governance (2020) from the University of Kassel in Germany. Olga also studied in the People's Republic of China for three years and participated in an academic exchange program in Poland. She is passionate about the human rights of migrants and refugees. She applies her extensive international professional experience to promote better outcomes for migrant and refugee communities in Australia.

Marta works across the SPG and auspices organisations and portfolios to deliver meaningful communications.  Marta is passionate about the power of communication to connect people with ideas and support positive social change. She has tertiary qualifications in communications, international trade and development, and anthropology, and has a rich professional background having worked across international development, trade and health sectors. Marta has always had a passion for women’s rights and challenging harmful social norms. She is strongly driven by positive social movements and working towards a more equal, safe and compassionate society.

Varsha works across SPG's digital and multilingual portfolio, coordinating digital design and in-language communication based on informed policy adapted to CALD audiences. Her focus has been on accessing community needs, capacity building through skill development and facilitating information delivery into respective communities. She leads the education and awareness-raising campaign in alignment with the National Dowry Abuse Prevention Framework by co-designing community-led prevention information into resources on family and domestic violence. Most recently, she worked on restructuring the Harmony Votes campaign to boost the involvement of women from migrant and refugee backgrounds in Australian democracy during the NSW elections. Varsha holds a BA (Hons.) in Japanese, MA in Asian and Pacific Studies and was a Japanese Government Scholar. She speaks Hindi and Japanese.