Meet our experts

Natasha is recognised nationally and internationally as a human rights, equality and inclusion expert. She is a Sessional Commissioner at the Victorian Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission.

While specialising in the rights of women at work, Natasha brings to this a holistic and intersectional understanding of racial equality, disability rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and age discrimination.

As Principal of Intersection Natasha is a sought-after expert advisor on cultural reform initiatives across the public and private sectors. In this role Natasha led the Safe, Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Review of Chevron Australia, the Independent Review of Workplace Culture of the Productivity Commission and Out in the Open: Changing the Culture at Nine Entertainment.

Prior to establishing Intersection, Natasha led significant national policy reforms including: 


• Set the Standard: the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces (2021) and

• Respect@Work: the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces (2020).

Natasha’s deep workplace culture experience covers a wide range of sectors and includes leading partnerships with the Australian Defence Force, Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force; working with sporting codes including the AFL, Cricket Australia, Golf Australia, Basketball Australia, Football Australia and FIFA; supporting change efforts in the resources and mining sector; and in the arts and entertainment sector, among others.

Natasha is currently a: 

• Non-Executive Director at Plan International Australia

• Board Advisor, Teach Us Consent

• Basketball Australia Board Nominations Committee Member


• Human Rights Steering Committee Member, AFL Players’ Association


• Human Rights Advisor, Sport Integrity Australia

• Non-Executive Director, Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College.

Maria leads Intersection’s education and training offering, iAcademy. She is an expert in human rights, gender equality and discrimination, with 15 years’ experience in policy and strategy development, education and training across the non-government and government sectors.  

Maria has led a range of gender and workplace equality, diversity and education initiatives working with a diverse range of private and public sector organisations. At the Australian Human Rights Commission, Maria led the Commission’s training and education portfolio which develops and delivers customised training and education modules for public and private sector organisations on bullying, discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment, and human rights in the workplace.   

Most recently Maria has led a multi-disciplinary program of work focused on the prevention of inappropriate workplace behaviour at a large State government department. The program focused on the implementation of the positive duty, leadership capability and embedding processes to manage related psychosocial safety risks.

Maria also has significant experience in working directly with children and young people in conducting reviews into culture in educational institutions and in developing child safety resources for the sporting sector. Maria has led independent organisational cultural reviews into the universities sector, the sporting sector, and the mining and extractives sector.  

While at the Australian Human Rights Commission Maria led:

• Change the Routine: Independent Review into Gymnastics in Australia (2021)

• Racial Equality Review of Basketball Australia (2021)

• Independent review of residential colleges at the University of New England (2019)

• Everyone’s Business: Survey on Sexual harassment of members of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (2019).

Maria was previously an adjunct lecturer at UNSW Law School, a senior policy officer at the Australian Pro Bono Centre and a solicitor in private practice.

Afton is an experienced social policy professional with a decade of experience in the government and not-for-profit sectors. She has led significant state and national policy projects with a particular focus on gender equality, disability rights, and the prevention of sexual harassment. 

Prior to joining Intersection, Afton led a program of work in the government sector focused on supporting leaders to understand their positive duty obligations and undertaking targeted cultural reviews.

While at the Australian Human Rights Commission Afton led the development of the Everyone’s business: Survey on sexual harassment of members of the Shop, Distributive, and Allied Employees’ Association (2019) and wrote the community guide for the Respect@Work report (2020). Afton has also developed national guidance on Australia’s Federal anti-discrimination laws for the sporting, health and transport sectors.  

Afton was previously a Senior Associate at a top tier law firm where she advised clients in the mining, property, transport, technology and not-for-profit sectors. 



Trish is a highly-regarded workplace consultant and employment lawyer.


For more than two decades, Trish has worked in private legal practice, executive level government policy and research roles, and as a trusted workplace investigator and advisor.


Trish was a senior member of the team responsible for delivering the Australian Human Rights Commission’s landmark Respect@Work report as part of the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces. She also played an integral role in the Set the Standard report, following the Independent Inquiry into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces.


Trish provides practical workplace diversity and employment law advice, conducts sensitive workplace investigations and cultural reviews, and designs and delivers practical and engaging workplace education programs on diversity, appropriate workplace behaviour and employment law.






Alexandra (Alex) has extensive experience in leading large-scale sector and organisational cultural reviews of national significance. Since 2011, Alex has led a range of cultural reviews that have resulted in significant change, for clients including the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Federal Police, Qantas, Air Services Australia, the University of Sydney’s seven residential colleges, the Victorian Courts, Rio Tinto, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and EY Oceania. 


In 2022, Alex led the groundbreaking review into Sexual Harassment, Sexual Abuse and Systemic Discrimination in the Australian Contemporary Music Industry, resulting in the Raising Their Voices report.


Alex is a thought leader on the impact of workplace bullying, sexual harassment, racism and other forms of discrimination, and the importance of psychologically safe workplaces.



Lauren is an experienced public sector professional with 16 years of experience in the NSW and Commonwealth government public services.  She has led significant State and Commonwealth government policy initiatives, with a particular focus on gender equality and the prevention of workplace sexual harassment. She also has expertise across the NSW Health portfolio, and in the national security and immigration spaces.


Most recently, Lauren was the Director of the Sex Discrimination team at the Australian Human Rights Commission under former Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins AO. She co-directed the Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Workplace Sexual Harassment (2020) report and led high performing teams to deliver other ground-breaking reports including Equality across the board: Investing in workplaces that work for everyone (2021), and Everyone’s
Business: Fourth national survey on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces (2018).





Tanaya has extensive experience in inquiries and reviews into systemic and cultural issues at national and State level. Tanaya was the Director of Respect@Work at the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), as well as the Director of the AHRC’s Indigenous Project within the Defence Collaboration. 


Most recently Tanaya has been working with Intersection on a range of cultural reform initiatives including the Safe, Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Review of Chevron Australia.


Tanaya previously led investigations as part of the Special Projects Taskforce at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, examining responses to child sexual abuse in religious institutions. Prior to this, Tanaya led teams within the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce, focusing on systemic issues and responding to complaints of sexual and physical abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying and harassment, within ADF institutions.  





Marlene consults nationally and internationally across a number of human rights areas including gender equality, employment of people with disability and addressing ageism and age discrimination.

Marlene is a former consultant to the World Health Organisation's Global Campaign to Combat Ageism and is a Director of EveryAGE Counts, Australia's coalition-led campaign against ageism.

Previously, Marlene was the Director of Willing to Work, the National Inquiry into Employment Discrimination Against Older Australians and Australians with Disability with the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). 

Marlene has worked in Commonwealth and State Governments and the not for profit sector in a range of executive, strategic policy and operational roles as well as a number of major public inquiries including the Review into the Treatment of Women in the Australian Defence Force and the Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services in NSW.

Marlene also serves on the NSW Government’s Women’s Advisory Council.

Marlene has a PhD from Sydney University, an Executive Masters of Public Administration (ANZSOG), a Masters of Business Administration (University of Technology, Sydney) and is a registered psychologist.

Ashley is an experienced senior public policy and human rights professional, and Respect@Work Educator. She has led the development and delivery of human rights education for a range of audiences, from early childhood through to adults, in Australia and abroad.

Ashley held senior roles within the Australian Human Rights Commission’s (AHRC) education, training and knowledge translation function for a period of 8 years. During this time Ashley led:

• the development of age-appropriate Australian Curriculum-mapped resources for the human rights education in schools program across the early childhood, primary and secondary school sectors

• the implementation of the education and training related recommendations from Respect@Work

• the AHRC’s human rights education partnership with Vietnam, developing and delivering both train-the-trainer programs for academics and teachers and Curriculum-mapped school resources


Ashley has developed and delivered eLearning, face-to-face and virtual education and training programs related to human rights, leadership, and diversity, equity and inclusion, for a broad range of organisations across the public, non-profit, private and sporting sectors.

She also has experience working on child safe initiatives in the public and sporting sectors, as well as on workplace cultural reform, with a focus on gender equality and Respect@Work, for the Australian Federal Police and private sector organisations.


Ryan is an experienced adult educator and facilitator. For the past 17 years, Ryan has worked as a lecturer in higher education, with expertise in creating safe and inclusive learning environments for learners of all ages and backgrounds. He has won several commendations for his teaching and is recognised as a leader in virtual and online education.

Prior to taking on his role in higher education, Ryan worked as an adult educator in the construction industry, and has held various training roles in private and government organisations, both in Australia and overseas. He holds a PhD from the University of New South Wales, and a Master of Education from the University of New England. Ryan is also a Senior Lecturer in English literature at Macquarie University in Sydney.

Elaquare is a Dalyell Scholar at the University of Sydney, studying Politics and International Relations. From 2023-2024, she worked at the Fred Hollows Foundation in their internal communications department. In August 2023, she represented the FHF at the ‘Hands on Heart National Youth Conference’ for the Voice to Parliament referendum.  

In 2025 she began writing political analysis articles for Honi Soit. Her work operates within both Australian and international politics, analysing power dynamics and democratic processes. 

Elaquare recently commenced research for Professor James Der Derian at the Centre for International Security Studies, where she examines science-policy relations, nuclear governance, and the implications for non-proliferation, energy, and emerging quantum technologies.

Sara is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of International Security Studies at the Australian National University. Her academic interests sit at the intersection of human rights law, justice, and global security, with a particular focus on how legal frameworks can better protect vulnerable communities. 

At Burgmann College, Sara was appointed as Women’s Representative for 2026. In this role, she works across all year levels to address issues such as sexual violence, harassment, and student mental health. In this role, she facilitates and designs peer-led college wide discussions to encourage open dialogue, strengthen support networks, and promote a safer and more inclusive environment. 

Sara’s work is guided by a commitment to inclusivity and representation, particularly in amplifying the perspectives of women and LGBTQIA+ communities. She has also conducted independent research on gender representation in media, presenting her findings to peers and contributing to broader conversations about equity and visibility.