08:30 Conference Welcome 

Kaylee Clark, President, Queensland Bus Industry Council

Kaylee was raised in the bus industry and joined Clark’s Logan City Bus Service in 1994, progressing from frontline work to part of the Senior Management team.

Building upon her parents’ legacy, she is passionate about keeping the needs of the community central to the transport task. This task is more than commuters and students, it allows our community to grow and thrive, it improves our environment while contributing to improving the physical and mental health of our community.

Alongside the Clark team, she has seen the successful implementation of the Brisbane Metro Private service change and the introduction of the South-east busway extension to Springwood and opening of the Rochedale bus station to the network. Both projects have seen a 13% increase in patronage this financial year and exhibiting strong growth.

Kaylee is the current President of Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC) and Vice Chair of the Commercial Committee (QBIC), a councillor of the Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) and the Australian Public Transport Industrial Association (APTIA), a member of the Department of Transport’s Transport & Logistics Workforce Advisory Committee (TLWAC) and the Pathways and Attraction Working Group (PAWG). She has qualifications in Accounting, Management, Architectural Design and Town Planning.

08:45 Opening Address

Brent Mickelberg MP, Minister for Transport & Main Roads

Brent Mickelberg is the State Member for Buderim and Minister for Transport and Main Roads.

Brent is a strong advocate for regional Queensland and ensuring every community gets their fair share, especially when it comes to better roads and public transport.

He has worked as a stockman, bank manager and financial analyst, and served as an infantry soldier and officer in the Australian Defence Force including a deployment to Afghanistan.

Brent was first elected to Parliament in 2017 and from 2020 held the portfolio of Shadow Minister for Employment and Training, Small and Family Business, and Open Data.

09:00 Address

Bart Mellish, Shadow Minister for Transport & Main Roads

09:10 National Update

Varenya Mohan-Ram, Executive Director, Bus Industry Confederation of Australia

Varenya Mohan-Ram was appointed Executive Director of the Bus Industry Confederation on 7 April 2025.

He brings over 30 years’ experience across strategic management, government liaison, and multiple sectors of transportation and logistics, including buses, aviation, road transport, refrigerated transport, waste handling, warehouse operations, furniture removal, among others.

Before joining BIC, his most recent position was National Business Relationship Manager at Team Super where he was responsible for corporate relationships with many large transport and logistics companies.

Varenya has also been active in governance and advocacy roles: He has served on the boards or committees of organisations such as the Refrigerated Warehouse & Transport Association of Australia (RWTA); the Service Industry Training Advisory Council; Asthma Australia (Northern Territory); and the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA), the latter where he chaired its Northern Territory group.

Varenya holds, a Bachelor of Science degree; A Diploma of Financial Services (Superannuation); Master of Business Administration (MBA); and he has completed Finance for Senior Executives at Harvard Business School.

09:20 Keynote Address: Through Uncertainty into Opportunity 

Ali Hill, Psychologist & Co-founder, Pragmatic Thinking

Ali is a registered Psychologist and co-founder of three-time AFR Fast 100 company, Pragmatic Thinking. Pragmatic Thinking is a behaviour and motivation strategy company that helps organisations build better leaders by building better people.

Awarded Educator of the Year in 2018, business woman and international keynote speaker, Ali’s work has made its way into businesses you may have heard of… Virgin Australia, Suncorp, PepsiCo, Siemens, McDonalds, Bond University and Heritage Bank to name a few.

On top of all this, Ali’s found the time to author three best-selling books; 'Dealing with the Tough Stuff: How to achieve results from key conversations and Stand Out: A real world guide to get clear, find purpose and become the boss of busy, and Work From Anywhere. She’s also the host and producer of one of Australia’s top podcasts, Stand Out Life where she digs into the stories behind some of the world’s greatest thought leaders and talents who lead truly awe-inspiring lives.

10:30 Panel Session: One Network Envisaged

Sally Stannard, Director General, Department of Transport & Main Roads

Matthew Burke, COO, Bicycle Queensland

Sal Petroccitto, CEO, Toowoomba Regional Council

11:15 Olympic/Paralympic procurement and planning for Brisbane 2032 

Andrew Mahon, DDG Policy, Planning & Investment Division, Department of Transport & Main Roads

Andrew has over 24 years’ experience shaping Queensland’s transport system. He leads strategic policy and planning across a $41.7 billion integrated investment program, covering road, rail, public and active transport, and freight. Andrew also oversees safe, efficient access to land and maritime networks statewide.

13:00 TMR Update 

Greg Spelman, General Manager (Passenger Transport Services), Department of Transport & Main Roads 

13:30 Aligning our Compass – Moving Forward in Unity

Workshop: Creating momentum - Lifting the pension earnings cap

Kirsten Jongsma, National IR Manager, Bus Industry Confederation

Kirsten is the National Industrial Relations Manager for the Bus Industry Confederation, heading up the Australian Public Transport Industrial Association (APTIA), the industrial arm of BIC. Kirsten has 15 years’ experience in people leadership roles across multiple industries. Notably, 7 years across the bus and passenger transport industry. Kirsten holds a Juris Doctor from the Australian National University, a Master of Human Resource Management (Employee Relations) and Bachelor of Management (Psychology). Kirsten is also a member of the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) and former State President and Councillor of the NT AHRI Council. Kirsten is also a Mentor in the ANU School of Law Mentor Program, and the Industrial Relations Society of NSW Mentor Program, the latter of which she is also a member.

14:00 Regulating for Success

Nicole Rosie, CEO, National Heavy Vehicle Regulator

Nicole Rosie joined the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) as Chief Executive Officer in June 2025 and brings over 20-years’ experience in Chief Executive and senior management roles across the public and private sector.

Most recently, Nicole served as the Chief Executive of New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Waka Kotahi. Nicole’s experience also includes three years as Chief Executive of WorkSafe, New Zealand (NZ National Health and Safety Regulator) and senior executive roles in Fonterra, KiwiRail/Toll NZ, Vector and Fletcher Challenge Forests.

Over her five-year period in the NZTA role, NZ saw significant changes in transport priorities with three government policy statements on transport and significant pivots in transport priorities. Transformation changes were also made in the regulatory, safety and digital functions of NZTA with modern platforms put in place to manage pricing, tolling, public transport and network management and utilisation. Through her period in the role, NZ also saw improvements in transport safety and a reduction in national emissions transport emissions with NZTA leading the implementation of government transport decarbonisation initiatives such as the clean car scheme.

Nicole has a Master of Public Health in law and public health from Harvard University, which she attended as a NZ Fulbright scholar. A Master of Law from Auckland university jointly supervised by the medical and law schools and Law and Arts degrees from Otago university.

14:30 Driver Health Screening

TBA

15:30 Panel Session: Practical pathways towards Zero Emission

Dean Moule, National Technical Manager, Bus Industry Confederation

Based in Melbourne, Dean Moule is the National Technical Manager for the Bus Industry Confederation, since April 2023. Initially starting out as an Auto Electrician, Dean has 37 years’ experience in the Automotive Industry specializing in Bus Manufacturing, Service, Engineering and Product Development. Eleven of those years has been working in Electromobility, Most recently Dean was the Director of Product and Electromobility at Volvo Buses which included the global launch of the BZL Electric City Bus in Australia and Southeast Asia.

14:00 Conference Wrap-up

Jason O'Dwyer, Executive Director, Queensland Bus Industry Council

Jason O’Dwyer is the Executive Director of the Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC), the peak representative body for private bus and coach operators in Queensland. He brings over 30 years of experience in human resources, industrial relations, and policy advocacy across multiple industries, including transport, construction, mining, health, and community services. Jason has held senior leadership roles in industry, employer associations, including Commerce Queensland, the Master Electricians Australia, and the Baking Industry Association, giving him deep insight into workforce, regulatory, and commercial issues across sectors.

At QBIC, Jason leads strategic advocacy on safety, regulatory and contract reform, human resource and workforce development, and championing initiatives such as school and commercial sector funding and contracts, safety duties and operator obligations, and the transition to zero-emission buses. He is also a strong proponent of diversity and inclusion. Recognized for his solutions-focused approach, Jason works closely with government, industry, and community stakeholders to deliver sustainable outcomes for operators, workers, and passengers alike.