Professor Scott Prasser, is the Key Principal of Policy Solutions. With undergraduate and masters’ qualifications from the University of Queensland and a doctorate in public policy related areas from Griffith University, Scott has worked at a number of universities in Queensland and interstate and is a well known commentator on public policy issues in state and national media.  In addition, Scott has also been employed in State and Federal governments in senior policy advisory and research positions in both departmental and ministerial roles covering departments such as Tourism, Small Business and Industry, State Development, Immigration and Premier and Cabinet and so appreciates the realities of modern public sector organisations.

More recently, Scott has had extensive experience in working with the private sector and government on regional economic development issues, client evaluation, event evaluation and water related issues.  In 2004 Scott was commissioned by the Property Council of Australia to produce a report on the future directions for the Sunshine Coast economy that has subsequently been a major influence on government policy in this area.

Scott has written extensively on a range of economic development and public policy issues and in 2006 published, Royal Commissions and Public Inquiries in Australia and is a member of a number of professional bodies.

Associates

Dr Gary Johns, a public policy specialist, was previously a minister in the Keating Government (Special Minister of State, Assistant Minister for Industrial Relations and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer). He is a long time community activist and maintains a regular academic output across issues such as indigenous affairs, political parties, the charity sector/non-government and economic reform.

Dr Johns completed an undergraduate degree in economics and Master of Arts from Monash University and his doctorate in public policy from University of Queensland.

Dom Pensiero, Assistant Dean, University of Southern Queensland, is the Associate Dean (Planning and Resources) at USQ, he also lectures post-graduate students nationally and internationally in Business Forecasting, Econometrics and Decision Support Tools. Dom designed and developed Policy Solutions training workshops on the issues of Understanding and Using Statistics for Policy and Understanding and Designing Surveys. Dom holds a Master of and a Bachelor of Commerce (with merit) from the University of Wollongong (Economics major). Dom has extensive experience as a consultant on a range of issues including the use and understanding of statistics for policy analysis, inferential analysis and business planning and has been responsible for analysis for government agencies, private sector organisations and industry groups including:

• Naomi Cotton - feasible econometric forecasting model for cotton pricing in Australia
  
• Eastern Downs Regional Organisation of Councils - regional community profile
  
• CYPLUS Taskforce, Queensland Department of Lands - Land Use Program study
  
• Provision of market research consultancy studies to small businesses comprising of target market identification, customer perceptions on clients products based on attributes of service, price, quality etc, effectiveness of differing promotional strategies, short term forecasting models and identification of potential growth areas.

Dom is extensively published and some of his most recent works include: Analysis of the Characteristics of the Economy of the Southern Inland Queensland Region and The Capacity of the Eastern Downs Region to Undertake Regional Economic Planning in the Light of National and Global Systems.

David Gration has had extensive experience in events management in Queensland, NSW, Tasmania and the ACT.  David has been a board member of numerous state and national associations including his roles as past president of the Australasian Performing Arts Centre Association and regional representative on the board of Arts Training Australia.

David brings a strong background knowledge of tourism and regional development issues from both commercial and local government perspectives. David is highly experienced in conference and seminar organising with a focus on programming, marketing, multi-disciplinary team coordination and community consultation processes.

David has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Queensland University of Technology (QUT). More recently, David has lectured at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) in areas ranging from Tourism to Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship and Marketing.

Wayne Graham, BMgt, BBus (Hons), is currently Business Analyst with the Port Macquarie - Hastings Council in New South Wales. He was previously Lecturer in Management at the University of Sunshine Coast where he taught Leadership and Team Dynamics, Applied Research Methods, Management Strategy, and Managing the Organisation. His current research involves the development of a Strategy Process Diagnostic, a tool for analysing strategic management in organisations. He has co-authored three case studies for an Australian strategic management textbook.

Prior to his current position he was a Lecturer in organisational behaviour at Southern Cross University. He has taught Frontline Management and Retail Management at TAFE in Queensland and New South Wales. Prior to working in the higher education and vocational sectors, Wayne had over 10 years experience in the automotive industry, where he held various positions including Team Leader and Fleet Sales Manager.

Dr Geoff Cockfield, Faculty of Business, University of Southern Queensland, has a long involvement in rural industry and with regional economic development issues. He has written on agricultural and rural industry restructuring issues, natural resources management and presented many papers on regional development. Geoff's most recent published work is, 2003, 'Reporting the drought: A study of news cycles', Australian Journalism Review, 25 (1), pp. 171-186, and his most recent research projects, conducted with other researchers, include 2003, A Pilot Study of Methods to Assess the 'Vital Signs' of Rural Communities and 2002, Pittsworth Shire Council and Department of Transport and Regional Services, Development in the Pittsworth Shire.

Dr Graeme Starr is currently an independent consultant, writer and lecturer with qualifications in Government, Political Science and Public Administration from major universities in Australia, Canada and the United States, where he was awarded his PhD as a Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellow.  He has an extensive list of books and other publications and has taught post-graduate university courses in specialist fields of Government-Business Relations, Issues Management and Politics and Public Policy.  Graeme has many years of experience as an adviser to prime ministers, premiers and other federal and state ministers, political management and private consultancy in Canberra and Washington.